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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?  

2,440,163 views 670 replies
Reply #126 Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 125

Hands up everyone that knows what 'explorer.exe' is.

Perhaps then you'll work out WHY when 10's ver is used on Win11 Windowblinds works...

1. Explorer It's OS Shell

 

2. In this stage Windows 11 and Windows 10 its almost the same OS. However if they closer to final version of Windows 11 the compatibility between Windows 10 and Windows 11 will decrease.

 

 

Microsoft add some changes to explorer and files on Windows 11 but explorer in Windows Server 2022 it's almost the same on Windows Server 2019/Windows 10.

Reply #127 Top

Because M$ is determined to make impossible to modify their awful GUI. They are full of themselves, making a GUI completely lacking in contrast between various elements making it very hard to read, unless you have 30/20 vision.

At 66, it's not my case!

The Insider site says "we listened to you to make Windows better", but all they did it was to make it easier for their support.

Also, they had the brilliant idea to make a new scaling system system to work better with tablets (who cares?) and make a shitload of legacy free apps fuzzy with custom scaling on a high DPI monitor, including their own control panel.

It took them 3or 4 years to correct that, and they did it the worst possible way requiring a manual setting on each concerned EXE, and again in case of upgrade.

Fortunately, the DPI Awareness freeware takes care of it, but I would not be surprised if it's become harder on W11. They don't care making thousands of free apps incompatible, they want you to lease their own instead. Same as Firefox who made unusable thousands of third party add ons overnight by removing a very powerful but hard to maintain add on API, because people are sheeps, and only a few % want to customize their browser to make it 10 times better than the completely sterilized one.

My apologies for the rant, it drives me mad to see advanced users thrown out the window (pun intended!) because having everybody using exactly the same thing is easier, and less costly, for support.

Only Windows Blinds, DPI Awareness and Waterfox Classic allowed me to get something as nice and powerful as from the W7 times,.

M$ and the Mozilla foundation hate that, and would like to kill everything that is customizable freely.

 

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Reply #128 Top

Windows 11 is waiting for Windows Blinds.

 

Reply #129 Top

Quoting Robert84MK, reply 128

Windows 11 is waiting for Windows Blinds.
Not quite right - it's the other way around: Windowblinds is waiting for Windows 11.:-"  

Reply #130 Top

Quoting JanOscar, reply 129


Quoting Robert84MK,

Windows 11 is waiting for Windows Blinds.

Not quite right - it's the other way around: Windowblinds is waiting for Windows 11.:-"  

 

Windows 11 is on the beta channel, i.e. Microsoft will not change anything in the interface, only will elimination errors and bugs. Creators of Windows Blinds could already start work but they ignore Beta and RP Realese. If creators started now, Windows Blind would be ready on Windows 11 definitely faster. Windows Blinds 10 is 100% compatibile on RTM, RP and Beta Chanel of Windows 10 and Windows Blinds 11 will be compatibile of RTM, RP and Beta of Windows 11, because RTM, RP, Beta has the same interface.

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Reply #131 Top

@ Robert84MK: First of all, it's not Windows Blinds but Windowblinds. You assuming that the developers at Stardock are not working to make Windowblinds compatible with Windows 11 speak for itself. Of course they do and there is absolutely no reason to release a Windowblinds version fully working with Windows 11 before the official release.

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Reply #132 Top

it would be really cool if windowblinds would change the default icons with themes like the windows XP version of windowblinds did and also there should be an option so the default OS colour doesn't change with the themes because everytime I changed a theme on windows 11 it set my OS to a different default colour and I had to change it everytime so I guess that is all I would like to see in the new windowblinds otherwise I think the program is perfect I managed to turn my windows 10 into windows 7, XP, and even VISTA and 95 using stardock apps and a few other ones

Reply #133 Top

Quoting gigant_man, reply 132

it would be really cool if windowblinds would change the default icons with themes like the windows XP version of windowblinds did
More work/hours, Price per Blind will go up -Just sayin :-"  

Reply #134 Top

Office 2019 gets partially skinned on Build 22000.160..., that's a first!!!

Reply #135 Top

Still nothing change on Window Blinds for Windows 11 ?

Reply #136 Top

Transparency. I know it's been said numerous times. But the squeaky wheel gets the most grease. 

