Re: Changes I've been thinking of...

[Robert J. Slover]

On Oct 10, 2009, at 18:51, Riccardo Mottola <multix@ngi.it> wrote:

> But guess what? In my opinion Microsoft really copied the NeXT look  
> and adapted it to the Windows 3.1 style. I can tell you since I  
> develop the WinClassic theme. SOmetimes i have difficulties  
> recognizing if I themend an Item or not or int he images folder the  
> images really look close together.

Not just opinion, but history. I recall listening to or reading an  
interview with someone (Gates, probably) about their upcoming OS back  
in the early '90s. IIRC correctly it was called Cairo or Chicago or  
something at the time. The interviewee was stating that they were  
taking their success in the Apple Look & Feel fiasco as a green light  
to adopt good ideas from elsewhere. As a consequence, the interface  
would be much more Mac-like, and would also borrow heavily from others  
such as OpenStep, Motif, and OS/2. I was looking forward to it.  I  
recall concluding, once I saw the interface, that they borrowed most  
heavily from OpenStep and HP NewWave (an alternative shell for Windows  
3.1), with more flattened controls. I think some of the icons (window  
controls?) were near pixel replicas of their NeXT counterparts.  
Usability and consistency gained little, however.

CDE also ended up with a lot of HP NewWave mixed in, particularly the  
"dashboard" at the bottom of the screen.