Recommended Posts

congrats Kol. you made a beautiful recreation of vista and MS took notice. i think thats a pretty big deal.

look forward to anything you create in the future, im sure it will only get better.

Beautiful words from another artist who does beautiful work.

Windows Vista: $250

WindowBlinds: $19.99

Kol's Theme: $Free

______________________

Seeing Microsoft break down and tell someone "Dude...your work kicks ass. We pay people to design AMAZING themes and you do it by yourself for giggles. We don't like you": Priceless.

Kol, you're work will always stay on my harddrive. Almost the whole Neowin Community backs you up on this one 100% but we understand your decision to comply. Good luck on ALL future work.

Seeing Microsoft break down and tell someone "Dude...your work kicks ass. We pay people to design AMAZING themes and you do it by yourself for giggles. We don't like you": Priceless.

Kol, you're work will always stay on my harddrive. Almost the whole Neowin Community backs you up on this one 100% but we understand your decision to comply. Good luck on ALL future work.

AMEN

Anyone posting links to this theme, offering to share it, or requesting it will receive a warning. Like Kol, we will honor MS's request to not distribute.

I want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PM me with the links, please!!!!!

:whistle:

Dear Microsoft:

As a long time shareholder i can't believe your doing this.Kol popular theme's add value to your operating system.How many people have upgraded from 98/2000 just so they can use the theme's Kol produces?...How many people stick with xp and don't go to linux or apple just because they like the look of there desktops using Kols theme's? Do you have any idea how big the themeing community is? Do you people relize how valuable and popular Kol is? Why would you want to **** off one of the last true supported groups you have in the computing world? Do you want to drive these people over to help design KDE or Gnome? Or perhaps you want to drive the themeing community to the ever growing ipod generation and there love of the many theme's that the mac community has.Whatever your copyright issues are,forget them! Don't you get that buzz is a big part of todays generation? Don't you see how this is going to create very negative buzz? A vista theme,and certainly one as good as Kols ,only helps to get the word out about the new upcoming os. Comeon Mr gates or Mr ballmer,please reconsider this unthought out move. It's not to late to make amends and also to make this shareholder reconsider his not selling his shares!!!

It's not to late to make amends and also to make this shareholder reconsider his not selling his shares!!!

I wouldn't sell my shares if I were you...

Maybe the trouble arose when KoL renamed it to VistaXP? I think this and the popularity made Microsoft act that way. Shortly after the renaming WinCustomize had to remove it for the first time.

I bet it would be still there it was called Arrow or something like that... :yes:

Edited by martin10018

Wow, this is a turnaround. I've been pretty impressed by MS lately, but this set my impression back. MS needs to let people unleash their creativity. I think MS is just scared because everything on Vista (well, almost everything) can be backported to XP.

And, this just goes to concede that the UI we're seeing is final. If it wasn't MS wouldn't even care that it's being released all around the Internet.

Pffft. Sad day for Microsoft.

PS: KoL, I'll admit that I never downloaded your theme, but if it was recongized by a company as large as MS, it must be pretty darn good. Remain strong and don't let the big boys get you down, ok? :D

Wow, this is a turnaround. I've been pretty impressed by MS lately, but this set my impression back. MS needs to let people unleash their creativity. I think MS is just scared because everything on Vista (well, almost everything) can be backported to XP.

And, this just goes to concede that the UI we're seeing is final. If it wasn't MS wouldn't even care that it's being released all around the Internet.

Pffft. Sad day for Microsoft.

It *is* final, or nearly so, and the recent changes to the start menu, which KoL incorporated into the current Windowsblinds release, are not public knowledge. No problems until he made those changes, so it's pretty easy to see why they did what they did.

Been running this theme for a while. Looks awesome and runs without any problems. Thanks KoL

Obviously a little too popular for MS liking :rolleyes:

MICROSOFT YOU ARE LAME. You put 3 crappy visual styles in XP, then make it stupidly hard for folks to create their own, then your software gets hacked so they can, and they do. You still ignore the obvious desire by your users to have more visual styles, so the skinning community flourishes using the DLL hack that you probably don't approve of. Now you are pounding on a very respected member of said community for bringing beauty and variety to your OS.

WAY TO GO. YOU SUCK. :x

CORPORATE IDIOTS.

This might be a sign that MS has finalized the official theme of Vista, and it's possible that it closely ressembles the beta theme that Kol based his VistaXP theme on.

And why didn't they warn him 5 months ago? Thats easy, the theme didn't have the round start button back then, at least not until the new Vista betas reviewed it. Plus, WB5 wasn't officially out until a few weeks ago, which is a big deal as only with WB5 that this theme can closely mimic the original Vista theme, especially the glowing buttons and glass look.

Kol did a great job in porting this theme over to WinXP, and with the help of WB5, it was possible. Keep up with the great themes Kol!

It *is* final, or nearly so, and the recent changes to the start menu, which KoL incorporated into the current Windowsblinds release, are not public knowledge. No problems until he made those changes, so it's pretty easy to see why they did what they did.

They are public knowledge, they demonstrated the new start button at PDC.

