Windows 7 theme questions

[DWalker07]

1) I don't see any Windows 7 newsgroups here except one in Italian. Are
there any Windows 7 newsgroups in English on msnews.microsoft.com?

2) How can we get some color difference between the active and the
inactive title bar or application window border in Windows 7, while
keeping the rounded corners on application windows?

When you pick a Windows 7 Aero theme such as the one called "Windows 7",
you are allowed to turn off transparency (Yay!), and you are allowed to
pick a "Window Color". You can select from several different pale,
washed-out color schemes here. But, even if you use the Color Mixer, you
can't get much difference in color between the active title bar and the
inactive title bar. (Messing with the Brightness setting gives you a
LITTLE difference between the two. The "Advanced Appearance Settings",
which pretend to let you select the color of the active and inactive
title bars, have no actual effect when a Windows 7 Aero theme is being
used.)

IF you look in the "Basic and high-contrast themes", the only one with
rounded corners is called Windows 7 Basic. When you pick this one, the
active and inactive title bars (or application border) are still almost
the same color as each other. With these themes, also, any changes you
make in the Advanced settings are ignored.

Maybe, since the Windows 7 application windows that don't have the
application name in the title bar any more, the top part of an open
window is perhaps not really the title bar; maybe it's part of the window
border.

And how do we get rid of the gradient in the left and right application
window border part way up? It's distracting.

Finally, the "Windows Classic" theme and the "high contrast" themes have
ugly square application windows. The "high contrast" themes are simply
bad (unless you're visually impaired, when I'm sure they are great).

So, how do you actually create a theme from scratch, without starting
with one of these and using the user interface to modify it? I Can't
find a "theme builder" online. Nothing in the Windows user interface
lets you adjust the contrast between active and inactive application
windows, or remove the slanted color gradients in the Aero themes, or
remove the gradient on the left and right window borders. These
gradients are way too distacting. I feel that application windows should
be simple and quiet, and ALL one color.

You can't always get what you want, but I hate the lack of control over
this, and I get distracted by the busy-ness in the window borders.

Thanks.

 

[Stubbo of Oz]

1) I don't see any Windows 7 newsgroups here except one in Italian. Are
there any Windows 7 newsgroups in English on msnews.microsoft.com?
Snip ....................

alt.windows7.general

Not all servers carry it yet - AIOE does

 

[Tony UK]

Dear Mr. Walker

Because of the way certain abnormal people have sought to diminish and
nearly destroy this current newsgroup, MS has taken the obvious evading
response when introducing Windows 7. It has created a fully moderated
website where sanity prevails. Please check it out at

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/windows7

Apart from responding over the next week or so to help publicize the above
site, I am happy to say that my first Windows 7 computer will soon be
arriving and I will be bidding this current contaminated website an un-fond
farewell. I am donating my Vista computer to a close relative who will never
be concerned with anything complex as she requires it simply for typing,
emails, iTunes and photos.

Good luck to the rest of you!

 

[Gilgamesh]

Dear Mr. Walker

Because of the way certain abnormal people have sought to diminish and
nearly destroy this current newsgroup, MS has taken the obvious evading
response when introducing Windows 7. It has created a fully moderated
website where sanity prevails. Please check it out at

Unfortunately that means they are also capable of editing out the less than
flattering posts people may make about the limitations or failures of the MS
Products.

I like news groups rather than forums as I can create a feed into my own
news server and create a permanent archivie of all posts for my reference
(its a one way feed so that it won't affect the MS Servers). I have several
years worth of archives on specific newsgroups that are relevant to my job.
Though I have to admit, I filter out any post that comes from gmail as that
is where I see most of the spam/trolls originating.

 

[Stubbo of Oz]

I found it just yesterday, and I've already received an answer to a
question. So far, it's idiot population is extremely low, but I'm sure
that will change soon.

Sadly, How right you are!! :-(

 

[Tony UK]

I have been spot checking through the new Windows 7 site and there are loads
of quite critical comments raising all sorts of issues. One example is about
Windows Mail but there are many more. There was one thread asking for
comments rather than posting questions. A pop-up from MS came up asking me to
take a survey about the site, but I declined at this stage as I don't know
enough about it. But I can assure you from my own observation that they are
publishing adverse criticisms.

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