POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.off-topic : VS Express editions? : Re: VS Express editions? Server Time
14 Nov 2024 16:13:52 EST (-0500)
  Re: VS Express editions?  
From: Nicolas Alvarez
Date: 4 Feb 2008 08:57:33
Message: <47a719cd@news.povray.org>

> Yeah, that's the true evil of it though... Once you get a taste, it's 
> hard to go back. Wife's computer has the super-fancy version of Vista. 
> I'll have to say, I don't think I've ever used the 3D, roll through the 
> windows feature they kept showing when they were promoting vista, But 
> the translucent windows are kind of neat, sure it's eye candy ... But 
> it's nice eye candy.

It has been possible to make the whole window transparent, since Windows 
2000. There's just no UI for it, so you need some 3rd party app like 
PowerMenu. Also, there's obviously no blurred transparency. I have found 
this is really useful to avoid getting distracted by whatever is on the 
background.

I wrote my own program that covers the whole desktop and draws an image, 
then draws a second image only in areas covered by transparent windows. 
So I make the second image be the same as the first image, but blurred 
(I couldn't be bothered to make my program blur it automatically).

http://stuff.povaddict.com.ar/blur.png
http://stuff.povaddict.com.ar/blur_wp.png

Also, did you see the eye candy of Compiz? Way more effects than Vista 
(and in fact a Flip3D-like plugin already exists for it). And written in 
plain C (not even C++!), instead of needing .NET for writing new effects...

> I'm also quite happy to see they added the ability 
> to change the color the windows title bars. Which I sort of missed in XP.

I never run Windows on its default skin anyway. uxtheme patch ftw. My 
current look:
http://stuff.povaddict.com.ar/lunaelement5.png (LE5 also available in black)


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