WindowBlinds 5.5 has gone into final release candidate mode.  WindowBlinds is the program that enables users to change the look and feel of the Windows GUI to whatever they'd like. Version 5.5 adds support for Windows Vista. This week, Stardock plans to release WindowBlinds 5.5 officially to Object Desktop users and registered users of WindowBlinds.

Making WindowBlinds work on Windows Vista was non-trivial. There were two challenges Stardock had to make WindowBlinds work on Vista. 

The first challenge Stardock has faced with running WindowBlinds on Windows Vista is the most obvious -- there are over 5,000 skins already made for WindowBlinds. Since Windows Vista has a lot of new user interface parts, Stardock had to find a way to take skins designed for Windows XP and make them look native to Windows Vista.  The result was a new technology called SmartSkinning(tm) which automatically converts pieces of a skin to be used on new controls.

The second challenge is making use of the new Desktop Window Manager (DWM) on Vista.  Rather than simply "port" WindowBlinds onto Windows Vista, Stardock wanted to make sure that WindowBlinds made use of the new 3D accelerated desktop that Windows Vista users have.  The result is that WindowBlinds 5.5 isn't just faster on Windows Vista (due to making use of some off-screen caching that Aero doesn't make use of) than Aero, it uses much less power. In a recent internal test involving Dell and Lenova laptops, a machine running WindowBlinds gained an extra 42 minutes in battery life over the one running Aero. 

Along with working on WindowBlinds, Stardock has a new version of SkinStudio in development that makes it easier to create Windows Vista specific skins. A shareware version of WindowBlinds 5.5 will be made available later this month.