Aqua-Soft Forumsi have been reading topics with window blinds vs MS's VS's
is it true WB takes up less resources than the original VS microsoft has?
thats all i want to know , i might actaully make the switch if it does 
i hate resource hogging things.
Clarification On Wb Vs Vs Styles?
You have it backwards.
MS VS uses less resources than WB.
A visual style is native to XP.
WindowBlinds is a 3rd party app that requires additional resources outside the normal VS process.
Originally posted by rjohnstone@Apr 27 2004, 11:32 PMYou have it backwards.
MS VS uses less resources than WB.
A visual style is native to XP.
WindowBlinds is a 3rd party app that requires additional resources outside the normal VS process.
Acutlay they use almost identical resorces....... THe 3x series of WB was a resorce hog, but ever since 4.0, you cant notice the diffrence (besides where the titlebar buttons are, all the cool animation effects, and toolbar effects that come with WB4)
Originally posted by lostspyder@Apr 27 2004, 04:36 PMAcutlay they use almost identical resorces....... THe 3x series of WB was a resorce hog, but ever since 4.0, you cant notice the diffrence (besides where the titlebar buttons are, all the cool animation effects, and toolbar effects that come with WB4)
True... but I let my Object desktop subscription expire once the MS VS started getting better.
I still have WB 4.0 installed on my laptop, but I never use it anymore.
Originally posted by rjohnstone@Apr 27 2004, 06:44 PMTrue... but I let my Object desktop subscription expire once the MS VS started getting better.
I still have WB 4.0 installed on my laptop, but I never use it anymore.
i know this has been discussed over and over... but here my 2 cents.
If you want your computer to be really transformed... and you want it to look like a mac then use windowblinds.
From a customizing standpoint VS can not even touch windowlinds. There is just so much more that you can do. Just look at some of the dark themes out there. They have issues because they cant change the text color. While with windowblinds you can. Oh and anyone who has memory issues with windowblinds must not be stuck on version 3.0
I mean serisouly you are talking about a program that uses 2 mb! How can that be a resource hog??
Originally posted by rjohnstone@Apr 27 2004, 11:32 PMYou have it backwards.
MS VS uses less resources than WB.
A visual style is native to XP.
WindowBlinds is a 3rd party app that requires additional resources outside the normal VS process.
WB uses NO resources
yes it may use a 3rd party app (wbload.exe) but then VS's use a svhost.exe to comunicate with the uxtheme.dll both use around 1,500k
Internet Explorer uses 15,000K and BzFinder uses 50,000k so you are not going to notice either WB or VS and if you can you surely shouldnt be running XP anyway. There is no argument about VS and WB when it comes to resources they both use virtually none.
IMO WB are better they offer more tools for variety and shape they can skin more than just the basic GUI. THey have the ability to create extra button (rollup) and move the positioning. Also WB are constantly being developed and only MS will be able to change the features of VS and since they didnt want us to skin XP in the first place I dont think that will be happening anytime soon
I never said WB was a resource hog...
I said it uses additional resources.
True, it makes emulating a lot easier and closer to the real thing.
Don't get me wrong, I still have WB installed, just in case I see a WB skin that really knocks my socks off.
Until then, I'm sticking with TD4.01 VS.
Just my opinion.
Originally posted by rjohnstone@Apr 27 2004, 08:02 PMI never said WB was a resource hog...
I said it uses additional resources.
True, it makes emulating a lot easier and closer to the real thing.
Don't get me wrong, I still have WB installed, just in case I see a WB skin that really knocks my socks off.
Until then, I'm sticking with TD4.01 VS.
Just my opinion.
Wait for Danimator's Panther skin. 
Originally posted by Sid@Apr 27 2004, 07:33 PMWait for Danimator's Panther skin.
didn't that come out already? 
or was that jaguar?
/me is confused and needs sleep
Originally posted by MDZ61384@Apr 27 2004, 09:11 PMdidn't that come out already?
/me is confused and needs sleep
That was Jaguar.