MS isn't thinking right. Because they did this, it will spread all the more faster and more people will use it, just illegally. They basically made it immortal now. Kol's skin, although amazing (using it right now) would eventually be replaced by something else, it happens all the time. People are tired of xp's theme and that's why they switch, they'll switch again. MS basically made it all the more popular :rofl:

MS isn't thinking right. Because they did this, it will spread all the more faster and more people will use it, just illegally. They basically made it immortal now. Kol's skin, although amazing (using it right now) would eventually be replaced by something else, it happens all the time. People are tired of xp's theme and that's why they switch, they'll switch again. MS basically made it all the more popular :rofl:

Yeah, no doubt that will happen

I also think MS has done a stupid thing on their part

PS: KoL, I'll admit that I never downloaded your theme, but if it was recongized by a company as large as MS, it must be pretty darn good. Remain strong and don't let the big boys get you down, ok? :D

Just what i wanted to say. Now, where can I find a copy of this :shifty:

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2, urges IT admins to prepare for release by Usama Jawad Windows 11 typically follows an annual update cycle, but Microsoft recently broke that tradition a bit by releasing a "26H1" version in the first half of this year as a "scoped" build for select new silicon PCs only. This version was not available for customers using 24H2 and 25H2 builds, as Microsoft is busy preparing version 26H2 for them, confirmed officially for the first time. In a Windows IT Pro blog, Microsoft has urged IT admins to prepare for the upcoming release of Windows 11 version 26H2. The company has confirmed that this will be a small enablement package (eKB) that will simply light up certain disabled features that are already present in the operating system's code base. This means that the "refined" Windows update and deployment experience will be simpler and quicker, with minimal disruptions, as the feature update will simply toggle a few flags rather than performing a complete replacement. Microsoft has explained that this is all possible because the standard Windows 11 releases share the same servicing branch and hence, the same source code. However, this also means that Windows 11 26H1 users won't be able to upgrade to 26H2 as that is a different branch, but this is something we have known for a while now. Similar to previous annual feature updates, Windows 11 26H2 will offer the following support cycles: 24 months of support for Home, Pro, Pro EDU, and Pro for Workstations editions 36 months of support for Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise Multi-session editions Microsoft has not confirmed a concrete release date for Windows 11 26H2, but noted that it is "coming soon". If we go by the ongoing release cadence, we can expect it to begin rolling out in early October 2026. As such, IT admins have been encouraged to begin validating Windows Insider releases in the Experimental Channel, plan rollout rings, and strategize the utilization of their existing deployment tools.
    • Windows 11 gets new audio improvements in the latest builds by Taras Buria Today's Experimental builds (26H1 and Future Platforms, formerly Canary) pack several audio-related improvements. If your device is enrolled in the Experimental Channel (26H1), you can download build 28120.2315, while those in the Future Platforms version have build 29613.1000 to try. Here is what is new in build 29613.1000: [Audio] Following up on our previous improvements, we’re making some more adjustments to Settings > System > Sounds based on your feedback. Namely, we’ve updated the “All sound devices” page so: You now have the ability to change default devices from this page. Each of the devices displayed on this page now has a little volume meter next to it to show if there is audio actively playing. We’ve adjusted the page design slightly so now you can filter whether you’re viewing input or output devices. We’ve added toggles so you can choose if you want to hide or show disabled, disconnected, and unplugged devices on this page. We’ve also updated the input and output audio properties page for devices in Settings to now include jack information for those that need it. And here is the changelog for build 28120.2315: This update includes a small number of minor bug fixes and improvements. [Accessibility] This update improves caption style responsiveness by redrawing captions immediately for caption style changes. If no current caption is visible, a sample caption string is displayed. [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. You can find the official release notes for build 28120.2315 here and for build 29613.1000 here.
    • I agree with what I think you are saying, just not in the way you are saying it. Like any tool, the amount it represents your work is perorational to the effort you put into it. It is similar to why 2nd grade math students learning to add and subtract are not allowed to use calculators, but a high-school calculous student is. For the 2nd grader, that tool would completely replace the work they are doing, for the calculous student the same tool allows them to work far more effectively while in no way replacing their effort or knowable. If you spend 30 seconds writing a prompt, then the image that comes out is no more "yours" than if you found the same image with a Google Image search. However, many of these generative tools also support highly iterative processes that allow back and forth, and merging generated images with photos or human created images. I am sure you would agree that a human spending hours of time working on a project, even if AI was involved in the process, still reflects that human's work.
    • Windows 11 version 26H2 is now available for testing in the latest preview build by Taras Buria Friday Windows 11 preview builds are here. Insiders in the Experimental (formerly Dev) and Beta Channel can download builds 26300.8697 and 26220.8690. There are no new features, but Microsoft is officially moving the Experimental Channel to version 26H2. In addition, Microsoft is improving the copy dialog in File Explorer, the Start menu reliability, and fixing virtualization issues. Here is the changelog: [General] With today’s build, Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 26H2. For more information, see the Windows Insiders blog. [File Explorer] We’ve improved the visual consistency and reliability of the Copy dialog in Dark mode, including its launch experience and the expanded progress view. [Start menu] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Start menu reflecting newly installed or removed apps without requiring sign-out or restart. [Taskbar] Fixed an issue for Insiders using the new smaller taskbar option, where the system tray might get cut off or pushed off screen. [Settings] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Settings > Apps > Startup. [Virtualization] - Also available in Beta This update addresses an issue that could result in bugchecks citing HYPERVISOR_ERROR (0x20001) and KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x1E) errors after installing the latest flights on some devices during system restarts, virtual machine operations, or while running some gaming applications. You can find the official changelog for the Experimental build here and for the Beta build here.
    • I've always preferred this possibility. There is something that feels good about the idea that all matter in the universe will eventually come back together and maybe even result in another big bang. The idea that the universe would fizzle out over the eons and forever drift apart is a little depressing. I realize it is not logical to let a basic human desire for life to have a grand everlasting meaning change the way I feel about a scientific theory, but I am human, so that is how I feel :-).
  • Recent Achievements

    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • Week One Done
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      Skeet Campbell earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Sharbel earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      574
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      188
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      77
    4. 4
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      76
    5. 5
      neufuse
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!