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Correction: New Windows Standard Theme in Windows Vista

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Please let me clarify my previous post from last week on changes to the Windows Vista UI. I've conferred with my colleagues over the weekend (including Arvind Mishra, Senior Product Manager for Windows Vista; incidentally, you can see an interview with Arvind at The Hive). Actually, "conferring" puts it nicely -- the long and short of it is that I screwed up and didn't verify with Arvind the names of the new UI themes, and so now have to post this clarification :(

The confusion lies in the fact that I stated that the Basic and Standard themes were one and the same, when in fact they are not. It is the Basic theme that has been updated, not the Standard theme.

The second image in my post labeled both the new and old themes incorrectly; they should ahve been described as the Old Windows Vista Basic theme and the New Windows Vista Basic theme. A new graphic with corrected labels appears below.

Suffice it to say that we've updated the Windows Vista Basic theme, not the Windows Vista Standard theme.

As an aside, one way to think of the Windows Vista Standard UI is as Windows Vista Basic’s polished, opaque window frames plus the improved performance and stability of Windows Aero™, which requires the Windows Vista Display Driver Model, or WDDM. WDDM allows the UI to scale relative to the available graphics hardware.

Thanks are due Arvind for his setting me straight and helping me post this correction so we're all on the same page.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Nick corrects the naming of the new non-Aero theme for Windows Vista on a new blog post at the Windows
  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    PingBack from http://www.istartedsomething.com/20060712/firefox-with-new-vista-basic-theme/
  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    We improved the look and feel of non WDDM (Windows Aero) known as Vista Basic theme. Look for yourself....
  • Anonymous
    July 13, 2006
    Could this new UI can be use on none WDDM card ?
    Because I agree with someone on this blog that the old one is very ugly than Luna or Royale.

    If it's possible can you make it look like Aero ?
    Just without Effect and Aero's special function.

    If can't, I think just use the Luna or Royale are better than Windows Vista Standard.
  • Anonymous
    July 14, 2006
    Keep the feedback coming. I assume Microsoft will continue to tweak the non-Aero theme for users. Microsoft probably realizes that users will want to upgrade to Vista even if they don't have a video card capable of Glass so you can expect them to make a theme for non-Glass users that looks as decent as XP's current theme if not better.

    Personally, I've been advocated they replace the "scrap metal" theme from day 1 and am glad they decided to chuck it so we're seeing some great progress here.
  • Anonymous
    July 14, 2006
    Hey Great job on the new basic skin. My only sugestion is to give the basic skin ( the non Aero) the Aero Close, maxamize and minmize buttons. then that way it wont look as ugly. The softer blue hue is great. I like that. but the top buttons have to go. give us the Aero ones then the skin would be perfect.
  • Anonymous
    July 14, 2006
    Have you tried this new UI using white tone ???

    I think some people may have bored of blue tone from Luna and Royale :)
  • Anonymous
    July 18, 2006
    Look at this: http://bink.nu/photos/news_article_images/images/13552/original.aspx

    1) The font management is still from Windows 3.1.

    2) There's TOO much light blue, it looks really ugly (and the blue of the shell bar is slightly different from the blue of the Basic Theme... so it is more and more ugly).
  • Anonymous
    August 17, 2006
    I think vista should look more like this:

    http://www.microsoft.com/resources/design/windows.html

    everything is more cleaner and easer to read