News

WindowBlinds 2.0 was released and went off without too much of a hitch. Ironically the enhanced registered version had a bug that affected quite a number of Windows 98 systems but we were able to fix it and update it the same day -- thank goodness for Internet distribution.

We're currently working on WindowBlinds 2.01 which will serve as the basis for WindowBlinds 2 Retail Edition.  2.01 will mostly be bug fixes and tweaks made based on feedback from 2.0.

Version 2.0 in one week. On Monday September 25, WindowBlinds 2 will be made generally available.

There are a lot of misconceptions about WindowBlinds because the product has evolved rather rapidly and because so many different users use it.  For instance, some people on the Internet try to claim WindowBlinds "slows down" your system. This is untrue, WB itself doesn't slow down your system. The GUI (skin) you apply via WindowBlinds may make drawing speed slower depending on how fast it is.  

WindowBlinds 2.0 is about 50% faster than WindowBlinds 1.3.  With 2.0, on a modern system (people with a Pentium 2 or better), you should not notice any difference when running a typical skin. What do we mean by typical? Let's say you like the way MacOS looks and you download a MacOS 8 skin and apply it. It should be just as fast as if you were running the regular "windows" look.

Click on thumb nail to see graphical explaination.

The other misconception is that WindowBlinds uses a lot of resources.  In fact, WindowBlinds uses hardly any resources (on its own it uses virtually none, a skin uses some resources). The problem comes into play when there are programs and drivers that have resource leaks that when combined with WindowBlinds really make that resource leak show up because many WB skins require the window to be redrawn more thoroughly than normally which really exacerbates resource leaks in drivers and apps.

Click to see a WB on Win98SE with a bunch of large scale programs. System memory in example is 64MB.

WindowBlinds 2.0 is in the works!

click here to find out more about what's in it and how to get it.

Moving towards 1.31 public.  This will probably be the last public shareware builds of 1.x. After that any improvements to 1.x will be for registered and ODNT users.  While we have been putting a lot of resources on 1.31 for registered users and such to make sure they're getting their money's worth, the WindowBlinds team has been working on some pretty exciting things since this past May quietly which we'll be announcing on August 28.

The latest in the 1.31 series (I know, we should switch the version numbers instead of having 1.31H, K, M, P) but we really don't like upping version numbers unless it's a pretty big deal.  One of the cooler new updates in the more recent 1.31's is that it no longer re-applies a skin when you switch resolution.  Performance over 1.3 is about 15% better.

WindowBlinds 1.31 series continues forward on Object Desktop. A public version is also available.  We expect sometime in August to have a new shareware 1.31 available. Again, concentrating on performance and reliability.

Working on WindowBlinds 1.31 for Object Desktop. Lots of work being placed on performance and reliability.  

Lots of work has been done in the past two months!  Here's a run down:

On April 18th we released WindowBlinds: DirectSkin.  This OCX allows software developers to make their programs skinnable.

Over at Betanews.com we have a contest to see who are the best skinners in the world. You can go over and vote for those skins now.

Whew. It's been a busy two months here at Stardock as we've been working to improve and optimize WindowBlinds. After an updated release for registered users in February, things were tweaked still further and 1.2 was released as the basis for shareware and enhanced versions for registered users alike. 

WindowBlinds 1.2

+ Increased performance
+ Improved stability across a wider range of systems/configurations
+ Much better resource usage on 9x and optimizations for 9x vs. NT platforms
+ Includes a new Productivity skin (sometimes you want something simple while still retaining access to some of the functional enhancements in WB :). 

As with 1.1, only the registered enhanced version (available for download after registration) has support for scrollbars and progress bars. If you find yourself using WindowBlinds on a regular basis, please pay the $19.95 to get the full version.

Wow!  A new millennium (well not technically but you know what we mean).

WindowBlinds 1.1 will be available to the general public later this week.  But there will be some new changes.

The shareware version of WindowBlinds is going to largely keep the WindowBlinds 1.0 feature set.  Everything we have added after 1.0 is "gravy" and thus we want to provide these extra features to the people who pay the bills -- i.e. our registered customers and Object Desktop users.

So 1.1 shareware will have quite a few additions but not nearly anything as nice as what is available in the enhanced registered version available for download from here.

The shareware version of 1.1 will have these things over 1.01:

• About 40% faster on optimized skins than 1.01

• Fewer resources used which in turn makes it more stable

• Ability to create BeOS style skins

• Ability to skin the Start button

Typing in the registration number will get rid of the "nag" screen but won't enable the enhanced 1.1 features.  To do that you'll have to download the 1.1 enhanced edition from us that requires that you're in our database (i.e. if you've ordered it from us, you're in our database).  This is because we've had a tremendous amount of piracy with registration numbers. All Object Desktop users and registered users of WindowBlinds are able to get the enhanced version which adds the following:

• Scroll bar skinning

• Progress bar skinning

• Notebook skinning

• Notebook tab skinning

These things can make a pretty big difference to the visual quality.  Hopefully people will register simply because they find WindowBlinds something they run a lot.  Afterall, that's how shareware is supposed to work, if you're using the program on a regular basis you should register it.  

