Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 For those of you who might want to try .UIS skins (XP supports Microsoft signed .msstyles out of the box, if you use the styles xp patch, you can make .msstyles skins that aren't MS digitally signed, and if you install WindowBlinds XP can use .muis skins) we've released WindowBlinds XP RC1. On Windows XP, WindowBlinds integrates into the XP skin engine (uxtheme.dll) which provides a greater level of compatibility and consisten performance (i.e. a .UIS skin will run at least as fast as a .msstyle skin if they're the exact same skin). RC1 adds a ton of performance features including hyperpaint, fixes a lot of bugs, and has been Microsoft certified (It was awarded Microsoft's "Designed for Windows XP logo) this last week. Once installed, users can use WindowBlinds skins just as they would any other visual style. I'm including a screenshot of display properties (using the Win classic look) so you can see what I mean. To try it go to WindowBlinds.net XP skins are now at WinCustomize as well as other skin sites (feel free to add here if your website has .UIS xp skins). Anyway, I'm around if you have any questions or comments or problems. Also you can email me as well. Hope you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 https://www.neowin.net/comments.php?categor...ry=main&id=1036 I updated the post on the main page to include RC 1 download, for faster response/postings you can mail us too ;) neobond@neowin.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 Thanks! Yea, I've been lurking in the message boards for awhile and finally started participating this week. I wanted to tell the regulars here about it. We haven't even announced it on WinCustomize yet for instance. Thanks again though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 I appreciate your input and it also helps us to display news as it comes out, which is never a bad thing. Thanks to you too for the update :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 It's now live. (the link was still pointing to an older one, IT just updated it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickedkitten Veteran Posted October 26, 2001 Veteran Share Posted October 26, 2001 To Buy it go to WindowBlinds.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr White Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 The topic is Visual styles for XP not windowblinds. Start a different thread for WindowBlinds if you want but don't hijack this thread to promote your product. You would not tolerate that at WinCustomize or your Newsgroup. In short its spamming :evil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmak Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 You're right tmf2 :) It does give us a chance to test and compare. I do think there's a No spam rules missing in the board rules ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortensen Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 Stardock missed the point with WindowBlinds XP as an alternate to Visual Styles! The word Visual Styles implies that they HAVE style... M$ skins have style; Stardock skins don't. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortensen Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 WindowBlinds XP Picture They've killed it I tell you. :D - I'd pay to get that OFF of my computer. PS - Let's get one thing straight - I don't care to HATE WindowBlinds, but you're just proving how bad it is. The taskbar along the bottom looks great, apart from the fact you can't read what each item is. The buttons for Shut Down and Log Off look good but apart from that the skins needs putting down! It's TOO big! The main complaints about XP was how big the skins were [in pyhsical screenspace] and now you go make them even bigger! Perhaps that's why so many people seem to laugh at Stardock [including me]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 The name of this forum is visual styles for Windows XP. WB 3 skins are a form of visual styles. Anything that uses uxtheme.dll is a visual style. I can't imagine Neowin.net, one of the top tech sites on the Internet, discriminating based on the skin format. It would be like a wallpaper site only allowing .BMP wallpapers and excluding .JPG wallpapers. tmf2 - Neowin isn't affiliated with TGTSoft (who makes the uxtheme.dll patch) so why would it be off limits to talk about WindowBlinds? Especially since on XP, they ARE visual styles, just a different format. If this site were TGTSoft's message board, you'd have a point. Mortensen - there are thousands of .UIS skins out there, most of them will be found to be ugly by some people. Just pick the ones you like. Again, to use the graphic analogy, it's like saying that .JPG is bad because people have made ugly graphics with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primalgoo Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 If I remember correctly... Wasn't some Internet Webpage AND board that tested beta software B4 it came out to the general public just almost PERMANENTLY shut down because of you belief in Windowblinds..... IF you keep up Frogboy ppl are just gonna get more turned off to Windowsblinds.... YOU personally just now caused me to stop using it ... STOP THE INTERNET DAMAGE !!! ehe hrm.... IEbeta will LIVE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackhbob Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 I'm of the opinion that around 90% of WindowsBlinds skins are horrific. In previous versions of Windows I put the program down because of slowdown and crashes... the latest version of windowsblinds seems to be stable and fast but there are few themes I would actually use. Making a seperate forum seems unnecessary though. Both ways of skinning XP should be able to coexist in the Visual Styles forum. Lastly I had a question... Anyone have an estimate on when WindowsBlinds 3 is gonna go final? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawai Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 no offense or anything, I have no yet find ONE skin that looks decent and doesn't have any weirdo graphics/text issues really ****es me off when wincustomize censored all comments on ****ty looking skins, they should just call themselves starcrap.