Frogboy Frogboy

WindowBlinds 11 planning

WindowBlinds 11 planning

We are putting together the schedule to make WindowBlinds 11.  

Customization is a lot harder now than it used to be.  Microsoft, for reasons unknown, has actively encouraged developers to take care of their own client and even non client (border, frame) painting rather than using standard Windows controls.  

Microsoft's baffling decision to throw away trying to provide a standard set of in-app controls for developers and instead provide vague, often conflicting standards (cough, Fluent) has resulted in having less and less of the OS we can even touch.

Which is unfortunate because WindowBlinds, in theory, could actually give Windows users a consistent, OS-wide Fluent if apps weren't handling the drawing of their own UIs these days.

Still, with that in mind, there are things we can do such as skin the standard OS controls and then handle apps on a case-by-case basis.  Keep in mind though, the more non-standard apps we have to handle, the harder it is for us to keep compatibility.

Earlier this year we released Curtains which doesn't even hook into the OS.  This means it is 100% compatible. Skins, even the weirdest ones, won't break a given app.  Of course, the price is that it doesn't skin nearly as much (no client area GUI controls like scrollbars, push buttons, radio buttons, etc.).  It's done quite well.  However, we know there are still plenty of people out there who would like to have more full control over how their Windows desktop looks.

That's where this thread comes in: What would you like to see in WindowBlinds 11?  

2,440,074 views 670 replies
Reply #76 Top

Quoting johnwboyd, reply 75

Once you go dark you will NEVER go back! I dare you to try it!

I hate black themes.  Windows 95/98/2000 has best themes.

Reply #78 Top

It would be nice if WindowBlinds 11 would fix this problem.  Under Windows 10, if you place a window at a specific pixel spot using SetWIndowPos, Windows 10 will place it semi-randomly somewhere else:  it will be off by a few pixels in X, Y, W, and H, and it will be off by different amounts for different programs and different window styles.   Similarly GetWIndowPos has problems and misreports location by various amounts.  When you then apply a skin using WindowBlinds, these numbers change.  Some way to get windows to go where they are told to go, and similarly to find out exactly where they are, would be nice.  The underlying problem here is in Windows, not WindowBlinds, but you are smart guys and you maybe can help.

Reply #79 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 61

This is a tentative list but this is what we have in mind:

 

    • Support for Curtains styles

 

    • Integrated WinCustomize library support

 

    • High DPI new skins

 

    • Better support for common apps (Edge, Chrome, etc.)

 

    • User requested options

 


In the coming weeks we'll be reaching out to some of the Master skinners to see about being contracted to bring classic Stardock Design skins and OS skins up to high DPI modern levels.

Speaking for myself, Titlebar skinned is most important on my list. Everything else skins but not a web browser title bar? My 2 cents. I will step back.

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Reply #80 Top

Quoting Dcrew57, reply 79
Speaking for myself, Titlebar skinned is most important on my list. Everything else skins but not a web browser title bar? My 2 cents. I will step back.

If your using Edge the new update works WindowBlinds 10.86 Beta Issue Thread ยป Forum Post by sdRohan (wincustomize.com)

Reply #81 Top

Quoting starkers, reply 70


Quoting RedneckDude,






Quoting starkers,



The one thing I have wanted for years is to place the Windowblinds folder on a different drive to C:

This is easy to do.  Where you been?

 



I been down-under where the kookaburras fly and the wallabies leap willfully through the bush.:grin:  

As for it being easy, I just looked over the settings in WB and could not see an option anywhere to change the directory to another drive/location.  So please do tell me how it is done and how WB can still see the directory on another drive.  Thanks.:)  

 

Check your PM

 

Reply #82 Top

Would love to be able to make my title bars transparent + blurry in the newest Windows 10 releases.  I'd pay more than a fair amount for this.

Reply #83 Top

Quoting ALMonty, reply 80


Quoting Dcrew57,
Speaking for myself, Titlebar skinned is most important on my list. Everything else skins but not a web browser title bar? My 2 cents. I will step back.