Windowblinds hooks into the Windows theming engine anyway... they are supported and even used by Microsoft itself (see the official Xbox theme for proof)!
Your speed and memory usage mileage may vary depending on the theme you use (some are slower/faster/less memory-hogging than others). Don't download a random WB skin and assume others are alike because each skin has different functions and graphics.
I use Windowblinds once in a while, however, I beleive visual styles are better simply because they feel cleaner than Windowblind themes and with WB I have problems with firefox (then again, I'm using a very, very old [Almost ancient] version of WB)
Originally posted by hax0r_foX@Apr 27 2004, 08:30 PMI use Windowblinds once in a while, however, I beleive visual styles are better simply because they feel cleaner than Windowblind themes and with WB I have problems with firefox (then again, I'm using a very, very old [Almost ancient] version of WB)
see earlier post
Windowblinds beats visual styles hands down. WB has just so much customization power (with such a tiny footprint) that VS can't even match. What makes it even better is that you do all these customizations SAFELY; no initial modification of any vital system files needed. Stardock adds hooks to everything, rather than modifying files, which is a very good practice. Their skinning engine is so efficient; I don't notice any slowdown whatsoever. The engine allows a large degree of customizations to the UI. In the case of simulating OSX appearances, WB allows you go place the close, minimize, and maximize glyphs at the left-hand side of the window like it is on the Mac. THey also have support for rollups. Just recently, WB even added support for safely changing the Windows explorer toolbar icons, as well as the explorer animations (copying, emptying trash, etc).
Just check out the wide variety of Windowblinds skins that exist!
Paired with other various Stardock products, you can have yourself an Aqua-rific machine, like mine shown.
Wb wins handsdown...
If yr going to use wb tho, disable the Vs engine...
Otherwise your running vs and wblinds at the same time. Even without theme's the vs engine runs in the background.
The quality of wblinds skins are only limited by the artist. They are hugelly (is that a word) customisable...
Seems so many people have forgotten... but it was actually Stardock (creators of WindowBlinds) who created the theming engine for XP in the first place. The original XP theming engine is now over 3 years old... yet WB is continually updated and improved... I know what I prefer to use 
WB does a better job at skinning windows then MSStyle itself. But I find that most WB themes are chunky.
WB now uses 1.3mb or less of ram. And I noticed on my SLOW computer that it doesn't use much if any CPU.
MS Styles use more but the themes service is hidden by svhost.exe. WB uses wbload.exe in the same manner.
They both work in a similar hooking into windows the only difference is MS Styles don't skin fully by default applications that are not theme aware. And you have to hack uxtheme.dll to make third party skins work (whether in memory [styleXP] or on the disk). WB uses wblind.dll kind of the same way except there is no security check preventing you from using your own skins.
As for the which skins better, it's up to the artists.
In the end thouh it doesn't really matter which you use as long as you are happy with it.
Originally posted by smoke@Apr 28 2004, 10:25 AM
As for the which skins better, it's up to the artists.
In the end thouh it doesn't really matter which you use as long as you are happy with it.
Amen... exactly the point I was trying to get across.
It's really nice to see a thread where soooo many are praising WB. I myself have been using WB since the early 3.x days and don't plan on stopping anytime soon.
To me the best mac os x port that I have found is the one done by xero.
I can't find a real good panther WB theme.
Originally posted by mephisto@Apr 28 2004, 03:27 PMI can't find a real good panther WB theme.
Xero's Panther?
[edit]haha, allready mentioned [/edit]
I don't like xerox panther very much, I would like to see something like TD Panther, or wahtever is aquarius2003 using.
try duckie's
Thanks! it looks very good in the SS.
wow theres quite a lot of response within a day! hahaha thanks for the input guys. I might buy window blinds now.
See i never had a great expeirence with the previous versions since it seems it slows my machine down, with what's stated i can justify for me purchasing it.
all it matters it not buggy and it doesnt lock up 
but very interesting information.
best regards, ron
i have a question about windowsblinds
is foo_remote works with windowsblinds?
the foobar taskbar plugin:
ps:is there a milk 2 chocolate wb style?