aero minimal WIP

I will update the skin every 1-3 days as I find time to work on it. Download and give feedback. Please no mods/rips until I do an official release. I'd like to have a stable foundation before anyone customizes it.

This is essentially an OPEN ART project to create a minimalistic aero interface that is open source, original and functional. I'm having a tough time meeting the functional part since transparency is a design element that's difficult to use effectively. I'm close to a pre-release. I should have done an opaque theme first, much less to worry about.

[This is ALL original work now, as you can see by my lousy widgets ]

A note about minimalism. I consider Windows Classic theme to be as minimal as I would go, about the only thing I would change are the buttons. A good example of this is HmmXP which I still use. Some styles are too minimal where visual indicators like borders aren't distinct or the active window is hard to find. Good GUI design takes all of these into consideration. I'm certainly no expert in GUI design. I know what doesn't work for me. I strive for simplicity and usability.

[8/12]

Didn't start work on start panel yet. I wanted to be sure I liked the main window first as I will be using elements from there on the start panel. Added some inside roundness and applish active window.

Here's an early design for start panel: [link]

Not worthy of it's own screenshot yet. Will not be doing compact version It's open source, so maybe others will mod it.

[8/13]

More tweaks. Min/max/close buttons smaller. Not so much for close, I like its size to let in background. Start panel is almost done. Will redo separators and add a glyph for "All Programs". Still haven't figure out how to render the title bar text better. SkinStudio is so finicky.

[8/15]

Added shadows. Took a step backwards this weekend. Started from scratch instead of overlaying a theme I was given permission to use. All work will be original work, so there will be no open source issues.

[8/18]

Been busy with that overrated thing called work. Well I tried to work on it a little bit tonight and SkinStudio is completely hosed. It doesn't recognize half the properties of my skin! It just stopped working. I even opened skins it came with and the properties for those a re screwed up. Aaaaaaaaaaargh! I'm assuming it's something related to the last update I did a few days ago. It doesn't make sense since there was no update SkinStudio.

[8/19]

Don't have much time to work on it today. I changed the scrollbars. Maybe find time tomorrow to finish this up and have a pre-release.

Added all grippers, reworked start panel to match substyles, added Luna Blue substyle, close to limited release!

[8/23]

I haven't had much time to work on this, so I'll let you guys download what I've got. This is very much a work in progress. Since it's open source, I might as well let you guys try it out and give me feedback. Please give me feedback.

You must have Segoe UI font to use preview. I didn't add any substyles using the the more transparent, reflective inactive windows yet. The next preview will have them.

[8/24]

You asked for it, here's what I was saving for later. Blinding white, color-vacuum black, luna blue and wtf wood. Shadows, etc.

Wood is dead Someone wanted pink. These are the final colors: black, white, blue and pink. I'll start to concentrate on the inside widgets.

Tip: If you want shiny, use a dark background with the white substyle.

[8/25]

It's inevitable, so before anyone asks I made a glass substyle. I'm not really into 'glass' themes but I can see the attraction. I still use luna blue and starting to like black.

-

I reworked the glass substyle. The first one was awful.

[8/26]

Added just a touch of bling to the start panel. Changed the taskbar background, the reflective arcs were giving a bubbling effect on dark backgrounds.

-

Paid some attention to white. The inactive window is a more translucent white. Originally, I wasn't going to do a glass substyle so I was using a very transparent inactive window for the white. Anyway, take a look. I actually like the white now. If used with milk or mac'ish icons it would be a clean desktop.

-

Changed buttons, up/down left/right spin, tabs, grid headers, start panel hilite, progress bar. Can't figure out how to skin menus on applications.


[8/27]

Changed menu hilites, scroll bars, sliders, probably other things I forgot about. I'm closer to a beta than I thought.