Is the UI for Windows 7 onwards ugly on the eyes or just me?

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  1. Posts : 49
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
       #1

    Is the UI for Windows 7 onwards ugly on the eyes or just me?


    I actually like Windows 7/8/10 as an OS, but sometimes I don't like the look of the user interface. At least Vista still had the old-style taskbar. I guess the matte style in Windows 8 is slightly better than Windows 7 (the aero glass colors and the oversized bottom bar don't really go together; it looks better in Windows 8/10). Windows 10 UI doesn't look like the Windows I'm used to seeing at all. Besides, my computer sucks with Windows 10. It's a very low-end mini desktop from the refurbished bin going at over $300 or something. Also, the 2GB RAM size is unacceptable.

    Even though I say that the UI turned ugly since Windows 7, I give Windows 8 credit for changing the glass interface.
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  2. Posts : 2,497
    Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
       #2

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

    Pick any OS ever produced and there will be people that hated the UI. And there will be people that loved it. It is impossible to design a UI that everybody will like.
    Many people love the UI of Windows 7, others do not.
    I happen to like the UI of Windows 7.
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  3. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #3

    I feel Win 7 was the last attractive MSpy OS and it is the last one to have so many options for how to personalize it without using third party programs.

    Btw, the transparency of Aeroglass can be turned off. I also feel it is ugly and it does use up a lot of resources. The height of the task bar can also be adjusted. I have the transparency of AeroGlass turned off and the width of the taskbar (I moved mine to the right side of the screen instead of the bottom) adjusted to allow up to three small icons across side by side (task bar height, or width, depending on where it is, can be adjust down to approximately 2.5 icons). The task bar can also be locked in place (my personal preference) or allow it to hide itself until the mouse pointer is within a few pixels of the edge where it is located. Another advantage of of Win 7 is the Quick Launch Menu can be brought back with an easy hack (there is a tutorial here on Seven Forums on how to do it).
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  4. Posts : 20,583
    Win-7-Pro64bit 7-H-Prem-64bit
       #4

    Hi
    Yep aero glass is hit and miss but a hit in my eyes :)

    In 7 all one needs to do is change the desktop theme to anything other than a aero theme and select something else,
    Classic theme would solve most that don't get into aero stuff on low power/ low memory systems it would be best any way.
    Theme - Change or Save
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  5. Posts : 16
    Windows 8.1 x64 Pro and Linux Mint Cinnamon 18.3 (dual boot)
       #5

    Windidugo, you can change the oversize task bar really easily. Just right click it, select properties, and check "use small icons."

    If you want to go back to the old-style taskbar buttons, you can change the options in the dropdown there too, and as Lady Fitzgerald mentioned, you can add the quick launch bar back easily too.

    You can do a lot to make 7 look like older versions, and that's one of its best features versus the newer versions. I am of the opinion that the UI of Windows reached its zenith aesthetically in Windows 2000 (basically the same as it had been since 95). Fortunately, XP could be de-Luna'd and made to look Classic really easily, and so can Vista and 7 if (as has already been mentioned) if you use the Classic Theme.

    I use Win 7 x64 with Classic Shell (start menu and Windows Explorer) and a self-modified version of Saarineames' Classic AE theme (mostly to change the background from white to light grey). Classic AE allows you to have the Classic appearance while still having all of the Aero features.

    The only Aero feature I really care for is the use of dwm.exe for desktop composition. I had tons of tearing in videos and when scrolling in Google maps and many other things in the browser, but I can't set vsync on in regular Classic for non-native directX programs. It's on automatically in "Aero" (composited) themes, even those like Classic AE that don't have any transparency.

    I have the Aero peek taskbar previews turned off (sort of; the hacks for this never worked, but I set the delay to be several days, so it is effectively disabled) and the XP style "coolswitch" re-enabled for alt-tab. I would be okay with the alt-tab previews if it didn't change the order from the coolswitch version.

    Every new Windows version has required more and more work to make it look the way I demand, but as long as I can get it there, I am happy. I've never used 8, but I did try 10 after it had been out for about a month, and at that point, I was not able to make even close to how I require... and since I don't want any of Windows 10's "features" (well, DX12 would be nice), I went back.

    I really wish the UI and kernel parts of the OS were developed separately. I do like some of 7's changes over XP (the preview pane, for one), but I could be happy with the de-Luna'd XP interface forever if the nuts and bolts were updated.
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  6. Posts : 166
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #6

    I have the Windows 7 UI totally tweaked to my preferences, and to me, it's the best UI there is. I've tried just about everything over the years (many years, like since 1978). Apple's vaunted design excellence I find to be cartoonish and counterproductive. I've tried all the Linux UI's, and some of them are OK. But Win7 is the best as far as I am concerned. Win 8+ I don't care for so much, but Win10 can be made at least usable, if not attractive.

