WindowBlinds for Windows 8

WindowBlinds 8 is currently under development and I would expect to see it appear next quarter.

DeskScapes 4 is currently under development and I would hope to see a beta this month.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I use Windows 8 also. I am looking forward to Windowblinds 8, and Deskscapes 4!

Successfully updated karma reason!

benmanns

Join Date 12/2005

+93

Quoting Neil Banfield,

reply 1

WindowBlinds 8 is currently under development and I would expect to see it appear next quarter.

That early ?

Successfully updated karma reason!

Like many others I too eagerly await a Windows 8 version of WindowBlinds. Ive used the trial versions many times in the past and love it. I never purchased a copy simply because it was a fun app and not really a requirenment. However to my dismay (a long time windows user) I discovered That windows 8 makes this program a MUST HAVE. With aero being all but shown the door this is simply the ugliest version of windows since MS was wearing diapers. My main concern now is versioning on this new, well version? Will this be a 7.4 or a whole new major update to 8.0. The latter makes sense to me Windows 8 WindowBlinds 8 I just dont want to buy 7.4 and then pay an additional upgrade fee when 8.0 comes out.

Great work btw and let me reitterate WindowBlinds is as required for Win8 as its kernel is.

<edit>

Nevermind. I have no idea how I missed Neil saying WindowBlinds 8 lol sorry. Guess Ill wait a little longer.

Successfully updated karma reason!

vStyler

Join Date 11/2004

+919

Quoting Neil Banfield,

reply 1

WindowBlinds 8 is currently under development and I would expect to see it appear next quarter.

Neil.. will it work roughly as it does in 7, if not, what will the major differences be..?

Merry Christmas

Successfully updated karma reason!

Im waiting and longing for WindowBlinds8 as well for my Windows 8 Pro x64 since it really is needed for win8. I can't live without it on my Xp machine.

One of the best software ever made Hope it comes soon!

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Neil Banfield,

reply 1

WindowBlinds 8 is currently under development and I would expect to see it appear next quarter.

DeskScapes 4 is currently under development and I would hope to see a beta this month.

How about beta version release for those of us with Object Desktop subscription, when will that be available?

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Tanjo3000,

reply 8

Quoting Neil Banfield, reply 1WindowBlinds 8 is currently under development and I would expect to see it appear next quarter.

DeskScapes 4 is currently under development and I would hope to see a beta this month.

How about beta version release for those of us with Object Desktop subscription, when will that be available?

I am talking about the betas.

Successfully updated karma reason!

It just seems to me that by the time my subscription runs out I will not have a full set of Object Desktop software that I can use on Windows 8. Where is the insentive to renew a subscription when half the programs do not work?

It seems I will have to buy another PC with Windows 7 on it just to be able to use the software I have paid for!

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Tanjo3000,

reply 10

It just seems to me that by the time my subscription runs out I will not have a full set of Object Desktop software that I can use on Windows 8. Where is the insentive to renew a subscription when half the programs do not work?

It seems I will have to buy another PC with Windows 7 on it just to be able to use the software I have paid for!

I assume when you purchased your subscription the current operating system was Windows 7. The software you purchased continues to work on that platform and over time we are adding in support where required for Windows 8.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Hi,

I see that WindowBlinds is for better prize now. I have windows 8. If I buy it now, will it be possible to go to version 8 for free or it will be payed update?

thank you

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Neil Banfield,

reply 11

I assume when you purchased your subscription the current operating system was Windows 7. The software you purchased continues to work on that platform and over time we are adding in support where required for Windows 8.

Yes, I DID have Windows 7, but now have Windows 8. That is what upgrading is about, moving on, no longer using a version of software or OS.

Quoting Krustak,

reply 12

Hi,

I see that WindowBlinds is for better prize now. I have windows 8. If I buy it now, will it be possible to go to version 8 for free or it will be payed update?

thank you

WindowBlinds 7.4 does not run in Windows 8 so I would have to suggest you wait for WindowBlinds 8 to be released before buying WindowBlinds. Without Object Desktop you would have to pay for the upgrade.

I have been a supporter of Stardock for many years now recommending it to many people. I had a period when I could not afford to pay for the software updates but as soon as I was able I started paying again as it was well worth the money. Now I am starting to get doubts along with many others.

Successfully updated karma reason!

benmanns

Join Date 12/2005

+93

I dont think you have to doubt anything... we already seen a screenshot with a tiny preview of windowblinds running on windows8, sadly we still have to wait im also kinda upset about it, simply because i upgraded my subscription but that was my own fault since i made the choice to switch to windows8 early - was it worth it ?- absolutely! but sadly now i cant use windowblinds but there is start8 decor8 and iconpackager already supported.
The only thing i dont understand is the schedule of DS4 before windowblinds8...

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Roloccolor,

reply 13

The only thing i dont understand is the schedule of DS4 before windowblinds8...

I would imagine getting animated wallpapers to run on Win8 is far easier than replacing the entire shell.......but I could be wrong.