Right now, WindowBlinds 1.08 is only available to Object Desktop users but it will be available for registered usrs of WindowBlinds before Christmas.  The unregistered version of WindowBlinds 1.1 will have all these new features disabled.

WindowBlinds 1.08 UIS2 additions

Firstly the 1.08 UIS2 engine supports mouseovers on normal buttons (OK, Cancel etc)

This can be enabled by adding the following line to the [Buttons] section

MouseOver = 1
 

The other big change is the support of scrollbars

The main part of the format is stored in the Scrollbar section. 
 

[Scrollbar]
This is the image file for the up, down, left & right buttons
They are stored as Normal, pressed, disabled and mouseover
So 4 x 4 (LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN) 
+ 4 images for the scrollbars to put in the middle
+ 1 image for the bit between 2 scrollbars
So first is horizontal and 2nd is vertical

These contain the usual normal, pressed and mouseover images

Could be used as a 'DOT' on the scrollbar
This does NOT have different states.
So there are 23 images of the same size in this file.
Suggested size is 16x16 for each image as this seems to be the normal windows dimensions

Image = MacPC\macSB.bmp
 

This line tells WB to enable or disable mouseovers
Right now they are not implemented, but they will be in the near future

MouseOver = 0

If you want the base image to appear pressed when any part of the scrollbar is pressed then the following attribute is used

BasePress = 2

if you want BOTH scrollbars to have their base pressed when either has a part pressed then use

BasePress = 1

If you use the dot images and want transparency in them then the following attribute should be used

Trans = 1
 

; Horizontal scrollbars
[HorzScroll]

We need some images for the base part of the scrollbar.  This contains 4 images as follows

 inactive base, pressed base, disabled base, mouseover base

Currently the mouseover image is not used.

Image = MacPC\macHB.bmp

These images can have the usual edges etc (like buttons..)

TopHeight = [Height of the top border] 
BottomHeight = [Height of bottom border] 
LeftWidth = [Width of the left border] 
RightWidth = [Width of the right border] 

Tile = 0 = no, 1 = yes

[HorzScrollThumb]

Then we have images for the bar part.  These are inactive bar, pressed bar and mousover bar

Image = MacPC\macBar.bmp

This has its own border settings

TopHeight = [Height of the top border] 
BottomHeight = [Height of bottom border] 
LeftWidth = [Width of the left border] 
RightWidth = [Width of the right border] 

Tile = 0 = no, 1 = yes

It also supports additional attributes

Alpha = (alpha value - 0 -255) 255 = VISIBLE, 0 = INVISIBLE

If you use alpha blending then the following attribute lets you control how it works.

AlphaMode = 0 (All bar images are blended) 1 (Only the inactive image is blended)

Finally we have an attribute for showing the dot image or not on the middle of the bar

ShowDot = 

; Vertical scrollbars
[VertScroll]

We need some images for the base part of the scrollbar.  This contains 4 images as follows

 inactive base, pressed base, disabled base, mouseover base

Currently the mouseover image is not used.

Image = MacPC\macHB.bmp

These images can have the usual edges etc (like buttons..)

TopHeight = [Height of the top border] 
BottomHeight = [Height of bottom border] 
LeftWidth = [Width of the left border] 
RightWidth = [Width of the right border] 

Tile = 0 = no, 1 = yes

[VertScrollThumb]

Then we have images for the bar part.  These are inactive bar, pressed bar and mouseover bar

Image = MacPC\macBar.bmp

This has its own border settings

TopHeight = [Height of the top border] 
BottomHeight = [Height of bottom border] 
LeftWidth = [Width of the left border] 
RightWidth = [Width of the right border] 

Tile = 0 = no, 1 = yes
 

It also supports additional attributes

Alpha = (alpha value - 0 -255) 255 = VISIBLE, 0 = INVISIBLE

If you use alpha blending then the following attribute lets you control how it works.

AlphaMode = 0 (All bar images are blended) 1 (Only the inactive image is blended)

Finally we have an attribute for showing the dot image or not on the middle of the bar

ShowDot = 

WindowBlinds 1.06 has been released for registered users and Object Desktop customers. It includes support for skinning progress bars and reenableds the property tab skinning that was dropped from 1.01. Visit the download page here at www.windowblinds.net to grab the update.

WindowBlinds 1.01 is now available for everyone. Look for test builds of 1.06 to show up on the Object Desktop Network in the next week. These will include support for skinning progress bars!

v1.01 fixes several issues found in 1.0 including DDHelp crashes and some issues with Creative Lab sound cards. Additionally, a host of new features have been added.

Stardock now considers BuilderBlinds' its official skin creation utility.

WindowBlinds released!

News Archives from beta period