    Yes, beauty surely is in the eye of the beholder ;-)
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  7. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #7

    I don't like the looks of any UI from Windows 8 or Windows 10 but I will get over it. Windows 7 has the ability to make the changes that I care to change in it's UI.
    I still use a solid black Desktop with a few icons. I spend so little time on the Desktop I don't know why a pretty picture would be of any use.
    I do like the ability to change fonts so they are easy to read. More adjustability in that area would be helpful without a 3rd party program.
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  8. Posts : 231
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #8

    Coming from 19 years on a Mac I find Windows 7's UI suits me. I prefer the elegant (a recent post mentioned cartoonish) appearance of the Mac's UI but Windows 7 gives me most of the functionality of the Mac and is easy to move around in. Two functionalities I miss: the Mac's easier file handling (especially its greater use of drag-and-drop); and its extra desktops (as many as you want) which can slide sideways into or out of view, a huge help for reducing clutter, better than Window's minimise. But I am happy. It works. It seems that the days of ten years ago or so, when (at least from the Mac viewpoint) Windows was buggy, are long gone.
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  9. Posts : 4,049
    W7 Ultimate SP1, LM19.2 MATE, W10 Home 1703, W10 Pro 1703 VM, #All 64 bit
       #9

    Try VirtuaWin + KvasdoPager


    Stevekir said:
    Two functionalities I miss: the Mac's easier file handling (especially its greater use of drag-and-drop); ...
    After using Windows for every other subject, TAFE made us use Macs for the last couple of subjects in the Web Design diploma (without any training).
    It was an awful experience.

    Easier file handling?
    Greater use of Drag & Drop?
    Can you elaborate?

    Stevekir said:
    ... and its extra desktops (as many as you want) which can slide sideways into or out of view, a huge help for reducing clutter, better than Window's minimise.
    There are various virtual desktop programs available for Windows.
    ATI and NVidia graphics drivers can also be set up to create virtual desktops.

    I use "VirtuaWin + KvasdoPager" to create virtual desktops in W7.
    The picture below shows my 4 virtual desktops setup.
    Is the UI for Windows 7 onwards ugly on the eyes or just me?-virtuawin-kvasdopager.png
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  10. Posts : 231
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #10

    lehnerus2000 said:
    Stevekir said:
    Two functionalities I miss: the Mac's easier file handling (especially its greater use of drag-and-drop); ...
    After using Windows for every other subject, TAFE made us use Macs for the last couple of subjects in the Web Design diploma (without any training).
    It was an awful experience.

    Easier file handling?
    Greater use of Drag & Drop?
    Can you elaborate?

    Stevekir said:
    ... and its extra desktops (as many as you want) which can slide sideways into or out of view, a huge help for reducing clutter, better than Window's minimise.
    There are various virtual desktop programs available for Windows.
    ATI and NVidia graphics drivers can also be set up to create virtual desktops.

    I use "VirtuaWin + KvasdoPager" to create virtual desktops in W7.
    The picture below shows my 4 virtual desktops setup.
    Is the UI for Windows 7 onwards ugly on the eyes or just me?-virtuawin-kvasdopager.png
    I also found Windows "an awful experience" at first.

    Drag and drop: If the destination window for a file about to be saved is open on the desktop, with the save D. box active, click on that destination window and its file path is entered automatically into the save D. box, evn if that destination window is deeply burried in a file hiearchy. With Windows, I have normally to save the file to the desktop then drag it onto the destination window (if it is open) and if not open, save to the desktop and hunt for the window, or do File Save As and pick my way down to that window.

    Also, if you have an image file on the desktop or buried deep in a file hierarchy, just drag it to Photoshop's icon on the equivalent of the Taskbar and Photoshop will open and display the file in one go. In Windows I have to open Photoshop first, open a blank window in it and then drag the image on to it, and if the size of the Photoshop window is too small or too big, I have to use the Crop tool to enlarge it or make it smaller, (unless I have not discovered a one-step way in Windows). I'm a bit hazy now, but there were other examples.

    These features saved me time on the Mac, but as I said, Windows has mainly the same functionality as the Mac.

    That's good news about virtual windows. Your image seems just to list several (what I interpret as the) names of windows. Do Windows desktops slide completely away (complete with a set of windows, files, programs etc. all still open) and become completely replaced with a new desktop, complete with other files, windows, programs etc. all previously opened and ready for immediate use etc., and then back to the earlier desktop with its windows, files, programs etc. still open for immediate use? And can a file or folder etc. living on one virtual window be dragged and dropped to anothe virtual window without revealing those windows? If so, that's great news. I will investigate.

    EDIT: I have just noticed Desktops v2.0 from MIcrosoft’s Windows Sysinternals site. Any view on that?
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