Kind of fun to imagine some hybrid between Aero and Apple's new glass effect. Imagine if Aero could "bend light" instead of just applying a blur effect.
https://github.com/ramensoftware/windows-11-taskbar-styling-...
I'm a fan of a lot of the user experience improvements being made in Windows over the last decade, such as Terminal, running Linux, Power Toys features, screenshots & recording, Paint finally getting layers, window management & more.
At the same time, I'm still not sure why we needed Windows 11 as the only good updates seem like they could have been done without it. All the visual changes have seemed to cause bugs & performance issues on relatively high powered PCs (64GB+ memory, m2 ssd drives, latest gen mid level GPU & CPU)
It seems the Windows ME, Vista, etc experiment continues to live on.
When executing a sequence of actions, not having to wait 100-300ms for the device to show some random animation before inputing the next action is a time saver and a removes the "why is my computer/phone wasting my time" feeling.
Human reaction time is around 200ms but in a sequence of actions, we don't need visual feedback to move to the next action; it's just muscle memory and we can reach pretty low delay between inputs if the OS and apps do not impede us.
Back to Windows, I'm quite sad that 24H2 removed support for the legacy app switcher (alt-tab). It was very low latency and operated well in many high-load situations. The new one works okay but is not as snappy and can take a bit of time to show up under load. Plus I prefer the old style (smaller box, no need for eye movement to check its content).
ExplorerPatcher makes it easy to configure in the settings menu, I'm not aware of any other projects that implement SWS: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher
It's very fast and can be configured to set window thumbnail size/area
SimpleWindowSwitcher looks like a good alternative, unfortunately on my side I think I would prefer switching between all windows of all apps rather than have two different shortcuts for "switch between windows of the current app" and "switch between apps" (but that's just a personal preference).
ExplorerPatcher looks cool too, though patching explorer is probably a no-no in corporate setups.
I also saw https://github.com/kvakulo/Switcheroo which I was curious to try (although it's not an exact replacement either) but never got to it (also seems quite old).
First beta release at
https://github.com/coezbek/switcheroo
Noteable: column design for most frequently used applications and pinned apps shown separately.
(Backwards navigation with alt-shift-backtick)
Actually the registry entry on 24H2 behaves somewhat similarly: alt-tab still switches windows (of all apps) but the UI is just gone (which is a problem for me because knowing how much time I need to press tab in advance leads to faster switching than "press tab, see if the focused window is what I wanted, and press tab again if it's not" which involves a computer-brain round trip every key press).
(As a dev, I often have a dozen browser windows and a dozen or more terminals open, half a dozen IDEs, etc so being able to switch directly between instances if the same app, esp automatically filtering out minimized ones, is much faster than alt-tabbing through then all interleaved, and was my motivation for writing this.)
Even if you are talking about the entire loop, that sounds pretty high. Maybe if its moving your hands in reaction to an unexpected stimulus in your feet...
We can tell the difference between 60fps (~16ms per frame) and 120fps (~8ms per frame). Any more than that is a noticeable amount of waiting.
It does get complicated, though. What if the information is presented immediately, then animated? Well, that's where a complete measurement of reaction time would be relevant.
Even so, as you pointed out, we often predict what we will be doing in advance, and can perform a sequence of learned actions much more quickly. If there is a delay imposed before you can perform an action, then you must learn the delay, too. That learning process involves making mistakes (attempting the action before the animation is over), which is extra frustrating, considering how unnecessary it is.
You'll probably see around 200ms. Not saying that's the relevant number in this discussion, but that's probably where the number comes from.
So yes, total reaction time is generally quite long, but most of that time is spent performing "action".
That site would be more interesting if it provided a second interface where you do something predictable, like match a repeating beat.
We used to be able to look at the scroll bar to keep track.
Furthermore page down/up used to move a full page consistently. But today it might as well be a random amount specific to the application or content. Making it impossible to train muscle memory.
My old workflow from the Win2k/XP days was: Print Screen, Win + R, type mspaint, Enter, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+S, Enter, done. Still feels faster than watching my screen fade in and out for the snipping tool.
Instead they can throw away their perfectly good computer and buy the confusion as a single package! Relax, the climate can take it!
Yep. Sure. Going to let a Russian utility fuck with winlogon.exe. Excellent idea.
> Tech Enthusiasts: Everything in my house is wired to the Internet of Things! I control it all from my smartphone! My smart-house is bluetooth enabled and I can give it voice commands via alexa! I love the future!
> Programmers / Engineers: The most recent piece of technology I own is a printer from 2004 and I keep a loaded gun ready to shoot it if it ever makes an unexpected noise.
— https://imgur.com/6wbgy2L (actually a tweet from someone else, but apparently it's private now)
Honestly, with the prevailaince of ransomware attacks, unless you're a literal hermit, it shouldn't be out of anyone's threat profile.
You might say that many users don't care about mod development and don't need it. I agree, and I have it on my list to create a lite Windhawk version which doesn't depend on VSCodium.
