Windowblinds part duex!!!


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Cuzzo, you're a troll. If you really were concerned about this you would post on a Stardock support forum rather than making posts like this (this is your second one).

While WindowBlinds doesn't YET skin everything in XP (XP's only been out a little while, the skin format has to be added and IE isn't skinned by XP, it's a hack by MS in which IE skins itself which will have to be figured out), it does skin far FAR more than XP does on itself because XP doesn't skin non-theme aware apps. And while you can hack in a manifest manually, many apps (all Dephi and many VB apps come to mind) won't behave properly if you do that.

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Do you work for stardock?

well if you do,i must say its sad that stardock never get a grip of this product.I have tried windowblinds since v1.0, and we are now at v3.0 and still not everything is skinned in windows,thats lame.How many more years do we have to wait???

Stylexp is just a beta v042 i think, and it does what windowblins should do now!!! How long does it take to code that,really...

And no,im not a troll, im an alien :)

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Windows XP didn't exist 3 years ago. How were we supposed to skin something that didn't exist? And it's really not XP doing it, it's explorer itself doing it (explorer acting as a skinnable app pulling from the msstyle). You could just as easily say why doesn't Windows XP skin WinAmp? Same is true of Internet Explorer. XP doesn't skin Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer itself detects whether you've changed your XP skin and then pulls resources from the msstyle itself. We'll address those things but it's exactly like expecting Microsoft to skin WinAmp or Trillian. They can if they put in the effort to figure out how to do it but it would take time. And it will take us time too. And with only 2% of the market currently using XP, it has to be put into perspective.

And here's a clue: Style XP doesn't actually skin anything. It's a patch. It's probably the only patch ever to have a beta program.

It's MICROSOFT's code that's doing the skinning (and lack there of). And it's not going to get any better any time soon. When was the last time Active Desktop was updated? Programs like DesktopX wouldn't even need to exist if Microsoft hadn't let Active Desktop die on the vine and it was a major part of the Windows 98 launch.

I could also go and give a rather large list of all the things Windows XP should be doin gbut doesn't. Here's one off the top of my head - how come XP's MDI child window buttons (the smaller ones that appear on the menu bar) don't have a pressed state? Talk about a hack.

Then you have the guys who blab out how WindowBlinds is a "memory hog" while they're downloading those massive .msstyle files (average size is over 800K!) that use quite a bit more RAM than WindowBlinds does.

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Originally posted by Frogboy

Windows XP didn't exist 3 years ago. How were we supposed to skin something that didn't exist? And it's really not XP doing it, it's explorer itself doing it (explorer acting as a skinnable app pulling from the msstyle). You could just as easily say why doesn't Windows XP skin WinAmp? Same is true of Internet Explorer. XP doesn't skin Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer itself detects whether you've changed your XP skin and then pulls resources from the msstyle itself. We'll address those things but it's exactly like expecting Microsoft to skin WinAmp or Trillian. They can if they put in the effort to figure out how to do it but it would take time. And it will take us time too. And with only 2% of the market currently using XP, it has to be put into perspective.

And here's a clue: Style XP doesn't actually skin anything. It's a patch. It's probably the only patch ever to have a beta program.

It's MICROSOFT's code that's doing the skinning (and lack there of). And it's not going to get any better any time soon. When was the last time Active Desktop was updated? Programs like DesktopX wouldn't even need to exist if Microsoft hadn't let Active Desktop die on the vine and it was a major part of the Windows 98 launch.

I could also go and give a rather large list of all the things Windows XP should be doin gbut doesn't. Here's one off the top of my head - how come XP's MDI child window buttons (the smaller ones that appear on the menu bar) don't have a pressed state? Talk about a hack.

Then you have the guys who blab out how WindowBlinds is a "memory hog" while they're downloading those massive .msstyle files (average size is over 800K!) that use quite a bit more RAM than WindowBlinds does.

Go sick mate! Although I prefer using the hacked uxtheme.dll over WindowBlinds anyday, WindowBlinds bashing is getting really mindless.

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Hi Frogboy,

just one question: I found a really nice WB3 skin yesterday. It?s called Geekv2 (14 kB). I would really love to use it but there is one thing that really bothers me. When I start notepad or the calculator using WB, those apps need almost a sec to load, with StyleXP the load instantly, as if I would be using the original MS Styles. I didn?t like that so I got back to StyleXP. One more thing: Why do all WB3 Skins (even those for XP) use those extremely ugly Logoff und Shutdown buttons from the Classic skin??

This is no flaming, but reasons for me not to use WB.

Maybe you got an answer?

Greetz

Seismo

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Microsoft Sucks.

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Right on Binary

and cuzzo please shut up about the da*n sidbar StyleXP has nothing to do with it and most "StyleXP" skins don't even skin it. That's done with a shellstyle.dll in a subdirectory of the thme folder for the style you want it's not even covered by the msstyle file it's a totaly independant dll hack done by style authors you can't even skin it with style builder it would be so easy for WB to add that in you don't need to run StyleXP or any other hack to do it. It's not sighned it's got nothing to do with StylesXP so just shut up about it already. And if you insist on it at least give them a while to get XP under wraps a little better. BTW Frogboy it's not html in XP I don't remember if it's this thread or the other you said that it was but it's a new format not html any more but anyway you guys can add it easily I'm sure

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It's .css file's that control the shellstyle's behavior, and the links that show up there. Some are in the msstyle, some are in the shellstyle, and some are in god knows where ;)

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The only thing I found in the msstyle was the XP find which is technically an explorer bar and not the same thing. Is there anything else in the msstyles file??I ask because I've modded I think everything in there the one thing I can't seem to find are the little green arrows in the control panel. I already got the one's for the user config.

