WindowBlinds 5: The Feedback
Wowser
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 by azdruid | Discussion: WindowBlinds
I am sure I am not the only member of JoeUser who has ogled the shiny translucent screenshots of Windows Vista builds, eagerly awaiting the day whenst the same eye-candy would find its way onto our own humble desktops.
Thanks to Stardock, that process has been accelerated considerably. Obviously you know this, as perpixel borders are the Big Feature for WindowBlinds 5. And now, because of some nifty work with 3D acceleration, we can not only enjoy alpha-blended windows, but faster performance. That's not a bad deal. My impressions follow.
Installation went smoothly over a previous 4.6 build, no messy errors or other nonsense. A word to the wise though, if you've removed MDAC from WinXP for whatever the reason, it's time to go poking around in your CD's i386 folder because WBconfig uses the Jet database (a part of MDAC) to store skin manifest data now. You'll get some unpleasant Data Source dialogs without this. Most users won't be troubled by this, the removal of "critical" Windows components is mostly a power-user thing.
Like I mentioned before, one of the great allures of WB5 is getting the Vista look on XP, or something close enough. I achieved this by applying KoL's excellent VistaXP skin, which to my eyes follows the Vista design a little better than MikeB's Arrow. I suppose it is a matter of preference. Anyway, everything worked as advertised, and my system wound up with some very slick looking window borders.
However, looking past the good stuff, I have found my share of little quirks. Understandably these will exist, as this perpixel code is new and has received far less testing than the Ye Olde Rendering Engine. Some of these little annoyances might even be the fault of the skin. One learns by asking questions.
The VistaXP skin offers me some slick new shadows on the glass subskin. My beef here is that the resizing handles for the window act as though the shadow was the edge of the window. Technically, to WindowBlinds, the shadow is the edge of the window, but can a window margin be set in SkinStudio to exclude part of the border from interaction? The behavior of grabbing onto a shadow is just slightly peculiar, and the fact that you can't select desktop icons through the shadow is a minor trouble.
To be honest, this is a great product, and I wholeheartedly recommend purchasing it. Enjoy my biased opinion.
PROS:
- Support for translucency in window borders. Amazing.
- No more wbload! As an added bonus, this means no more uxtheme savages complaining about "extra memory"
- GDI subversal? Now, an application on the bottom doesn't have to redraw when a window on top is moved. MUCH faster and more efficient.
CONS:
- That wbload data got wadded up into a DLL and is still there, just not listed as a process. Not a bad thing, but the "native" claim is misleading.
- The "shadow thing" bugs me. Is there a way to exclude parts of the border from interaction? An parameter in SkinStudio perhaps?
WISHLIST:
- I would love to see that blurring effect for the underneath content on the window borders be implemented in WB5. I really don't know how likely this is, but it sure would be a cool feature.
RATING: 9/10
A quick note about "native integration." The stuff that wbload used to do (aside from .WBA extraction) was just moved to a couple of DLLs that obviously aren't listed as processes. This isn't at all a bad thing, but the claim of total "nativeness" isn't valid. The "native" skin of Windows is "Windows Classic". From this point of view, you can't really say uxtheme is native either, because both WB5 and it both skin in the same way: via DLL. Ignorant people just consider uxtheme "native" because it shipped with Windows. For all purposes other than nitty-gritty technical, WB5 is now native.
Since this is Stardock we are talking about here, I have no doubts that any problems encountered will be rectified, and fast. The updates alone are worth the price. This is a slick piece of work. Become the envy of the non-skinned infidels by getting a copy of WindowBlinds 5 today.
Thanks to Stardock, that process has been accelerated considerably. Obviously you know this, as perpixel borders are the Big Feature for WindowBlinds 5. And now, because of some nifty work with 3D acceleration, we can not only enjoy alpha-blended windows, but faster performance. That's not a bad deal. My impressions follow.
Installation went smoothly over a previous 4.6 build, no messy errors or other nonsense. A word to the wise though, if you've removed MDAC from WinXP for whatever the reason, it's time to go poking around in your CD's i386 folder because WBconfig uses the Jet database (a part of MDAC) to store skin manifest data now. You'll get some unpleasant Data Source dialogs without this. Most users won't be troubled by this, the removal of "critical" Windows components is mostly a power-user thing.
Like I mentioned before, one of the great allures of WB5 is getting the Vista look on XP, or something close enough. I achieved this by applying KoL's excellent VistaXP skin, which to my eyes follows the Vista design a little better than MikeB's Arrow. I suppose it is a matter of preference. Anyway, everything worked as advertised, and my system wound up with some very slick looking window borders.
However, looking past the good stuff, I have found my share of little quirks. Understandably these will exist, as this perpixel code is new and has received far less testing than the Ye Olde Rendering Engine. Some of these little annoyances might even be the fault of the skin. One learns by asking questions.
