Poor mans Vista

Forums › Microsoft Windows › Poor mans Vista

Lipex666

445 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 8

Trusted

#11022 27-Dec-2006 08:35

Well some of you are running Vista and the others are waiting for Vista for consumers to be launched shortly others like me have XP and like some of the changes but are not ready to doll out the cash for Vista to replace XP just yet.

I had a look around and I came across Vista Transformation Pack

This is great theme change for windows XP does the boot screen, login and gives a Vista look and feel to XP, there is even windows Vista sidebar etc included. It installed without any hassells and well I have a Vista look a like,. This is not exactly 100% look but for me this has brightened up XP and prob get me to stay with XP till I get a new machine later on in the year.

"The only way to learn some- thing is to do it"

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
80647 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 41030

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#56404 27-Dec-2006 09:09

The screenshots look good. It always striked me why we'd need Windows Vista to get some of the "eye candy" things out of the current PC generation...

Referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies

Support Geekzone by subscribing (browse ads-free), or making a one-off or recurring donation through PressPatron.

weblordpepe

460 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#56806 3-Jan-2007 19:15

This is pretty fancy pants aswell. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD7QraljRfM

Its probably cheaper than Vista.

Methesda

11 posts

Geek

#56841 4-Jan-2007 12:15

I believe that youtube video shows an Xgl desktop on KDE, rather than anything specifically Kubuntu.

For those that are unfamiliar, KDE runs on top of the familiar 'X' graphical server (libraries for windowsy type stuff), and XGE is a 3d enabled version of the X server.

It should be noted that Xgl, although it does provide some very very cool eye candy libraries, is still very much in development, and was a severe system hog last time I looked at it (around 6 months ago). That said, that explosive window fade is very cool.

Another neat thing I always liked, is that despite the system performance, a few of the stunts where really well coded. The Virtual desktops wrapped around a cube are very cool, but something that isn't shown in the video is that if you stick a video player playing something between two of the desktops (that is a larger virtual desktop configuration), the video will play wrapped around the vertice of the cube.

This bodes will for the community's capacity for improving Xgl.

Edit: Let me be more specific, Beryl running on Xgl, running KDE? Umm, i think I just put my foot in it... haven't looked at linux for a while, and mildly aware that this is the windows forum. So to get back on topic, I wish that the Stardock guys had gotten their act together, and charged less, to gain a bigger market, as well as provided better performance. I used to love some of the Stardock desktops for Windows.

Mind you... this does raise an interesting point for us Linux bods... though it belongs in the linux forum... so I'm off to thar.

weblordpepe

460 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#56927 4-Jan-2007 21:52

Well I was always jealous of my friends with OSX having that window-warp thing & its good to see that we can have something like that on PCs now.

Lipex666

445 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 8

Trusted

#56945 4-Jan-2007 22:51

I aggree with this

I wish that the Stardock guys had gotten their act together, and charged less, to gain a bigger market, as well as provided better performance. I used to love some of the Stardock desktops for Windows.

Quick note this is not a stardock thing its done by well known Windows Skinner and Developer "Windows X". This new version of Vista Transformation Pack 6 works really well as I have it installed on a few machines and if you are looking for a free XP make over this is a winner.

You can use windows blinds by Stardock with it to give the windows Vista Glass effects but there is a freebee that runs on XP that gives the similar glass effects and is part of the package plus a Vista tool bar and gadgets (lots of eye candy).

"Poor Mans Vista" yes but its given my boring XP a face lift.

Mainly posted this as I dont wont to rain on the Vista parade but XP still has a future and unless you are getting a new rig and can afford the 2 Gigs plus of ram etc and the flash hardware just to have a pretty OS just to surf the web I would stick with XP.

It is the way to go long term but Im going to give Vista time to bed in say 6 to 12 months at least for graphic Drivers and for newer games or game updates etc and Direct 10 etc wont help my existing games. (latest release versions of DirectX are the December 2006 version of DirectX 9.0c for XP)

As Im playing games made for Direct 9 and XP I have the Vista facelift, performance is not affected and I have extended XP for another year or so till I update my machine.

Off topic - Beryl looks cool but whats the practical use?

"The only way to learn some- thing is to do it"

weblordpepe

460 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#56987 5-Jan-2007 13:40

Not sure, Lipex. I really dont see any use for a 3D desktop. At least nobody's really thought of a real use except eye-candy.

However you're exactly right with the leaving Vista for a while thing. It was the same when XP came out. I stuck with 2K for a good while until 256MB of ram wasn't considered midrange anymore. Ever seen XP on 256MB? Yuck. I cant beleive they ever sold computers with that much RAM and XP.