[CS-FSLUG] Re: NI: Images: First views of Windows Vista

[Nathan T.]

I've noticed something about Microsoft and extensions, and this seems
like the ideal time to remember it :-) .

Windows XP supports it's own themes, not unlike KDE there is a way to
change the Windows look and feel but unlike KDE there is very little
out there for it and it's probably not designed half as well either. A
lot of people use StarDock products to theme Windows, whether it's
making Windows 98 look pretty, or themeing Windows XP, these products
cost money but are also the only way to use about 99.9% of the themes
I've come across trying to find a way to de-uglify Windows XP. I've
tried using themes that were supposed to work without any special
software, using just the system included in Windows XP, but only one
of them worked and it was that new media centre look made by MS
itself, no other theme that was made for Windows XP using no special
software actually worked using the built in system.

MSIE 7 extensions probably won't come close to beating what FireFox
has, FF already has a good lead, and most importantly it has a
completely open, well documented framework for these extensions. MSIE
7 is going to be catching up from behind, and there really is no
guarantee that people will even use the extension system in MSIE 7. If
anything the whole Windows XP theme thing serves as an appropriate
example that where people have a better alternative that is well known
of, they will chose that alternative.