The VistaXP skin offers me some slick new shadows on the glass subskin. My beef here is that the resizing handles for the window act as though the shadow was the edge of the window. Technically, to WindowBlinds, the shadow is the edge of the window, but can a window margin be set in SkinStudio to exclude part of the border from interaction? The behavior of grabbing onto a shadow is just slightly peculiar, and the fact that you can't select desktop icons through the shadow is a minor trouble.
To be honest, this is a great product, and I wholeheartedly recommend purchasing it. Enjoy my biased opinion.
PROS:
- Support for translucency in window borders. Amazing.
- No more wbload! As an added bonus, this means no more uxtheme savages complaining about "extra memory"
- GDI subversal? Now, an application on the bottom doesn't have to redraw when a window on top is moved. MUCH faster and more efficient.
CONS:
- That wbload data got wadded up into a DLL and is still there, just not listed as a process. Not a bad thing, but the "native" claim is misleading.
- The "shadow thing" bugs me. Is there a way to exclude parts of the border from interaction? An parameter in SkinStudio perhaps?
WISHLIST:
- I would love to see that blurring effect for the underneath content on the window borders be implemented in WB5. I really don't know how likely this is, but it sure would be a cool feature.
RATING: 9/10
A quick note about "native integration." The stuff that wbload used to do (aside from .WBA extraction) was just moved to a couple of DLLs that obviously aren't listed as processes. This isn't at all a bad thing, but the claim of total "nativeness" isn't valid. The "native" skin of Windows is "Windows Classic". From this point of view, you can't really say uxtheme is native either, because both WB5 and it both skin in the same way: via DLL. Ignorant people just consider uxtheme "native" because it shipped with Windows. For all purposes other than nitty-gritty technical, WB5 is now native.
Since this is Stardock we are talking about here, I have no doubts that any problems encountered will be rectified, and fast. The updates alone are worth the price. This is a slick piece of work. Become the envy of the non-skinned infidels by getting a copy of WindowBlinds 5 today.
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scorpio-logic
Reply #42 Friday, December 2, 2005 7:03 PM
I hope it does fix it for you. You are welcome. When I ask questions, this is how I would like it explained to me. You know, act like I don't know what the hell you are talking about, gimme step by step, so I don't miss a thing.
Reply #42 Friday, December 2, 2005 7:03 PM
| scorpio-logic thanx allot for this i am hoping this will fix it |
I hope it does fix it for you. You are welcome. When I ask questions, this is how I would like it explained to me. You know, act like I don't know what the hell you are talking about, gimme step by step, so I don't miss a thing.
sonaris
Reply #43 Saturday, December 3, 2005 5:05 AM
Reply #43 Saturday, December 3, 2005 5:05 AM
Dear Developer Green Reaper,
My operating system is Windows XP Pro. In fact, both the additional accounts on the machine have admin level assigments. You know the funny thing is that with the previous release I had no such issues. Nevertheless, I shall keep at it because they are now complaining about their setups. Thanks for your continued support. What would we do without your support.
My operating system is Windows XP Pro. In fact, both the additional accounts on the machine have admin level assigments. You know the funny thing is that with the previous release I had no such issues. Nevertheless, I shall keep at it because they are now complaining about their setups. Thanks for your continued support. What would we do without your support.
sonaris
Reply #44 Saturday, December 3, 2005 7:55 AM
Reply #44 Saturday, December 3, 2005 7:55 AM
Dear Developer Green Reaper,
Thanks for the tip. The situation is under control. Have worked it out with your guidance. Hats Off!!!
Thanks for the tip. The situation is under control. Have worked it out with your guidance. Hats Off!!!
joetheblow
Reply #45 Saturday, December 3, 2005 3:02 PM
Reply #45 Saturday, December 3, 2005 3:02 PM
I don't have it yet, but I am already wondering how to turn the shadows off.
LOL
I'm not a fan of shadows on windows. If I do want one, I would use WinFX.
Besides, my computer can't take it anyway.
LOL
I'm not a fan of shadows on windows. If I do want one, I would use WinFX.
Besides, my computer can't take it anyway.
Foreverking
Reply #46 Saturday, December 3, 2005 8:07 PM
Reply #46 Saturday, December 3, 2005 8:07 PM
Sadly WB5 doesn't work for me correctly.
Got a message beacause of having onboard video (Via/S3G UniChrome IGP) the transparent borders are not supported.
Sucks.
Got a message beacause of having onboard video (Via/S3G UniChrome IGP) the transparent borders are not supported.
Sucks.
William / Quist
Reply #47 Sunday, December 4, 2005 3:10 AM
Reply #47 Sunday, December 4, 2005 3:10 AM
Yes, I also have the Vista theme installed and love the new look.
I know nothing about skinning, so pardon this if it seems...well, you decide.
