Skin your browser with WinBlinds
Posted by me101 on 20 September 2001 - 16:44 · no comments & 419 views
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"In recent years, other browsers such as Netscape Navigator 6.0 and Neoplanet have made their ability to be "skinned" a major bullet point. Even the new version of Opera allows for visual customization. WebBlinds isn't a web browser, it's an Internet Explorer extension that takes advantage of Microsoft's ATL and Stardock's DirectSkin technologies to make IE completely skinnable," said Brad Wardell, President & CEO of Stardock Corporation.
Not only can WebBlinds change the toolbar buttons and their backgrounds, it allows for the complete customization of the title bar and borders including allowing companies and skin authors to provide additional buttons.
WebBlinds works as a standard Microsoft Internet Explorer helper object. The power behind WebBlinds is Stardock DirectSkin, a program based on WindowBlinds skinning technology that allows developers to make their own applications skinnable
With Stardock able to integrate new features such as skinning into Internet Explorer, the next step is to use this experience to keep extending and improving Internet Explorer. For example, the enhanced version of WebBlinds integrates Stardock's "Smart ad-blocking" technology directly into Internet Explorer. Pop-up ads are intercepted and put into IE's status bar, giving the user the option of looking at what popped up or not. Other performance enhancements have also been integrated into the enhanced version. When activated, users should notice a significant performance increase in their web surfing. This will be most apparent for users with modem connections.
Blocking a pop-up ad
Clicking on the pop up ad icon in IE's status bar
note the buttons on the left side of IE
WebScape skin, links to left
In the UK and several places in the US, copies of Microsoft Flight simulator where taken of the shelves. The theory being that the terrorists could have used the program to train for their mission. Also, the new version of the game has been delayed slightly as the World Trade Centers were being removed. Many other games were pulled such as Spider Man. Also, many movies were pulled.
In other MS news, the case between MS and the US Justice Department has been delayed a week. This will further hinder any attempt to stop the shipping of Windows XP.
The president of Akamai was killed in one of the planes that hit the WTC. Akamai is involved with distribution of images and files all over the web. They are the Connexion of images and more.
Yet, I do not think these will be the real effects on the industry. I believe that consumer confidence is going to drop to the bottom. The market for computer games, new processors, and better operating systems will not exist. This will create a massive slowdown as to the future of computer development. This will mean all our news days in a few months will look like the last week’s stories.
As citizens of the world, we must continue to purchase as we have previously. This is the only way that we will salvage the tech industry and many others. Current war does not have a massive effect on the productivity of companies as it did in the past. I do not expect war to have a positive or negative effect on the economy.