Oh yeah and thanks for the info

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Seismo - you make a very good point and what you mention is at the top of my pet peeve list with WindowBlinds.

The good thing about WindowBlinds is that unlike msstyles, the resources aren't in a single binary file.

The bad thing abotu WindowBlinds is that unlike msstyles, the resources aren't in a single binary file.

So on the one hand, it makes it trivial to start messing with a skin since they're just in a directory with bitmaps and a text file describing where they go. But on the other hand, when you load up an application, it has to go and load up those various files. Normally the difference is negliible but I've seen reports (and timed it personally) that it can take longer on some apps with some skins (the skin really makes the biggest difference). So one of the things we're going to try to do is come up with some sort of caching system or potentially a way for skin authors to "compile" their skin into a single binary file ala msstyles.

Binary - from the posts you've read, you now must agree with me that TGTSoft does make it sound like Style XP is a skinning program. Look how many people think it's Style XP doing the skinning. Style XP is just a patch, it doesn't do anything other than patch out a security function. That's it. It's Microsoft's code. I think one of the reasons why they don't make it clear that you're just using Microsoft's code to do this is that a lot of people might not be som comforted advocating Microsoft trying to dominate yet another software niche.

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Cuzzo, what were really attempting to do with this second post? Start a bashing thread? Geesh like that hasn't been done around here enough. Funny though, the only thing ending up getting bashed was you.

Windowblinds still skins much more than the native msstyle format likely ever will, unless MS decides to release a brand new msstyle implementation in a service pack, eek. Nearly 10% of the values you can change in a msstyle file don't even have an effect on the dang skin. Frogboy said it once, and I find it to be true everyday that the msstyle format has large holes where some functions are available in the .ini but the engine cannot render them, like they got scrapped at the last minute but not removed entirely. One example is the Offset and Offset Type variable.

WB 3 does use less resources with an equal skin and is a lot more powerful as far as skinning capability or skin authoring. I personally do not use it although I have a subscription because I just do not find it to be as 'zippy' as the old msstyle engine, although all indicators except for caching give WB the advantage. It is just a feel issue. I am really excited about the hyperpainting implementation of WB that allows you to actually take advantage of 64 megs of memory and acceleration in my video card.

Ishmael

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In defense of Binary why not spend so much time on a windows site. MS does suck. There horrible opressive lazy assh*les but there OS is the most heavily used and most heavily written for. The apps of many great companies that don't suck are often only written for MS OS's. And as for hanging out on an MS centered board why wouldn't any halfway intelligent person who realizes how much MS sucks but still uses there products not hang out on a board that would help them learn how to force the OS to do what they want it too???

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Whack pretty much said it all. I use Windows because it's the most accepted, and developed for platform. XP is like a god to all their other OS' but it still needs alot of work. I also use linux, but the variety of programs available to suit my needs are nowhere to be found. I like custimization, so thats also another reason why I come here to learn how to make my Windows act the way I want it too, like whack said :) And if you have the guts to stand up for MS and say they dont suck, will you please provide some points as to why they don't? I'm just curious how anyone can like a greedy, monopolistic corporation, who does half assed work to enslave the computer world ;) They know we have to put up with it, because there are very few choices right now. *nix is a great OS but it needs alot of work to get the average joe blow working on it full time. But Apple is doing a pretty good job with that, considering Mac OS X is maybe the easiest to use OS ever. Too bad it doesnt use the full potential of the unix environment yet. With simplicity you loose alot of advanced options, thank god for the terminal. ;)

To me Unix is like freeing a Caged bird, however the bird needs to learn how to fly first :D

Chris

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Oh come now, you all know that OS/2 is going to take over. I am sure everyone reading this already has their migration plans to OS/2 already in order!

OS/2 FOREVER!!!

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Sure Frogboy .....whatever u say..... :cheeky: :knocked:

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No,i know xp is new,but windows isnt.windowblinds never skinned these parts in past windows versions. Do you have an answer to that maybe?I must say that some of you are really a sad bunch,almost taking this personally.I know its not easy to code,make a program but,i have tried windowblinds since v1.0

and to tell you the truth,not much has happend with that product.

Explorer isnt new,been around for years to.Im not a programmer, im a user who wants to know why things are how they are,how they work to understand it better.Why are you attacking me?

Is this an american mentality?

Well...?

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Originally posted by Cuzzo

No,i know xp is new,but windows isnt.windowblinds never skinned these parts in past windows versions.

No windows isnt new, but every new version of windows is, and it's different..... For one thing, no version of windows has ever had that kind of explorer pane. And frogboy already said that MS has changed IE and thats why they couldnt skin it properly. I'm sure they will eventually.

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I belive that a majority of the negative outlash you saw is more of an attack on these little this software sucks rants. People have been making these unfair statements about both major packages available that allow one to skin windows. We're getting tired of it even if you think one sucks, it is not mesacarry to start a thread on a derogatory note towards it. There are people who disagree and the topic has been beaten to death. We've heard it all bvefore and most of us have experienced it on both sides. It's over. I mean come on "can't we all just get along". When did the customization family get so disfunctional.

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Why are you attacking me?

One could easily deduce that you started this thread to explicitly complain about how WB "sucks!!!!", not to mention *2* threads. That in itself is very little motivation to explain any reason, in depth, as to WHY WB doesn't do some things we'd all love it to do.

And I doubt it's just American mentality to dislike being approached with a "YOUR PRODUCT SUCKS" attitude.

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I use KDE, it's the cleanest and most functional imo, plus its simular to windows so I can get work done faster :D Unfotunatly KDE isnt the most stable of WM's :)

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Ok,some people are probably working on these things to improve the software as i understand, so i will drop this then.I hope i didnt offend anyone by complaining on some things i discoverd in windowblinds.And i didnt know these things have already been talked about,sorry...

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