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 Prima - as a user of IEXBeta I take issue with your comments. Go over there and you'll find me posting along with others. Nanzy and I email each other on a regular basis regularly (we're on friendly terms). WB 3 should go out by the second week of November. You can download RC1 (it's free) off windowblinds.net. To use the wallpaper analogy, most wallpapers are pretty awful looking. Skins are even harder to make than wallpapers. Regardless of what format people use, most skins will be ugly. Just check out DeviantART, they have nearly a 100 sections for various skin sections and most of the skins cause milk to go sour. ;) I guess the point I'm trying to make (but apparently offending some people which I apologize for since that' s not my intent -- I'm a user here as much anyone else) is that the format of the skins should be irrelevant. What should matter is what skin suits your tastes the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackhbob Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 The only way that I can see that format plays a role is whether or not you have to install a program to control the skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 In all cases, you'll have to install a program to use additional skins. If you want to use .msstyle skins, you have to download a program to get around Microsoft's security. If you want to use .uis skins you have to download WindowBlinds skins. Over the coming year, we'll probably several other skin formats come out as developers makes their own formats to use Microsoft's uxtheme.dll engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackhbob Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 No need to install a program with XP's built in Visual Styles... just replace a dll..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickedkitten Veteran Posted October 26, 2001 Veteran Share Posted October 26, 2001 Originally posted by Frogboy WB 3 should go out by the second week of November. You can download RC1 (it's free) off windowblinds.net. where exactly does it say rc1 is free. From the website: HOT: WindowBlinds 3 gives Windows XP users the ability to add additional skins and integrates that skinning into Windows 98/ME/NT/2000! The latest beta release is available only on Object Desktop. Why don't you ever add the "if you pay or have paid 50 bucks for object desktop" on your posts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 Er.. If you have to replace a DLL.. A DLL is a program. A newbie to XP has to go out and get something made by a third party in order to add additional styles to it. By default, XP only supports MS signed .msstyles files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogboy Administrators Posted October 26, 2001 Author Administrators Share Posted October 26, 2001 What are you talking about Kitten? I'm on there right now. http://www.windowblinds.net/default.asp?page=download You just click on the WindowBlinds icon right next to "WindowBlinds for Windows XP". It directly links to the installer. It's free. There is an enhanced version that has other goodies but that doesn't make the standard version not free. Like Quicktime, there's a Quicktime Pro. But the regular version is free to use indefinitely (and always has been). Note though, the beta version does expire but by then there will be the released version which has no expiration at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kader Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 Originally posted by Frogboy Er.. If you have to replace a DLL.. A DLL is a program. No a .DLL is a Dynamic Link Library...sorry bud.:lick: I think the majority of people have issues with the fact that msstyles files are packaged where as a wba files simply create a folder with bitmaps. Basically the same but msstyles are faster because of the nature of packaging. WindowsBlinds offers all these bells and whistles compared to StylesXP...but all they do is hog more memory. I guess the bottomline is: Why should I use your product to skin windows when what is already built into XP is much faster and free? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM5K Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 Well, looks like I gotta open my big f$%^&*# mouth... First Kader you are right, a dll helps an application by providing functions or data to a program, thus it's not a program. Also there are a ton of issues going around here, it's hard to address them all but I will try. As far as weather or not your product belongs in this section: WindowBlinds has been around for quite some time, WindowBlindsXP has been around for months if I am not mistaken... Do you think it's a coincidence that only a day or two after the release of Styles XP this forum was created ? Also usually when I hear people refer to WindowBlinds they use the term "Skin"... When they refer to Styles XP they say "Style"... Now I'm not saying you should or shouldn't post WindowBlinds info in here, I'm only saying that it obviously wasn't the intention to have WB stuff here. Though I suppose they can co-exist.. I do think it makes it harder for people to find what they are looking for.... As far as ugly ass Skins.... Well even Styles can't avoid that, if you read some of the comments, you'd notice people ragging on some Styles already... I suppose it's a matter of opinion to some extent... Some people thought Luna Orange was ugly... Personally I love it and am using it now..... In the Styles XP V. WindowBlindsXP situation, diffrent people have diffrent opinions... It's been my experience that WB is buggy and slow, so far with Styles XP the only bugs I have seen are directly related to the fact that we are using Resource Hacker instead of a real tool..... As a side note I've seen people say WBXP isn't buggy at all, yet with each new release I see something like "bugs fixed" or "lots of bug fixes".. Though I do give it a shot, as I wanted something other than Silver, Blue and Puke Green....... As far as the "I don't want to install something extra" etc, etc... Brad, you know what these people mean, even if they can't say exactly what they mean perfectly... We see bugs in WBXP, not in the Styles, WBXP appears to be slow to most people.... And you can say"But where's the proof"? Thousands of people can't all be wrong can we ? People don't want an extra application running to do something that Windows can do itself pretty damn well, albeit your app does add a few extra features, to some of us, it's not worth the slow down and bugs....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katalyst Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 Look at the Favourites menu on Windowblinds compared to StylesXP....Stardock cant seem to skin it. Nutz to Windowblind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM5K Posted October 26, 2001 Share Posted October 26, 2001 Man I really have to agree with what that PM5K guy said, he's really smart.... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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