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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dave7511111
Reply #4 Thursday, December 1, 2005 3:17 AM
Reply #4 Thursday, December 1, 2005 3:17 AM
Nice review, I agree with everything you said 
I noticed this too - while it's no big deal to me, it is slightly irritating and if it is possible to fix it for a future upgrade it would be appreciated. Then again it might not be WB itself but the skins that need amending, which would be up to the skin authors. I'd guess it would be the former but that's just a guess.
I am very pleased with my purchase anyway, anyone debating whether to buy it should just go for it
| 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. |
I noticed this too - while it's no big deal to me, it is slightly irritating and if it is possible to fix it for a future upgrade it would be appreciated. Then again it might not be WB itself but the skins that need amending, which would be up to the skin authors. I'd guess it would be the former but that's just a guess.
I am very pleased with my purchase anyway, anyone debating whether to buy it should just go for it
NienorGT
Reply #5 Thursday, December 1, 2005 3:18 AM
UXTheme (The Native Skin engine of XP) is a DLL too and ofcourse it's loaded in the system too but now WB5 replace it by a better skining engine, there is the deal...
Reply #5 Thursday, December 1, 2005 3:18 AM
| 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. |
UXTheme (The Native Skin engine of XP) is a DLL too and ofcourse it's loaded in the system too but now WB5 replace it by a better skining engine, there is the deal...
ls_dragons
Reply #6 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:08 AM
Reply #6 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:08 AM
If only it worked on Windows XP Professional x64.....
_02
Reply #7 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:52 AM
It does!! https://www.wincustomize.com/ViewSkin.aspx?SID=1&SkinID=13280&LibID=13
Reply #7 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:52 AM
It does!! https://www.wincustomize.com/ViewSkin.aspx?SID=1&SkinID=13280&LibID=13
_02
Reply #8 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:53 AM
Reply #8 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:53 AM
Don't know what happened here, but the response is to the statement "I wish it worked in XP pro 64."
This double posted but left out the quoted words.
This double posted but left out the quoted words.
Kevin_C
Reply #9 Thursday, December 1, 2005 8:52 AM
Now, I'm not 100% positive about this but the first few betas of WB5 did not have the WBload process or the taskbar icon for accessing the WBConfig app. Well, LOTS of people complained about it no longer being there because they were all used to double-clicking it to get to WBConfig, so it was put back. Maybe what they need to do is add an option to make WBConfig available from the system tray. That way by default there is no extra process running for people to complain about, but if a person is so inclined they can choose to have access to WBConfig from the system tray.. Just a thought!
Reply #9 Thursday, December 1, 2005 8:52 AM
| 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. |
Now, I'm not 100% positive about this but the first few betas of WB5 did not have the WBload process or the taskbar icon for accessing the WBConfig app. Well, LOTS of people complained about it no longer being there because they were all used to double-clicking it to get to WBConfig, so it was put back. Maybe what they need to do is add an option to make WBConfig available from the system tray. That way by default there is no extra process running for people to complain about, but if a person is so inclined they can choose to have access to WBConfig from the system tray.. Just a thought!
GreenReaper
Reply #10 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:08 PM
Reply #10 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:08 PM
Umm, that's exactly how it's done now.
The system icon went away because it was in wbload. It had to be recoded to work with the new methods used.
The system icon went away because it was in wbload. It had to be recoded to work with the new methods used.
Ambiguous9ine
Reply #11 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:10 PM
Reply #11 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:10 PM
What is this "blurring effect?" Do you have an example?
I agree with the shadow thing; I noticed it yesterday and found it a little odd. Otherwise, I think WB5 is a very good product.
I agree with the shadow thing; I noticed it yesterday and found it a little odd. Otherwise, I think WB5 is a very good product.
thomassen
Reply #12 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:10 PM
Reply #12 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:10 PM
I second that issue about the shadows.
As for the bluring underneath, apparently it's not duable in XP. (well, that's what people said about per pixel as well, but I think this one really can't happend.) The reflection map is a sortof substitute feature for that.
As for the bluring underneath, apparently it's not duable in XP. (well, that's what people said about per pixel as well, but I think this one really can't happend.) The reflection map is a sortof substitute feature for that.
GreenReaper
Reply #13 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:25 PM
Reply #13 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:25 PM
Blurring is a pixel shader function. WindowBlinds cannot realistically implement this feature on XP without essentially reimplementing the Vista window handling and rendering system. You are more likely to see that sort of thing when Vista actually comes out, as the underlying composition engine will be more able to support it.
azdruid
Reply #14 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:37 PM
Reply #14 Thursday, December 1, 2005 2:37 PM
Thanks, GreenReaper. Exactly what I wanted to know.
Fuzzy Logic
Reply #15 Thursday, December 1, 2005 6:19 PM
Reply #15 Thursday, December 1, 2005 6:19 PM
| What is this "blurring effect?" Do you have an example? |
Yep, come down a gallon of beer with me tomorrow and you'll see the 'blurring effect'...
sonaris
Reply #16 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:02 PM
Reply #16 Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:02 PM
Great Review. However, I seem to have some problems with my wife and daughters accounts on the same machine. It appears that WB5 is not multi-user enabled. Any comments or work arounds. Furthermore, dont see any custom color adjustments anymore. Would appreciate your help.
azdruid
Reply #17 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:17 PM
I couldn't really say about the multi-user stuff, as I run a single-user system. My apologies.
In regards to the color button, yes, I did notice its disappearance, and forgot to include that fact under CONS. I sorely miss it. In the meantime, however, you can just right click the skin in question in WBconfig, wherein a menu will give you an item for the Colors dialog.
Reply #17 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:17 PM
| It appears that WB5 is not multi-user enabled. Any comments or work arounds. Furthermore, dont see any custom color adjustments anymore |
I couldn't really say about the multi-user stuff, as I run a single-user system. My apologies.
In regards to the color button, yes, I did notice its disappearance, and forgot to include that fact under CONS. I sorely miss it. In the meantime, however, you can just right click the skin in question in WBconfig, wherein a menu will give you an item for the Colors dialog.
bmetelsky
Reply #18 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:39 PM
Reply #18 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:39 PM
I have 4 people sharing this computer - all under separate accounts, and WB5 works well for each of us.
drkshdw4u
Reply #19 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:46 PM
Reply #19 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:46 PM
i just got wb5 whats this data souce thing and i cant use any skins this keeps showing up dont know how to adjust it what data what source i can find anything plz help
GreenReaper
Reply #20 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:49 PM
Reply #20 Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:49 PM
sonaris : Check out the properties of the WindowBlinds folder. There should be a Security tab (if not, make sure simple file sharing is turned off in Tools/Folder options/View). Make sure that Everyone and Users have at least read access to the folder and subfolders. If not, add it.
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Reply #1 Thursday, December 1, 2005 12:18 AM