WindowBlinds

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AGI1122

WindowBlinds

Post by AGI1122 »

I just found this cool new program that can make windows have skins... check out this picture:

http://www.agigames.com/win98.jpg

That is a picture of NAGI playing V, using windows 98.

You can find this program at http://www.windowblinds.net

Just thought some people might be interested in this. :)
SGreenslade

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by SGreenslade »

Neat...they should include this in desktop themes.
juncmodule

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by juncmodule »

WindowBlinds is pretty cool. Have you ever tried replacing your shell? You can completely work in a "linux style environment" ::).

http://www.wincustomize.com/

Some of the little tools they have are pretty nice. Be careful with replacing the shell and even with WindowBlinds, they can cause chaos. WB is a bit of a memory hog and if you screw up replacing your shell...well, reinstalling is FUN!

later,
-junc
smartguy240

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by smartguy240 »

The GNU is actually quite hackable...although this release if it is the final...should be compacted a little more...besides that...ill try and figure it out soon.
Zonkie

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by Zonkie »

You can also download cool styles for XP at http://www.themexp.org. You have to download a program from another site as well, but then you can change the whole looks of your windows, including boot and logon screens :D
smartguy240

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by smartguy240 »

I dont see how to edit the window bilnds stuff... ::) it is rather confusing.
jrfritz

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by jrfritz »

I made a program that can use ThemeXP skins for free...without StyleXP. I will give it out...IF I decide to make it GNU or just not copyrighted.
jrfritz

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by jrfritz »

Also, you can get themes compatible with my UXTHEME.DLL patcher from here:

www.belchfire.net.
jrfritz

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by jrfritz »

(the uxtheme.dll patcher...compatible with StyleXP Themes)

Now, what licence should my program be under:

GNU GPL
GNU LGPL
Or, not even copyrighted?
jrfritz

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by jrfritz »

GNU?
Not copyrighted?

Anyone have a idea?
Andrew_Baker

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by Andrew_Baker »

I'd go GPL. One of the Classic Mac communities greatest achievements for users was introducing apps that could completely customize the user-space. Much like X-Windows is fully customizable if you're willing to dig around in Widget sets and what-not, only using user-friendly apps that tinkered with the built-in MacOS GUI code. Since this was a capacity of the Mac GUI and not really much of a hack, this software was by-and-large free. One could delve into the UI settings and alter all of these components by hand, but that would be a real pain. Also as a result of it being a capability of the Mac UI, it would be difficult to claim ownership of the formats, seeing as Apple owned the UI, and the programmers had just made apps that made modifying it simpler, probably another reason these apps are freeware.

Windows doesn't have real built-in UI customization, something that has always annoyed me (Sure I can change the pictures of my icons, cursors, and desktop, but that's boring).

To sum up a long digression, I think that Windows customization programs should be free (Frankly, I think they should be built into to the OS or UI), but I think that good hacks deserve proper recognition. Go GPL to maintain "ownership" of your app, but make sure the source is open for people who have good ideas of their own about UI tweaking, but don't have a code-base to start with yet.

BTW: I can't even use this good idea, because even changing my wallpaper to an image destabilizes my OS :D
jrfritz

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by jrfritz »

If you are using Windows XP with SP1 installed, you can use what is called a StyleXP Theme, such as PlexXP http://plex.ike.bz/10.28.02.PlexXP.v.0.7.2.zip.

If you would like to use PlexXP and other StyleXP Themes...download this( for xpsp1 ): http://www.pronetworks.org/MISC/SP1/uxtheme.zip.

Create a directory called Patched in your C:\.

Now, extrect uxtheme.dll from uxtheme.zip to C:\Patched.

Download My UXTHEME Patcher from here: http://members.shaw.ca/overlord_yogi/betas/DLLPatcher.rar

and You MUST be logged in as administrator when running my program or it won?t work!

Now, Where it says in my program ?<Your UXTHEME.DLL here>? Get rid of that and type in C:\Patched\uxtheme.dll


Note: I can't make my program Open Source because of MS.
Click OK and do what my program says...

Now, Extract The PlexXP.zip and double click onto plexxp.msstyles.

Click OK.

You can also download all of the msstyles that StyleXP uses.
jrfritz

Re:WindowBlinds

Post by jrfritz »

How do you like it?
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