Comments on: HP and Stardock team up to ship netbooks with custom walls, themes http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/ Not your usual Microsoft enthusiast blog. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:39:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: HP Gets Custom Backgrounds On Windows 7 Starter Edition ~ Revelations From An Unwashed Brain http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4920 HP Gets Custom Backgrounds On Windows 7 Starter Edition ~ Revelations From An Unwashed Brain Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:34:58 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4920 [...] small blurb at Within Windows describes how HP has (legally) done it - Back in March, I wrote about how Microsoft was restricting [...] [...] small blurb at Within Windows describes how HP has (legally) done it – Back in March, I wrote about how Microsoft was restricting [...]

]]> By: PortalCake http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4841 PortalCake Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:08:50 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4841 Hey Rafael, do you see an addon to UxStyle coming? You know, to *nudge* bypass licensing restrictions *nudge* Hey Rafael, do you see an addon to UxStyle coming? You know, to *nudge* bypass licensing restrictions *nudge*

]]> By: Mark http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4836 Mark Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:55:21 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4836 Well here is an official Stardock post: HP Launches Designer Edition Netbook with Stardock's MyColors http://www.stardock.com/about/newsitem.asp?id=1373 Well here is an official Stardock post:
HP Launches Designer Edition Netbook with Stardock’s MyColors
http://www.stardock.com/about/newsitem.asp?id=1373

]]> By: PeepingThePie http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4835 PeepingThePie Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:27:25 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4835 Interesting. I have access to Windows 7 Starter, thanks to Technet, so maybe I will give it a test install on my Netbook (even though Windows 7 Enterprise Trial runs fine on it). Interesting. I have access to Windows 7 Starter, thanks to Technet, so maybe I will give it a test install on my Netbook (even though Windows 7 Enterprise Trial runs fine on it).

]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4831 uberVU - social comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:52:29 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4831 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by WithinRafael: HP and Stardock team up to ship netbooks with custom walls, themes (http://is.gd/4t5gH)... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by WithinRafael: HP and Stardock team up to ship netbooks with custom walls, themes (http://is.gd/4t5gH)…

]]> By: Mattisdada http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4826 Mattisdada Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:33:14 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4826 @what is Microsoft thinking? The theming engine in Windows is excellent, as you can plainly see with hacked themes. The problem is though, without doing some questionable actions to the system files, you cannot truly use the power of the skinning engine, because Microsoft wants to green light all themes (for various valid, and invalid reasons)but doesn't) to put in the resources for such a system. Some of the reasons may include (im not 100% sure on all of these): -Bundling malware with it -Windows become unrecognizable (themes make Windows look different) -Support being harder ("Is the task bar blue, Grey, black or transparent ma'am?) -Microsoft having ego issues and having themes looking better than their own would really hurt their feelings..... Etc @what is Microsoft thinking?

The theming engine in Windows is excellent, as you can plainly see with hacked themes. The problem is though, without doing some questionable actions to the system files, you cannot truly use the power of the skinning engine, because Microsoft wants to green light all themes (for various valid, and invalid reasons)but doesn’t) to put in the resources for such a system.

Some of the reasons may include (im not 100% sure on all of these):
-Bundling malware with it
-Windows become unrecognizable (themes make Windows look different)
-Support being harder (“Is the task bar blue, Grey, black or transparent ma’am?)
-Microsoft having ego issues and having themes looking better than their own would really hurt their feelings…..
Etc

]]> By: Julien http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4824 Julien Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:09:04 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4824 Rafael: MyColors themes also include icons and a few standard widgets (calendar, clock, weather and media player - not always all 4 in every theme). So it also has some IconPackager and DesktopX code under the cover. As for licensing Windowblinds and shipping it with Windows, this would be a support nightmare for Microsoft (and will dilute their branding, something they probably do not want either). Making a theme that would work with every application is very hard (just ask any Windowblinds expert how long it takes to get everything skinned and tested). All the advanced functionnality is just a lot more ways to shoot yourself in the foot. As long as users know that a theme might have problems, it's fine, but I doubt all MS customers are aware of that. Rafael: MyColors themes also include icons and a few standard widgets (calendar, clock, weather and media player – not always all 4 in every theme). So it also has some IconPackager and DesktopX code under the cover.

As for licensing Windowblinds and shipping it with Windows, this would be a support nightmare for Microsoft (and will dilute their branding, something they probably do not want either). Making a theme that would work with every application is very hard (just ask any Windowblinds expert how long it takes to get everything skinned and tested). All the advanced functionnality is just a lot more ways to shoot yourself in the foot. As long as users know that a theme might have problems, it’s fine, but I doubt all MS customers are aware of that.

]]> By: HP’s End-Run Around the Windows 7 Starter Limitations | The Software Nook http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4823 HP’s End-Run Around the Windows 7 Starter Limitations | The Software Nook Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:43:21 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4823 [...] Rafael posts about an HP netbook that appears to get around this limitation. How they do it is interesting. Lame. But interesting. Nicholas R., initially emailing Paul, [...] [...] Rafael posts about an HP netbook that appears to get around this limitation. How they do it is interesting. Lame. But interesting. Nicholas R., initially emailing Paul, [...]

]]> By: what is microsoft thinking? http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4822 what is microsoft thinking? Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:26:17 +0000 http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/#comment-4822 If the fine folks doing the "theme engine" in the Microsoft Windows 7 group had even one working brain cell they would buy or license the Stardock Windowblinds code and ship it with Windows. Why they continue to lock the theming engine and provide such sub-par functionality is beyond this ones understanding. It's the old "we're going to hang onto this anvil until we drown, by god" mentality. If the fine folks doing the “theme engine” in the Microsoft Windows 7 group had even one working brain cell they would buy or license the Stardock Windowblinds code and ship it with Windows. Why they continue to lock the theming engine and provide such sub-par functionality is beyond this ones understanding. It’s the old “we’re going to hang onto this anvil until we drown, by god” mentality.

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