Windows 8 RC To Get Flatter Explorer UI, Other Changes

By freak180
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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rfirth

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One thing I do think would help overall is with the title bar size, if those could take up less space it'd look overall better IMO.

No, that's necessary for touch. You need a decently large title bar to allow you to grab and move windows. It's really annoying using programs that don't leave enough space for the title bar - like Google Chrome when maximized.

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floopydoodle

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Now they just need a new icon set. Probably not likely to happen considering the change to system drive, setup and windows update icons using the same vista style.

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George P Global Moderator

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No, that's necessary for touch. You need a decently large title bar to allow you to grab and move windows. It's really annoying using programs that don't leave enough space for the title bar - like Google Chrome when maximized.

That could be the case and it makes sense as to why it's bigger but maybe the default on a desktop without touch could be smaller since the need is then gone?

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~Johnny

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That could be the case and it makes sense as to why it's bigger but maybe the default on a desktop without touch could be smaller since the need is then gone?

*shrugs* Desktop users could appreciate the extra Windows grabbing space too. It helps that when it's maximised it actually gets a bit thinner :3

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George P Global Moderator

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*shrugs* Desktop users could appreciate the extra Windows grabbing space too. It helps that when it's maximised it actually gets a bit thinner :3

That's fine, I don't really mind either way. I don't quite know what some people want out of aero at this point. I suppose they could do more work on the taskbar next maybe. Really though I think any desktop side changes will be minor till Windows 9.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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+Frank B. Subscriber²

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Wow. The desktop screenshot doesn't look half bad. The metro-ified visual style fits in much better with the overall design. Now if they let us reduce the title bar height too without having to resort to registry hacks I shall be a happy camper.

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Dot Matrix

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We applied the principles of ?clean and crisp? when updating window and taskbar chrome. Gone are the glass and reflections. We squared off the edges of windows and the taskbar. We removed all the glows and gradients found on buttons within the chrome. We made the appearance of windows crisper by removing unnecessary shadows and transparency. The default window chrome is white, creating an airy and premium look. The taskbar continues to blend into the desktop wallpaper, but appears less complicated overall.

To complete the story, we updated the appearance of most common controls, such as buttons, check boxes, sliders, and the Ribbon. We squared off the rounded edges, cleaned away gradients, and flattened the control backgrounds to align with our chrome changes. We also tweaked the colors to make them feel more modern and neutral.

I have a feeling that white is going to get to me, though. That kills my eyes. Hopefully, that's changeable.

While a few of these visual changes are hinted at in the upcoming Release Preview, most of them will not yet be publicly available. You?ll see them all in the final release of Windows 8!

:cry:

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LightShadow

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Okay, this looks awesome! I can say it's shaping up nicely now!

I just hope in future builds, they remove the aero taskbar, and make it white, and give metro-esque icons. I'm liking the death of Aero.

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+Frank B. Subscriber²

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i'm gonna guess it's just the new Basic theme

No, that is what the desktop will look like. The glass effects are gone. See also what Dot Matrix quoted here.

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Brandon H Supervisor

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No, that is what the desktop will look like. The glass effects are gone. See also what Dot Matrix quoted here.

alrighty then :)

as long as you are able to change the color still or it doesn't stay THAT white/bright I will be happy

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mdtaUK

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I imagine a colour change in the registry or .theme file should work if there is no UI for changing the window colour. And of course there will be people working on new Visual Styles and a patch for the DWM and UXTheme systems.

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Dot Matrix

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No, that is what the desktop will look like. The glass effects are gone. See also what Dot Matrix quoted here.

alrighty then :)

as long as you are able to change the color still or it doesn't stay THAT white/bright I will be happy

I don't think they're gone, just white by default. Judging by this screenshot, it's changeable.

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+Frank B. Subscriber²

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I don't think they're gone, just white by default. Judging by this screenshot, it's changeable.

The colour of the window chrome will likely be changeable come RTM. The glass effects however are gone - read the B8 post closely. The parts you quoted above as well as this sentence from the paragraph about Vista:

This style of simulating faux-realistic materials (such as glass or aluminum) on the screen looks dated and cheesy now, but at the time, it was very much en vogue.
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mdtaUK

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I don't think they're gone, just white by default. Judging by this screenshot, it's changeable.

Actually if you look at the image in the blog post, you will see the taskbar seems to be blue or transparent, but not the Window Chrome, so perhaps the colour changing has been removed from the window frames, but retained in the taskbar?

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Dot Matrix

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Actually if you look at the image in the blog post, you will see the taskbar seems to be blue or transparent, but not the Window Chrome, so perhaps the colour changing has been removed from the window frames, but retained in the taskbar?

I hope not. All that white is going to kill people's eyes.

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winlonghorn

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I hope not. All that white is going to kill people's eyes.

Yes! I agree! Too much brightness and we will all be blind! lol :s Maybe that is what they want! A bunch of blind IT Professionals will help them retain their dominance because the rest of us won't be able to see anymore! lol

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