I used windowblinds for a long time and though I would try winstep. It looks and works nice in till I go to my computer or my documents, or browse my files, it still has the stock windows look, that looks awful. is it supposed to be like that, with windowblinds it skinned everything and then I used icon packager to give windows a nice look. if I cant make my computer, my documents and file browsing look the same as the taskbar or start menu , then I really think winstep is a wast of time, it looks so dum, what junk software. I just dont get it. is this thing installed right, it cant look like this, what were they thinking, are they on drugs.

Well back to windowbind, because winstep still needs a few steps more to be as good as stardock software ,, stardocks not wasting ppls time with junk, winstep looks polish. I mean it really looks bad with firefox opened and the bottom taskbar is not the same color as top explorer bar. Just rename the software winpolish, and thanks winstep for wasting my time.

It would help if you knew what you were talking about ahead of time. Use Windowblinds WITH Winstep. Winstep has nothing to do with Windowblinds.

that makes no sense, you tell me how to do that and I will give it a shot. they both change the taskbar and start menu, I dont see them working together. I do like what winstep has to offer , if they would have only went a few steps further and skinned explorer, I would buy it.

It's not a simple step further, if it were the world would be filled with WindowBlinds wannabe's by now.

Anyway, WindowBlinds is only about cosmetic changes, while the skinning part of Winstep Xtreme is just the top of the iceberg. Where it really shines is in how flexible and powerful it is.

For instance, all WindowBlinds does is give the Startbar a new look. The Winstep Startbar, on the other hand, is much superior to the Windows startbar in terms of functionality: you can specify what shows up in there and what not, by what order, you can re-order tasks at will via drag & drop, you can specify icon sizes, quick launch items in the startbar are really hotspots so they can be used to pop up NextSTART menus, and I could go on and on.

You've only just scratched the surface. Stop looking at Winstep as just eye candy and you will soon find out its true power.

I do like what winstep has to offer, but I've been using theme and skinning apps since win98, and I like things to match, it just looks really goofy to have a kool looking desktop and the stock windows look when using explorer, If winstep would just skin explorer to look like the desktop, winstep would take over all other apps, but in till thats done it will never be as popular as windowblinds, just like beta tapes were not as popular as VHS tapes, beta tapes had more power with a better picture but VHS tapes gave you longer recording time and was cheaper to buy, so as I see it , in till winstep gets off there high horse about having more power then they will die just like beta tapes did with there better picture and high price. without even checking I bet there's more windowblind users then winstep users, and it will stay that way in till you do what I say or just fade away like a beta.

You say you've been using skinning applications since 1998... in that case, you should be more than familiar with Winstep applications, as Winstep Software Technologies started doing business in 1998 with NextSTART. That's nearly 10 years of existence, not bad, if I may say so.

Anyway, you keep on missing the point about Winstep Xtreme. Eye candy is just one of its many facets, and definitely not even the most important. Maybe you would get the point better if Winstep Xtreme was NOT skinnable.

Also, as other people pointed out, for each Winstep Xtreme theme there is usually a matching WindowBlinds theme, or some other WB theme that will work well with it. All you have to do is look for it. A lot of Winstep users who also like eye candy (and there is nothing wrong with it) usually use Winstep Xtreme in combination with WindowBlinds or StyleXP.

The thing is, Winstep Xtreme applications are powerful tools that do their job and do it extremelly well. Eye candy is secondary for us. Since you established the analogy of VHS vs. Beta, remember that Beta disappeared not because of the tapes but because you required different, expensive, players for each of the tape formats. With Winstep, there will ALWAYS be users out there who prefer quality and functionality over eye candy.

P.S. All this said, it's obvious I agree with you when you say that Winstep Xtreme would be much more popular if it also skinned Explorer windows and such. However, you seem to think that is a trivial thing to do, when it really is not. Even WindowBlinds still has problems in that respect, and Stardock have been constantly fine tuning it since 1998. The only other choice (for XP only, by the way) is StyleXP and all THAT does is to patch Microsoft's own skinning engine.

FWIW, I use both Windows Blinds and WsX togeather. Took a little getting used to but wasn't really all that bad.
What happens is you use WB to get the windows skinned the way you like em, incl icons and all the rest, except don't use object dock just WB and Icon packer. then fire up
WsX and it will ride over the top of the WB skinned task bar and provide it's moduls and docs for u, pick a complimenting skin for WsX to what your using for the base Wb stuff and you got both. Not to bad really.

Try it and enjoy !!!

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