Note that VSCodium is only used for the UI. When Windhawk is running in the background, its memory consumption is a couple of MB.
Thanks for this by the way. Carrying the torch of Windows modding in the future!
That's mostly irrelevant because all the thing baddies want to do with your computer, they can do without touching winlogon or even getting admin.
You are right in principle, but there is a varying degree to which different governments actually oppress people and there are certain patterns of what to expect from which.
I would not trust american company, like msft to not snitch to me to US government either, but the likehood of random shmuk being coopted is much more likely in one case as opposed to another.
I don't think Russians actually live in fear of the big brother, I wouldn't be friends with so many Russian femboys if that really was the case. But what do I know, it could all be a conspiracy.
Edit: I also don't understand how torching police hqs makes the world a better, more peaceful place. At best, you'll just end up creating another monopoly on violence… @.@
I'm not sure what it has to do with anything, other than you own ideas about what oppressive governments are up to.
>makes the world a better, more peaceful place.
the chain has to be yanked from time to time, otherwise the thing at the end of it tends to forget you are holding it.
Are you sure about this? The US, like most countries with extensive intelligence capabilities, does not have a good track record of convincing their citizens of doing shady things [1].
Increase contrast
Reduce transparency
Differentiate without color
Show toolbar button shapes
I like the retro and simple vibe compared to the new Liquid Glass controls.
Two different UIs meant that you had to learn them separately, you didn't have a slow ramp from one to the other, one familiar with one could get stuck on the other with no knowledge of how to get back, divided efforts between the two, etc.
Not quite what you are asking for, but closer to Win95 shipping with progman.exe which could allow someone to cosplay Win3.11 while running Win95.
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/create-master-control-panel-g...
I wonder if this will have the same issues?
This is just one Windhawk mod, submitted by a community member. There are hundreds others. Windhawk was created to simplify Windows customization and to make it more accessible, both for developers and users. For a more detailed introduction, check out the Windhawk release blog post:
Overlays, AIMBots, Discord, Flight Sim Software, we all do it…
Also to force texture sizes and whatnot.
I wish Wine/Proton had options for those, to override antialising, texture sizes, rendering resolution and everything.
If a mod includes malware it'll be very obvious as mods are usually small.
There's a malware risk in literally every piece of software. Windows itself behaves as malware with all the telemetry it gathers.
Just like Windows. /s
It's similar with Windhawk mods. The GitHub and X profiles are verified to be the profiles of the author, so you can decide whether you trust them. The source code is available, so you can inspect it as well. Mods are single-file and usually short, which makes it easier to review than an average program.
(this particular mod is 100% innocuous, though)
I'm so sick of people telling me to BE AFRAID. If you want to live without the risk of a little danger, go live in prison.
You have a very interesting idea of prison life.
In any case, labeling this a FUD I find to be a rather ill-spirited characterization. "Be cautious, not afraid." It is difficult to exercise caution without being aware of the risks, and this is a real risk.
But since we're getting all philosophical, it also hampers the exploration of the space between uncontrolled safety + original vision <-> controlled safety + a total loss of that vision. Which I find is what a lot of the pleas towards "freedom" actually turn out to be; an obstruction of curiosity and rigor that would otherwise yield a more robust portfolio of options. The Monkey's Paw edition of the idea, where freedom is just another word for the unknown. The ability to do better, and an active choice not to.
If I think about when I usually take on operational risks at work confidently, it comes down to two things: knowing what might go wrong, and having a contingency plan. It is not going YOLO. Note the emphasis on taking on risks (so these are not unavoidable risks).
Contrast this with what was said. You're appealing to the risk both remaining unknown and staying unavoidable, while being fully aware that people do not maintain contingencies for this. How is this any reasonable? Is "rolling the dice on getting their systems infected" vs. "just getting their OS look different" really what you think people are looking to spice up their life with?
This is not a knock on the project or the community mind you, it's a knock on your idea of preferring to keep things yeeing and hawing. Something which I can assure you I'm growing equally if not more tired of than purportedly "having to be afraid". Especially given how I increasingly struggle to suspend my disbelief when people claim they're now being told all the time how they should "be afraid", and how they're now supposedly living in terror because of it, as the innocent victims they are. People blatantly mischaracterizing reasonable concerns as FUD over and over kinda does that to you. I think the trendy word for this is "performative"?
Between having to choose "not telling people about dangers so that those with an inability to properly self-regulate their anxiety don't go toast" and "always leading with the danger and safety information", maybe the way forward instead is having appropriate spaces for these? Cause I'd argue in that case, the extents the post you replied to went is pretty okay for this forum in my view. They know that arbitrary code is submitted, so they're wondering how malware is screened. Big deal.
That was intentional, because not only are you trapped and told exactly when and where to go by the obnoxious Cult Of Security, but every once in a while Windows Update and Windows Defender will come along and shiv you in the bathroom. Rev your system fans the moment you let your computer go “idle”, drain your battery in your bag, reboot out from under you, delete all your keygens and tell you it's for your benefit, and constantly hash your files and report your unique usage patterns to not only Microsoft but the NSA-weaponized Internet infrastructure between you and them. So-called security is inherently the panopticon just like prison.
