v0.90: Translucency in classic-style menu, feature or bug?

from Stardock Forums

I couldn't help but notice when enabling classic-style that the right half of the Start menu is translucent instead of solid, making it quite difficult to see here in RTM given that I have my taskbar on the right. I tried it on the bottom, and it's a little easier to see since the menu isn't floating on top of icons, but even there it's far from ideal.

Win7's Start menu wasn't translucent, and for good reason, since I can't imagine there's anything to be gained in the ability to be able to see through a menu that you're trying to look at.

Anyway, very nice program indeed. I like having unified search back.

start8
8,678 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

I'm almost certain that the Win7 Start menu was translucent. Granted you could disable transparency across the OS which may explain why yours wasn't. I personally like the translucent appearance, however this application is screaming out for customisation abilities. I'm sure it'll be fully skinable in due time- after all it' Stardock! :D

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Yes the Windows 7 one was translucent too and so was the Windows Vista one.  It did have blur on the glass area, but Windows 8 removes this OS ability.

Start8 matches the taskbar in Win8 which is glass but without blur coloured to match the users OS colour setting.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

I don't know what to say. I always had full Glass and didn't neuter any transparencies in Vista or Win7. The right side of Start8's Start menu looks like a ghost. The one in Vista or Win7 never did. If there was transparency there out of the box, it was set radically different. If 0% is solid and 100% is invisible, I'd put Win7 close to 0 or at 0, and Start8 at about 60 or 70.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

The lack of the blur effect is probably the biggest difference between the visual look of Start8 and the Vista/7 start menus, so that's probably what you're sensing.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Starting to doubt my sansity, I went back to a Win7 machine and took a screenshot. OK, there was transparency there too, but that I didn't remember that fact means that it wasn't really transparent where it counted. Does this difference really all come down to the blur effect?  I can certainly see the blur effect on the extreme right, but is it actually helping the important part of the right side of the menu to be a lot less transparent, too?  That area is much easier to read in Win7.

 

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

It looks like you are using a white theme.  What happens if you try with another color?

 

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Start8 is currently set to match the taskbar exactly which is why it has the transparency levels it has.

Going forward there may be additional options.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

I have to laugh at some of the default MS color selections (what are they thinking?), but the one I had above was the top-row blue with its color intensity brought down somewhat. White is probably the worst for the menu, while black is the best (though it's not practical to use black), but it's hard to get around the basic issue, which I realize is forced upon us.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Neil, reply 8
Start8 is currently set to match the taskbar exactly which is why it has the transparency levels it has.

Going forward there may be additional options.

 

I am glad to hear about the possibility of more options coming because I also hate the fact that the right half of the Start menu is translucent instead of solid!

 

Thanks for the info :)