Why can't WB include a function that allows you to add or remove shadows the way that YzShadow does. Then you could decide if you want them or not simply by clicking a button.
Q
I know nothing about skinning, so pardon this if it seems...well, you decide.
Why can't WB include a function that allows you to add or remove shadows the way that YzShadow does. Then you could decide if you want them or not simply by clicking a button.
Q
Neil Banfield
Reply #48 Sunday, December 4, 2005 6:10 AM
Reply #48 Sunday, December 4, 2005 6:10 AM
William Green: Because the shadows are actually part of the skin. They are not being added later by WindowBlinds.
joetheblow
Reply #49 Sunday, December 4, 2005 11:49 AM
Ahhhh... I was thinking that.
Reply #49 Sunday, December 4, 2005 11:49 AM
| William Green: Because the shadows are actually part of the skin. They are not being added later by WindowBlinds. |
Ahhhh... I was thinking that.
William / Quist
Reply #50 Sunday, December 4, 2005 5:46 PM
I realize the Vista skin was made with the shadows. I'm talking generally for future made skins.
Reply #50 Sunday, December 4, 2005 5:46 PM
I realize the Vista skin was made with the shadows. I'm talking generally for future made skins.
scratch_pentagon
Reply #51 Monday, December 5, 2005 3:28 AM
Reply #51 Monday, December 5, 2005 3:28 AM
for now, future made skins will all need to be made with the shadows, too. it might be nice to see a future version that stores the shadows in separate graphics, and allows the option to select different shadows as you can now with toolbar icons and animations, but maybe this will come via an update to windowfx that improves compatibility with windowblinds.
LittleBearJason
Reply #52 Monday, December 5, 2005 8:39 PM
Reply #52 Monday, December 5, 2005 8:39 PM
I have an Intel 865g Graphics Controller and Window Blinds 5 works well for me on Windows XP SP2 Home Edition ...
Manny Moe and Jack
Reply #53 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 2:07 AM
Reply #53 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 2:07 AM
My beef with WB5 is that is likes to change some of my desktop settings. I normally have the my computer icon and the my documents icon changed from their defaults. I also had named the recycle bin. with WB5 it changes all that back to the default values. Also WB 4 gave me the option to not apply a skins color theme if i didnt want to. WB5 claims to still do it, but it doesnt work. I'll stick with 4 till the bugs are gone
twobadmice
Reply #54 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 7:33 AM
Reply #54 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 7:33 AM
Latest theme has given me this effect 
As you can see from my image, my taskbar is covered by the skin I installed before the WB5 update, however the outside of any open windows, as can be seen by the top of my browser window, isn't skinned properly
As you can see from my image, my taskbar is covered by the skin I installed before the WB5 update, however the outside of any open windows, as can be seen by the top of my browser window, isn't skinned properly
Neil Banfield
Reply #55 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 7:38 AM
Reply #55 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 7:38 AM
twobadmice: tried reapplying the theme, or using a different one?
LittleBearJason
Reply #57 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 10:51 PM
Reply #57 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 10:51 PM
Neil , thanks for fixing the Shockwave game issue in 006 , now another issue arises.
When I try to play the game Mega Man X3 by Capcom , unless I exclude MMX3.EXE from the skinning list, the game fails to launch and says "Failed to initalize direct x"
When I try to play the game Mega Man X3 by Capcom , unless I exclude MMX3.EXE from the skinning list, the game fails to launch and says "Failed to initalize direct x"
sbnelson
Reply #58 Thursday, December 8, 2005 12:22 PM
Reply #58 Thursday, December 8, 2005 12:22 PM
I only have one minor issue. I use UltraMon (for multi monitor support). They add 2 buttons next to the Min, Max, and Close buttons. One is to move the window to the other monitor, and the other is to expand the window across all monitors. If I am using a skin that has any translucency, those buttons are not there, ie Arrow by Mike Bryant, A Touch of Glass by Paul-Eric. Right now I am using Noire by Alexandrie, and UltraMons buttons are there. Any help with this would be great. Thanks.
LittleBearJason
Reply #59 Thursday, December 8, 2005 1:08 PM
Reply #59 Thursday, December 8, 2005 1:08 PM
dont need this posting anymore as i posted it in another location. please remove thank you 
YearoftheRat
Reply #60 Monday, December 12, 2005 7:22 PM
Reply #60 Monday, December 12, 2005 7:22 PM
Here's one that I haven't seen on previous versions of WB but notice it on this latest:
You know how windows media player will add images to folders for a particular cd. Well when its loading up the pictures to these folders, my bottom taskbar starts to flicker big time.
Does anyone else have this glitch?
You know how windows media player will add images to folders for a particular cd. Well when its loading up the pictures to these folders, my bottom taskbar starts to flicker big time.
Does anyone else have this glitch?
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Reply #41 Friday, December 2, 2005 6:24 PM