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WindowBlinds 5 Beta: Next Tuesday

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WindowBlinds 5 Beta: Next Tuesday

It's coming..

from WinCustomize Forums

The first public beta of WindowBlinds 5 is almost here.  Stardock released the alpha this week to its internal QA team to put the program through its compatibility testing before sending it out.  WindowBlinds 5's most notable new feature is the ability to support "glass" and full alpha blending of the title bar and border (no more jaggy borders).  The critical step has been to deliver this functionality without affecting performance for reasonably modern video cards.

In addiion, WindowBlinds 5 no longer has a "wbload.exe" and instead extends the painting of the Windows GUI in a more "native" way.  Or put another way, it has "zero foot print" in the same manner that the default bundled Windows themes (msstyles) use. 

Users who have Object Desktop will be able to try out the beta next Tuesday (Oct 4).  Users of WindowBlinds 4 will be able to upgrade to Object Desktop at a reduced price.  Moreover, users who purchased WindowBlinds 4 after September 1 will receive WindowBlinds 5 for free.

WindowBlinds 5 will also be designed to run on Windows Vista natively by the time Windows Vista ships (the beta of WindowBlinds 5 should run on the beta of Windows Vista though the Windows Vista GUI is still in a state of flux obviously).

65,043 views 155 replies
Reply #77 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well I actually prefer Win2k...no annoying wizards, it remembers your settings, and generally doesn't have all the dumbed-down stuff (and it runs faster, too). I'll be waiting until someone else with Win2k decides to be a guinea pig with WB5 before I go for it. My PC should meet any HW requirements (Pentium-IV 1.7Ghz, 1Gb RAM, ATI Radeon x800 Pro). Nonetheless, I won't be the guinea pig...
CursorFX - Customize your Windows cursor
Reply #78 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It will run on Windows XP 64 too??? Many users of that XP64 we are waiting for.
Reply #79 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I will say this: The hardware requirements to run WindowBlinds 5 in glass are a lot lower than the hardware requirements to run Microsoft's Windows Vista Aero in glass mode.


You meant "Vista Beta" right?
Reply #80 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You meant "Vista Beta" right?

No. Microsoft requires graphics cards which support Pixel Shader 2.0, a 3D grahpics function introduced in DirectX 9.0 and only present on certain graphics cards. There is no indication that they will change that requirement for the final release, as their system is based on using pixel shaders to render the borders. From what I know, WindowBlinds 5 just requires the ability to draw semi-transparent images, which is something that (if all else fails) the OS will do. Of course, it won't do it very fast, but a small amount of help from the graphics card speeds it up significantly.
Reply #81 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Everything still on for Tuesday? Im waiting for it to start a new skin.
Reply #82 from WinCustomize Forums Top
is it tuesday already? oh crap its only saturday. but three days more wait is just too long!
Reply #83 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Concerning the renewel of WB purchases, $20 is nothing... anyone can make $20 in less than a day. Stop being so tight, it's not like it's a rip off. The programmers and devs at StarDock don't have to continue making any of their awesome products. Yet they do, not because they're greedy and want money, because they're thinking for other people.
I was really suprised how cheap it was when I first bought it; never looked back and regretted it either.
Anyway, just my two cents on that.
As for the WB5, I really can't wait ^^ Although, I've found even now some WB4 skins don't work with WB4.6.. MiniOS for one (which I absolutley adore). Maybe is there a barrier for compatabilities between older skins? I hope not, otherwise I'll be without some skins.. or the authors would have to update all of their skins x_x
Moving on, I just wanted to say what a great job you guys are doing at StarDock. I'm more than willing to renew my WB purchase til next time

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #84 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No. Microsoft requires graphics cards which support Pixel Shader 2.0, a 3D grahpics function introduced in DirectX 9.0 and only present on certain graphics cards. There is no indication that they will change that requirement for the final release, as their system is based on using pixel shaders to render the borders. From what I know, WindowBlinds 5 just requires the ability to draw semi-transparent images, which is something that (if all else fails) the OS will do. Of course, it won't do it very fast, but a small amount of help from the graphics card speeds it up significantly.



You may be right. I'm just not even sure that the requirements for Glass are set in stone. I'd thought that my FX 5200 in my tablet did not support PS 2.0, but now I think I may have been wrong about that. Still, it maybe be possible to get some Glass effects without PS 2.0 support. I don't think even Windows has nailed down the requirements completely.
Reply #85 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Actually, I just wanted to stir up some trouble. I'm not daft! Of course I'll buy WB5; it looks great.
and by "loyal customer" I mean I've told 5 friends about WB who subsequentially bought it themselves, and have literally spent the last 2 years of my life using Stardock products on my pc...
Reply #86 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Actually, I just wanted to stir up some trouble.


So you're a troll.

Okay.
Reply #88 from WinCustomize Forums Top
highlite to see that last one!
Reply #90 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Will I have any issues running WB5 with my AGP GeForce4 Ti4600 128mb vid. card?
Reply #91 from WinCustomize Forums Top
what theme will be coming with it? do you need a theme to enable the "glass" efect or can you use an exisiting theme like VistaXP and add glass to that?

basically my question is.. is there a theme coming out with it?
Reply #92 from WinCustomize Forums Top
There should be at least 1 per pixel theme included with it and I am sure more will arrive on Wincustomize quickly.
Reply #93 from WinCustomize Forums Top
bchon: It should work. I have a 4200 back home and that does. The NVIDIA cards had somewhat crappy drivers a few years back, but that's somewhat less true nowadays (at least for the things which WB5 does).
Reply #94 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hey guys....it's Tuesday somwhere in the world....how bout an ETA?
Reply #96 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I guess sometime between working hours (in Stardock country) would be a good estimate, which is at least another 12 hours away I'd say
Reply #97 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Smells like...translucency.
Reply #98 from WinCustomize Forums Top
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH..........

ONE MORE DAY, ONE MORE DAY

/me sings "Tomorrow" from Annie

hmm, I guess the /me thing doesn't work anymore
Reply #100 from WinCustomize Forums Top

/me sings "Tomorrow" from Annie

hmm, I guess the /me thing doesn't work anymore


LMAO hahahhaha