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What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
71–80 of 162 posts
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#72For those interested, here's the actual code Chen talks about: https://github.com/tongzx/nt5src/blob/daad8a087a4e75422ec96b...
Didn't know that NT5 source is available for the public. Why Microsoft does not ban/delete it on GitHub?
They are usually deleted, maybe this one hasn't got popular enough yet.
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#73For those interested, here's the actual code Chen talks about: https://github.com/tongzx/nt5src/blob/daad8a087a4e75422ec96b...
Didn't know that NT5 source is available for the public. Why Microsoft does not ban/delete it on GitHub?
It'll pop up elsewhere so might as well keep it online on their servers. And it's an old version of the OS anyway.
If it were the Windows 11 source, it'd get nuked immediately
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#74Why doesn't it return on the first match?
exactly. There is something wrong with the code snippet.
No there is not. First element is defacto winner, but you still have to loop through the rest with 1/n chance of being selected to fully give each element a chance of winner selection
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#75I'm disappointed that it is not influenced by the username ... "You sound like a skateboard kinda person"
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#76Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#77Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
XP is Microsoft's prettiest OS by far.
That's a matter of taste, but for many it was the Windows they used first and/or spend the most time on and there's a lot of love for that reason alone. I never used XP all that much, but I always changed the theme to the Windows 2000 look. I really didn't like the default, it looked unprofessional and clunky in my eyes. Upon release XP was also pretty universally mocked as a Fisher Price-like UI. To me Windows 95/NT…
Of course that's a matter of taste but Luna interface/theme made whole XP being more appealing to ordinary people - especially with these task-oriented elements. On the other hand, "classic" widgets had that strong bare-bone technical and functional look that made whole system scarier to some degree.
I had tons of "Visual Styles" back then and in the last XP days I opted for grayish Royal or Royale. It's such shame that MS has abandoned Watercolor theme - that was a middle ground: interface was updated and yet, still similar to classic design. And it was even in some elements flat before that style become a dominant. Luckily we're slowly moving away from that and I won't be missing it.
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Didn't know that NT5 source is available for the public. Why Microsoft does not ban/delete it on GitHub?
They are usually deleted, maybe this one hasn't got popular enough yet.
It's been around for six years; at this point, I imagine any damage it could have done has been done already.
Re: What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
#80Honestly,
I don't understand Microsoft. These guys solve the most mundane problems with most elegant solutions and with sound edge-case handling scenarios, then they destroy all the effort with subpar programming where it matters and with user hostile behavior where they can't botch it.