I agree that making skins for WB4 will eventually have to come to an end, preferably sooner rather than later.  What happens two years from now when MS releases Windows8 ?  Will skinnners have to make skins for four different OS's?   I think not. 

However, I do see (possibly a desperate) need for skins that WB7 users can use right away, and I think that the fastest way to do that is to update the best of the older skins. Since those skins already include support for WB4 - WB5 and a smaller but signficant fraction WB6, that I think is where our efforts should initially start. Once we have a good selection of updated skins, then, by all means, move on and make skins for Vista and Windows7 only.  Personally, I can't see how we can get to that stage in under a year.  Some especially good skinners dominate my current collection. and updating all of those seems to me would be a herculean task.

Edit:  To Stardock....  I really enjoyed many of the demo skins that came with earlier versions of WB.  That might be a good place to start. 

Trying something new, afterall, ay?

Indeed... now some of them have another OS to copy/rip

Yesh. I suppose we'll be seeing endless W7 clones.

Don't get me started on this subject, I just end up seeing red

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I've been slowly updating some of my skins for Vista, but I think I'm going to stop. I also think Vista is going to go the way of the Dodo bird rather quickly once the final version of Win7 comes out. So I don't see any point in updated something for an already half-dead OS.

 

This in mind, if I do get into blinds, I will probably just skin Vista and Seven. I hear that XP is a Vitch and I am currently having trouble getting it installed anyway.

Well as I see there seems to be a few individuals who are against the cloning of windows 7 which is really surprising to me. As Microsoft is actually encouraging people to make Visual Styles of Windows 7 for personal use and for upload. Mabe I am wrong but I think if someone actually takes the time to make a windowblind theme and go that extra mile maybe they should be embraced instead of critifized. AFter all, its very easy to make the Visual Styles. Microsoft even has a How-To for anyone who wants tor try....

I've already tried to do this... As a result my IE8 has been totally reskinned without using of SKS and WB and looks very great. And now I nearly found the way to make this with another parts of OS...

This work takes a bit more time. However the modifying of files like *.msstyles, shell32.dll, imageres.dll, etc... will allow me not only reskin the window borders and taskbar but to change the style of any applications and icons. And no any problems with bugs and OS compatibility...