Successfully updated karma reason!

benmanns

Join Date 12/2005

+93

Quoting Wizard1956,

reply 14

I would imagine getting animated wallpapers to run on Win8 is far easier than replacing the entire shell.......but I could be wrong.

good point

Successfully updated karma reason!

TomRichter

Join Date 06/2008

+99

Quoting Roloccolor,

reply 15

Quoting Wizard1956, reply 14
I would imagine getting animated wallpapers to run on Win8 is far easier than replacing the entire shell.......but I could be wrong.
good point

Yes, Wiz is right. I understand that everybody having win8 is shivering like a leaf when WB8 are ready. But it definitely needs a time

to have all working properly. We - wb skinners - are waiting on how good or bad its gonna be.

A PATIENCE IS THE BEST WAY

+1

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Neil Banfield,

reply 11

I assume when you purchased your subscription the current operating system was Windows 7. The software you purchased continues to work on that platform and over time we are adding in support where required for Windows 8.

Can I suspend my subscription till the time you actually support Windows 8 with Windows Blinds? I have not been able to use 95% (Only Start 8 & Fences) of the features since I upgraded to Windows 8 in October. By the time you get around to releasing one with my experience in your development cycles I will have lost 6-8 months of the use of it.

Successfully updated karma reason!

ZubaZ

Join Date 11/2001

+917

Currently Start8, Decor8, Fences 2, Tiles, IconPackager, IconDeveloper ,and WindowFX 5 are designed to work with Windows 8.

WindowBlinds and DeskScapes should be ready in early 2013.
Other applications may or may not work. At this time though, they are not supported.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Is there an update on this time estimate?

Successfully updated karma reason!

It has been a long wait for windowblinds 8

Successfully updated karma reason!

Our original statement of this quarter still stands right now.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I can't be the only one who bought Windowblinds without any warning that it wouldn't work in Win8. Win8 final has been out for some time now. The excuse that Stardock couldn't develop a Win8 version until Win8 was finalised is unbelievable nonsense. The guts of Win8 were all there in the beta and the removal of Aero for example was anticipated and could be built into the WB development plan. In fact Aero is still there and there are many free utilites to make it available to users. These appeared within days of the RTM release. Someone was on the ball!

It is a marketing disaster for Stardock and has alienated a huge number of previously loyal customers. The way it has been handled is abysmal and a PR shot in the foot.

I hope that when the Win8 version is finally ready, all those of us with a Win7 version of Windowblinds who upgraded to Win8 shortly after purchase will be given a substantial discount for the new version. To not do so could well sound the death knell of Stardock.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting brian40,

reply 24

I can't be the only one who bought Windowblinds without any warning that it wouldn't work in Win8. Win8 final has been out for some time now. The excuse that Stardock couldn't develop a Win8 version until Win8 was finalised is unbelievable nonsense. The guts of Win8 were all there in the beta and the removal of Aero for example was anticipated and could be built into the WB development plan. In fact Aero is still there and there are many free utilites to make it available to users. These appeared within days of the RTM release. Someone was on the ball!

It is a marketing disaster for Stardock and has alienated a huge number of previously loyal customers. The way it has been handled is abysmal and a PR shot in the foot.

I hope that when the Win8 version is finally ready, all those of us with a Win7 version of Windowblinds who upgraded to Win8 shortly after purchase will be given a substantial discount for the new version. To not do so could well sound the death knell of Stardock.

WindowBlinds 7 was developed for and advertised to work on Windows XP, Vista and 7 and it continues to this day to do so. We have never made any promises that it would work on Windows 8.

Development time has to be allocated where it does most good and unfortunately the changes in Windows 8 mean that the time required to do the update was longer than the time available due to the large under the skin changes, so WindowBlinds 8 was pushed into this quarter. Would I like it to have been ready earlier, sure, but thats life. WindowBlinds is a very complicated bit of software, it isn't like it changes a few registry keys and patches some images on disk.

Our policy on upgrades has always been that sales with X days of the next version will get the upgrade for free and sales outside that period get a discounted version. Therefore when WindowBlinds 8 is released this will be looked at and a decision made as to who gets a free upgrade and who does not. In the past the maximum upgrade cost has been about 50% of the price of the new version so either free or 50% off is a substantial discount.

We are of course happy that you like the software so much that you are desperate to have a version that works on Windows 8 and you can be sure that we too would like to release it as soon as possible.

Now that we have the next version for DeskScapes ready for beta we will be allocating more resources over to WindowBlinds 8.

+1

Successfully updated karma reason!

I'll back what Neil is saying here. WB is not an easy port. Besides the UI being seperate from the kernal (MinWin) withh the removal of Aero Glass M$ essentially broke DWM. Thism is why even the hack to put it back has issues. We out here in no way see the amount of work required.

Also untill the RTM was out and available no one knew the steps in removing Areo Glass or that the DWM would be broken. It is kind of like asking Window blinds to work with Vista and areo Glass before Areo glass was even available in beta form. You just can't work on code you do not have!

Successfully updated karma reason!