Time passes quickly.
Windows 11 has been out for a while now and we are a bit into 2022 now and it's been a while since we heard of any progress/development status when it comes to WindowBlinds & SkinStudio 11...
Plain and simply: What is the WindowBlinds 11 Development Status as of now and is there an Estimated time for when we can see at least a BETA?
-The (Few) Skinners and supporters really need to hear from Stardock/Wincustomize on this topic SOON as not knowing more than it's supposed to be coming Sometime 2022 is starting to hurt the App/Brand/skinners/supporters & buyers.
This is the way I perceive it.
neone6
The Start11 update I was referring to:
https://forums.stardock.com/510777/start11-115-beta-feedback-thread
Sean DrohanStardock Support Manager
Thanks Sean, Just downloaded it
I really like the direction you took on the taskbar. Some of the alternative's resort to a hacked on taskbar that is really just a version of Windows 10's taskbar. Where Start 11 shines, it feels like a more like the modern Windows 11 taskbar that has the highly demanded "never combined tabs" incorporated. This is good because I believe most people prefer the look of Windows 11 in general and are only wanting more functionality. This seems to be the exact approach that has been taken here. Nicely done!
Neil's team put in a metric ton of work on it. He never disappoints.
The question you should all be asking is...
"What is the Windows 11 Development Status"?
Programs are easy to adapt/revise for a new OS [mostly].
Shell enhancements for a new OS are impossible to 'revise' until the Shell is actually finished being messed with by Microsoft....
if this is the right question then windowblinds 11 will never be released since microsoft releases updates every month and big updates 2 times a year i see a dark future for this planet and the stardock comunity
Microsoft has nothing concrete for the 2023 update. What they are stating is that they are going to make the DEV channel highly experimental and the developers seem to be given a higher degree of freedom to experiment with things. Realistically it can change a lot with their current strategy. The DEV channel is basically soft clay in regards to it's shell, features will be added and taken away as they experiment.
If the start 11 taskbar could circumvent this that could pave the way for windowblinds 11. If it can not, then we are most likely going to have to wait until 2023 to see if Microsoft changes its policy.
If Microsoft can make it as good or better than Windows 7 , then I don't care how long it takes.
-- Ace --
..................
-The future looks extremely BAD for skinning Windows right now.
With my experience using explorerpatcher with Windowblinds 10 on Windows 11 I will say the method has held up with the changes Microsoft has made.
The latest start 11 update gives stardock their own taskbar. I feel pretty optimistic start 11 could really help windowblinds 11. Neil and his team have been very busy with this taskbar and I dont think he has really had any time to sit down and look at possible creative ways around Microsoft's onslaught of UI changes. Maybe once start 11 finishes we can really figure out when and how Windowblinds 11 can begin development.
No, all that's needed is for MS to 'sign off' on their GUI. Virtually nothing in monthly general bug updates has much impact...just as with EVERY other OS version and their updates.
Again, the issue is..on BOTH Win 10 and Win 11 in PARTICULAR, Microsoft has released the OS to the public BEFORE they have finished messing with it. Mostly that doesn't affect how programs work on the OS, but think about it.
You actually kinda need to know where the 'skinnables' are going to end up before you can skin them...
But is it possible that big yearly GUI updates are part of Windows 11's gimmick?
Hopefully not....as MS is famous for not having a clue about GUIs..... hence the lives and times of the skinner....
Sigh. I can't imagine Windows withOUT Windowblinds! This computer will be 5 years old in December and I was planning to get a new computer then with Windows 11, as a Christmas present to myself, and immediately put Windowblinds and Start11 on it. I had not considered the fact that Microsoft's gimmicky, gradually doled out updates for Windows 11 could badly effect Windowblinds 11. I hope by then Microsoft will have stopped with the dribbling of updates to Windows 11.
At least I feel good about Start 11 after what I have read here.
No, all that's needed is for MS to 'sign off' on their GUI. Virtually nothing in monthly general bug updates has much impact...just as with EVERY other OS version and their updates.Again, the issue is..on BOTH Win 10 and Win 11 in PARTICULAR, Microsoft has released the OS to the public BEFORE they have finished messing with it. Mostly that doesn't affect how programs work on the OS, but think about it.You actually kinda need to know where the 'skinnables' are going to end up before you can skin them...
Windows 11 Tabs in File Explorer are back in newest insider
the experiments and changes in the surface will never end " hope and wait makes some a fool " this may also apply to skinners and stardock users
This is a pretty big change that seemed to come out of no where. At least for me. It is a nice addition, but such big changes like this have to be frustrating for Stardock. Microsoft is putting themselves in a position that really anything can change on Windows 11.