> your idea of preferring to keep things yeeing and hawing
Hell yeah, at least my intent comes through. You may choose not to live free, but please respect that some of us do and are willing to have fun toys with community reputation :)
There's nothing on my Windows machine that could be leaked that hasn't already been leaked by Experian, AT&T, Snowflake, a million other breaches, probably lots of breaches we've never even heard about. My personal files back up to my mesh-VPNed NAS on a regular automated basis, and I enjoy a read+write Samba share and protection from cryptolockers simultaneously thanks to automated monthly/weekly/daily ZFS snapshots on my NAS. The yee-est of haws!
Huh? I am very open about what I like and why.
It's just an abusive relationship and eventually some of them break out of it.
i have a windows workstation because one CNC machine that we use needs it. only other reason i can see is gaming?
I have all 3 major OSs at home and, honestly, Windows 11 is stuff of nightmares to me
The "solutions" provided to me so far for my primary issue (using Ableton Suite DAW) has not worked. There is no practical solution that allows this software to function in a Linux environment successfully. I can open the app, but that's the extent of it. It's not usable.
> I so badly want to jump ship entirely, but there's several things holding me back. I do music production as a hobby and Ableton Live doesn't play nice with Linux. In fact it seems anything that is resource intensive without native linux support has some issues. I'm also an MS stack developer, so things like Visual Studio Pro aren't available (although I've been using Cursor IDE more and more these days). Lastly I have some games acquired through "the high seas" in which a work-around doesn't exist for compatibility.
> The responses I got were to switch to different software. No, no, and no. I paid a lot of money for Ableton Suite and poured many many hours into learning how to use it; it's the DAW I prefer to use, I don't want to switch.
> Having said this, I did try to dual boot recently with Linux Mint, and once again ran into headaches getting my Logitech mouse buttons to work.
And, no, Wine cannot run anything.
You see, I don't need OS at all, I need applications. Some of these applications are "universal" (FireFox, for example), some has good equivalents, and some are unique to OS.
And, no, DarkTable, or RAW Therappe are not equivalent to Lightroom or Capture One. And no, there is no equivalent to foobar2000 among music players.
Audacious with audacious-plugins could play anything (even video game music files) and it still has ProjectM plugins' support.
Also, it is not very good with broken tags, MP3 tags in local codepages (different for different albums!), etc.
You cannot imagine what can be seen in the wild when it is musical collection started in 1995!
Heck, I'm downloading mpd for windows right now and I'll try to add my collection into it. But I'm not holding my breath, all previous attempts to import my collection in any software failed for 15-20% of collection (different ones for different software).
On the other hand same client shows only 6391 files, which is waaaay to small number if 1 file = 1 track. Ok, there is a lot of image + CUE albums, I wonder, is it 2 files or one?
So it is useless, unfortunately. foobar2000 allows me add folder / file set to playlist and start listening. With system "Artist/Year - Album" on the file system it is easy and convenient. Tags could be broken, but all mys music is here and I always know where to look for what I want to listen now.
Wine may not be able to run the apps you need, but it can run plenty. The older the software gets the more wine becomes the only option to run it.
Don't get me wrong, I use Xubuntu on my crappy old devices, Ubuntu on my secondary mini-pc, and switch between them with KVM while working. I tried to make Linux work for everything but missing industry software made it difficult.
Despite its flaws Windows still remains a very capable workhorse general purpose OS, and with WSL dev is a non issue. Hell, having actual Linux is better than the macOS Frankenstein Unix and homrbrew
It makes me happy to see newer generations still doing the same stuff, granted its much more complex to do this work on Win11 vs XP.
Ugh, you'd think we'd be better by now.
I've had good success with Total Uninstall for this problem (with software in general). It does a diff of your registry and filesystem before/after installing an app, and after uninstall highlights lingering remnants. Over time you and it "learn" to filter out background changes unrelated to the install process.
But to be fair, I understand the demand for products like this, because of several painful feature takebacks between 10 -> 11. It would be nice if cleaner approaches like wholesale shell replacement were still as straightforward as they were prior to windows 8. The “immersive shell” infra running in explorer + the opaque nature of enumerating installed UWPs + a bunch of other things make that almost impossible today.
What makes you think they will be bothered to investigate other's people bugs, when they don't investigate even their own ?
So while I'd love to install this mod, it seems way too fraught with potential side-effects. But it looks like there might be some minor, safe mods to explore here.
Here's one gallingly dumb thing Windows does now that I wonder if you guys can recommend a fix to: If you hover over an application's icons in the taskbar, it pops up thumbnails of the app's open windows and forces you to choose ONE. WTF. I want to bring ALL of the application's windows to the front. It's incredible that clicking on the application's icon (instead of one thumbnail) doesn't do this. Instead, it does NOTHING. Is there a fix for this?
throwaway270925•2mo ago