If your using Edge the new update works WindowBlinds 10.86 Beta Issue Thread ยป Forum Post by sdRohan (wincustomize.com)

I'm not seeing a skinned titlebar on Edge.

Reply #84 Top

Quoting sburca, reply 82

Would love to be able to make my title bars transparent + blurry in the newest Windows 10 releases.  I'd pay more than a fair amount for this.
You can, -In SkinStudio. :cylon:  

Reply #85 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 83

I'm not seeing a skinned titlebar on Edge.

I'm getting it by using a standard non-url shortcut

This is a copy/paste of the target in case you've got a syntax nag:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" -disable-windows10-custom-titlebar

 

If I want to open a site directly, same type of shortcut with the address tacked on, again a copy/paste:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" -disable-windows10-custom-titlebar http://forums.wincustomize.com/recent/

Maybe that'll get it, works for me.

Reply #86 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 83

I'm not seeing a skinned titlebar on Edge.

I see it on mine, as long as you did the chrome mod thing, as what Dave said, it should work.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #87 Top

I thought it should work out without the mod when the beta thread says it skins Edge.

Reply #88 Top

just a question, what is the point of having the option in windowblinds settings... allow windowblinds to skin chrome and the other one allow windowblinds to skin edge, if you have them both checked and they dont do anything to skin the browsers at all?

Reply #89 Top

Quoting IAMTHEMACHINE, reply 88

just a question, what is the point of having the option in windowblinds settings... allow windowblinds to skin chrome and the other one allow windowblinds to skin edge, if you have them both checked and they dont do anything to skin the browsers at all?
It skins the frames and color matches skin color on title bar. That's my knowledge.

Reply #90 Top

I would like an option to optionally hiding the Folder Band Area when the Windows 10 Ribbon UI is disabled, this part:

 

Reply #91 Top

Quoting Skyyblaze, reply 90

I would like an option to optionally hiding the Folder Band Area when the Windows 10 Ribbon UI is disabled, this part:

Commonly called the Command Bar

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Reply #92 Top

Speaking of the command bar, we lost transparency after windows 7......could we have it back?

Reply #93 Top

You're right Tim, we lost a lot of transparency after Win 7, be nice to have some of them back, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) we use to have transparency on the explorer background too. 

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Reply #95 Top

Maybe you add theme version info ?

Reply #96 Top

Please add back Vista style Start button support. As of Windows 10, it gets cut off if it is larger than the taskbar. Using any themes that have buttons like that gets cut off.

 

Vista for reference: 

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Reply #97 Top

I'd just like to see Windowblinds work on Windows 11.  I know it's probably to early to think that far ahead, but that's the one wish I have

Reply #98 Top

Quoting Envisaged0ne, reply 97

I'd just like to see Windowblinds work on Windows 11.  I know it's probably to early to think that far ahead, but that's the one wish I have

Windowblinds 10 seems to work with the current Windows 11 leaked version (21996.1).  It just doesn't skin the taskbar or start button.  The taskbar is locked anyway by default, but the other Window frames get skinned.

The entire atmosphere surrounding Windows 11 is FUBAR.  MSFT has managed to screw up every other Windows OS starting with Windows 95 (95, Millenium, Vista, 8.X, and now 11).  It's absolutely ridiculous to require Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, UEFI, and an internet tethered install, etc.  But that's just my opinion.  I don't want to spoil things for people who think they must buy new hardware to run a new version of Windows.  I hope this doesn't become a trend.

Reply #99 Top

Quoting r_pinkard, reply 98

I don't want to spoil things for people who think they must buy new hardware to run a new version of Windows. 

Windows Processor Requirements Windows 11 Supported AMD Processors | Microsoft Docs

 

Windows Processor Requirements Windows 11 Supported Intel Processors | Microsoft Docs

 

 

Microsoft remove support for old cpu. You must have Intel 8Gen CPU or AMD Ryzen 2xx0+

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Reply #100 Top

Quoting Robert84MK, reply 99

Microsoft remove support for old cpu.

Excellent links, thanks.