Hopefully Microsoft doesn't ever get into skinning. Because as of late whenever they Branch out they buy another company. I would hate to see Stardock become a part of the Microsoft family of companies.
😏
So far the direction of Microsoft just isn't skinning friendly so I do not see them going that route with Windows 11. Yes, Microsoft has made some very surprising and big acquisitions as of late, but the constant changes in their GUI show they simply do not care about skinning.
On a plus note, I did see Neil make a post that alludes that he will eventually start looking into what area's are actually skin-able on Windows 11. It did sound like we are going to have to see start 11 completed before we see any real commitments, but at the same time it does look like Windowblinds 11 is still on the table even if Windows 11 remains an "always in beta" OS.
Which is why I don't like any of the current attempts at forcing windowblinds to "work". Incomplete is worse than nothing at all. IMHO....YMMV.
It is hard for me to pinpoint what exactly I want skinned on Windows 11. I am not sure I really need the full amount of skinning that windows 10 had. There are actually things I feel would be better off left alone such as the file explorer buttons (close, min, ect.) There are elements of window blinds 10 that just do not feel natural at all on windows 11 for sure. The feel of windows 11 is just different and I find myself wanting different things. I actually think less might be more in certain situations to keep the natural feel of Windows 11.
I think this is because Windows 11 actually does look good in general. There are area's that some re-texture and recoloring could really lively it up but you really can not say that Windows 11 GUI is a complete flop on this one.
That's just it. If there are enough unskinnable parts, no point in skinning. I would rather have no skin, than an incomplete skin. Which is why I don't like any of the current attempts at forcing windowblinds to "work". Incomplete is worse than nothing at all. IMHO....YMMV.
I know you do not agree with a lot of the things some of us has done to make things work Red, but we all have a different way of looking at things. Since all of this started and we realised how long WB11 will take to hit the market, some of us Die Hard Fans of WB were forced to look elsewhere. I now have multiple Themes designed for Windows 10 that have been updated to allow them to work with Win11, not all and complete functions work as they were designed in some of those themes, but it is moving faster than WB11 to allow users to customise there desktops.
I have Tron Legacy Theme installed on both a Win 10 SSD and a Win 11 SSD so i can experiment with how it should look against how it now looks. Stardock dropping the ball on WB11 has been an opportunity to some of us to broaden our customising Horizons. Now my main SSD with Win 11 has the Tron Legacy theme installed as default, my everyday machine. I can honestly say reaching out to other methods has kept me sane, yes there are some small changes in the look of the Win11 and Win10 theme , but 98% there is still a result to me and others who can not look at a default Win 11 machine after years of using customisation software, so we are not all the same Red, imagine if we all thought the same, ate the same things, and did everyday things the same, that is a world i would not wish to live in.
I respect your opinion Red but do not share it, i am more than happy with what i am using now, never thought i would say that as a WB user who put the program right at the top of my list when setting up a new Hard Drive, but that is really the case. I will take 98 pennies from a Pound any day of the week as opposed to Nothing at all.
We have all heard the reasons why we do not have WB11, MS this and MS that, but even the Skinners are starting to worry for the Brand, the skins they create and the ongoing delay which will force "Middle Of The Road Users" to leave WB and Stardock in droves, maybe never to return. What are the odds the Devs who will create WB11 at some point say at a later point "We Just Do Not Have The Market Share Or Interest In WB11" anymore.
PhoenixRising1 I could not agree more with the fact that every single thing needs to be skinned to make a skin or theme complete, more than happy were i am now , again 98% is far better than nothing at all.
That's not totally fair to say Stardock dropped the ball on WB11, we don't know All the Facts, but can only assume what's going on with what little bits of info we have received. It's been said that they are waiting for Microsoft to be done with their tweaking of Win 11 enough to start the process of developing WB11, if you were to build a house, you start with the foundation, which consists of concreate, but, you have to wait for the concreate to be poured into your foundation, so now it's a waiting game, so do you go ahead and still build a house without the concreate (forms), or plug along without it, which wouldn't make a very sturdy house. Now, do you blame the people who built the forms (Stardock), or blame the people who delivers the concreate (Micorsoft)? Would I like to have a WB11 and SKS11, sure, I like others (only speaking for myself) can wait till it's available, and if it's going to be a while, then so be it, I like Windows 11 just as is, without any skinning, and as long as Win 10 is still supported, I can skin all I want, granted SKS could use some improvements, but, I've learned to work around it for this many years, what's a little more time. I know there will be those who will disagree with me, but that's ok.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account