Reply #137 Top

Great! I cant wait for it but, I have some questions...
It will support Windows 11+ only?
Will WindowBlinds 11 support Arabic language like some other Stardock products?
Even it won't come with Arabic language support, will it be compatable with RLT languages? becasue there was an issue makes sikns applied distorted or incorrectly in WindowBlinds 10 and older... See here: WindowBlinds doesn't work well on Windows / doesn't compatible with Arabic Windows well » Forum Post by MuhammadBahaa (stardock.com)

Reply #138 Top

A question here for the wizards in the group.  I have several Stardock programs installed, updated, and running on my fully updated Windows 10 machine.  I am also a Windows Insider and would like to try the preview of Windows 11.  I am unable to get Windows 11 to install.  Could a Stardock program be interfering with the installation?

Reply #139 Top

Quoting ron, reply 138

A question here for the wizards in the group.  I have several Stardock programs installed, updated, and running on my fully updated Windows 10 machine.  I am also a Windows Insider and would like to try the preview of Windows 11.  I am unable to get Windows 11 to install.  Could a Stardock program be interfering with the installation?

Hello,

I am not sure it will work or not but most of Stardock programs is not officially compatible with Windows 11 yet. Here compatibility list of product vs Windows 11 : https://forums.stardock.com/505717/windows-11-and-stardock-app-compatibility

Thanks

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #141 Top

So now we have a release date for Windows 11, Officially 5th October, how far behind does anyone think Windowblinds will be before we get a Fully Compatible Edition, and will Start 11 then become out of it's Beta stage.

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Reply #142 Top

Quoting ron, reply 138

A question here for the wizards in the group.  I have several Stardock programs installed, updated, and running on my fully updated Windows 10 machine.  I am also a Windows Insider and would like to try the preview of Windows 11.  I am unable to get Windows 11 to install.  Could a Stardock program be interfering with the installation?

The hardware requirements for Windows 11 are different. Are you sure your computer will run Windows 11? Sadly, mine won't and I am having to buy a new laptop and desktop computer. Might want to check if your PC will run it here: (AMD) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-amd-processors (Intel) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors .

Your computer must also be TPM 2.0 compatible.

More here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-requirements 

Reply #143 Top

In that list it says Objectdock is not compatible, But i am running Windows 11 latest insider preview and its working just fine . even with multiple docks, tabs and flyouts. Maybe i got lucky lol. Windowblinds definitely has issues. The biggest issue i found is with explorer windows crashing every time they open. They open and instantly close. I can wait for WB 11 though :) 

Reply #144 Top

Quoting Nimbin, reply 143

i am running Windows 11...
Quoting Nimbin, reply 143

Windowblinds definitely has issues.
Really !? :-" ;)

Reply #145 Top

Quoting Nimbin, reply 143

In that list it says Objectdock is not compatible, But i am running Windows 11 latest insider preview and its working just fine

 

Same here.

Reply #146 Top

Maybe someone add this: Window Borders and Window Title Bars setting ? because Window Blinds ignored Windows Setting.

Reply #147 Top

Is there a vaccine against W11? W10 was already such a disease...

There should call it Windows delta. :)

Reply #148 Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 142

The hardware requirements for Windows 11 are different. Are you sure your computer will run Windows 11? Sadly, mine won't and I am having to buy a new laptop and desktop computer....

Your computer must also be TPM 2.0 compatible...

At this point, MSFT is relaxing the hardware requirements for Windows 11.  You can install Windows 11 on almost any PC as long as you have drivers that are compatible with Windows 10, and you must also know how to make changes to the Windows 11 install files so that Windows-setup will bypass hardware checks.  I'm guessing that Windows 11 final will install on any PC, but with the warning that future builds of Windows 11 may cease to function on PCs that require new hardware.

Windows 11 is a part of a marketing push to get consumers to buy new hardware.  This is a story of the "tale wagging the dog" scenario.  In the past, hardware development preceded software development.  In other words, hardware manufacturers developed new hardware, made drivers for that hardware, and Windows development proceeded to take advantage of the new hardware functionality.  Windows 11 presents a new strategy that demands that consumers purchase new hardware to work with Windows 11.  This is impractical for enterprise customers that have significant investments in IT devices.  It makes no sense to try to motivate enterprises to go out and buy all new hardware so they can run Windows 11.  What was MSFT thinking when they dreamed this up?  Or perhaps I should say, what were they smoking?

At this point, I would think that Stardock is concurrently working on their apps (including Windowsblinds) so that new versions of their apps are ready to be compatible with Windows 11 when the OS is officially released.  It would be nice to get more feedback from Stardock about this.

Reply #149 Top

Quoting r_pinkard, reply 148

It would be nice to get more feedback from Stardock about this.

It sure would!!!!

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Reply #150 Top

Just the fact that there is a WindowBlinds 11 Planning thread says that Stardock is working on being Win11 ready.

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