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A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

github.com

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Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#31

Post by bryanrasmussen »

f0e4c2f7 wrote: post #5

Ha! What a delightful little project. Thanks for sharing. I can think of all kinds of fun stuff you could do with this. Reminds me of that fake windows update prank. We used to put it on people's screen and maximize it if they forgot to lock their pc. https://fakeupdate.net/

in about 2003 I messed with some folks at work with a similar trick, made a full screen fake IE that showed an error message - when they started to click anywhere on the chrome the whole thing started to fall apart - buttons falling off of the chrome etc.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#32

Post by foxpurple »

superasn wrote: post #28

What I love about these old designs is how obvious everything is. You just can't miss the button or the tabs. Now after all this skeuomorphic design revolution it's so hard to tell, is it a button, text, link etc. It probably looks better but it is at the cost of extra thinking for the user.

This is such a hacker news comment. Somehow a group of people supposedly good at using computers struggle to work out what a button is while the average user seems to have no problems.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#33

Post by tomerv »

cududa wrote: post #8

I’m sorry but this is not the 7 GUI. These all look like straight linear gradients with no breakpoints in how harsh they appear in this library. To the creator I’d suggest using photoshop or Figma to relocate the design elements, then translate the breakpoints to CSS to make the components more realistic. Great start though!

I think you're overly-critical. The CSS immediately gives the look & feel of using Windows 7. Maybe the gradients are not completely spot-on, but the other 95% of elements are great.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#34

Post by Isn0gud »

foxpurple wrote: post #32
superasn wrote: post #28

What I love about these old designs is how obvious everything is. You just can't miss the button or the tabs. Now after all this skeuomorphic design revolution it's so hard to tell, is it a button, text, link etc. It probably looks better but it is at the cost of extra thinking for the user.

This is such a hacker news comment. Somehow a group of people supposedly good at using computers struggle to work out what a button is while the average user seems to have no problems.

No the average user has the exact same problems.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#35

Post by mrighele »

foxpurple wrote: post #32
superasn wrote: post #28

What I love about these old designs is how obvious everything is. You just can't miss the button or the tabs. Now after all this skeuomorphic design revolution it's so hard to tell, is it a button, text, link etc. It probably looks better but it is at the cost of extra thinking for the user.

This is such a hacker news comment. Somehow a group of people supposedly good at using computers struggle to work out what a button is while the average user seems to have no problems.

The average user has the same problems, but doesn't realize it is a UI problem or even think that he could be more productive. When he does he probably thinks that he is too stupid to use a computer.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#36

Post by hnlmorg »

code_duck wrote: post #29
causality0 wrote: post #2

I'm beginning to have the feeling Windows 7 is the last Microsoft OS I'll ever feel good about installing.

I recall distrusting XP when it was new.

Ditto here. Windows 2000 was fast, functional and stable. When XP was new, ie before SP2, it was literally just a reskinned version of 2000 but with a few patches (some for better game compatibility, some for fast font loading, etc). But for the most part XP was just bloated. It had twice the hardware specification of 2000.

XP did later evolve into something distinct in its own right but it took a few service packs to get there. However by that point I had already switched to Linux.

Personally I never got the appeal of Windows 7's theme either. I guess it's just what one grows up with. I grew up in an era where GUIs were maximized for low resolution displays and Windows 7's theme, much like XP's, wasted so much screen estate in comparison. This is less of an issue these days with high DPI screens. But old preferences die hard.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#37

Post by bluecatswim »

foxpurple wrote: post #32
superasn wrote: post #28

What I love about these old designs is how obvious everything is. You just can't miss the button or the tabs. Now after all this skeuomorphic design revolution it's so hard to tell, is it a button, text, link etc. It probably looks better but it is at the cost of extra thinking for the user.

This is such a hacker news comment. Somehow a group of people supposedly good at using computers struggle to work out what a button is while the average user seems to have no problems.

The real hacker news-ish comments are the ones like yours posting cheap "gotchas" and pointing out hypocrisies where there are none every time someone says something similiar.

An engineer sees structural problems with buildings and bridges where people who use them everyday don't. An english major can see a problem with the language used in a newspaper where thousands of other readers don't. There is nothing unusual about this.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#38

Post by hnlmorg »

antisthenes wrote: post #27
oefrha wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say your problem is you haven’t used XP enough to hate it.

There wasn't much to hate about SP3 Windows XP. It was a solid OS, limited mostly by lack of mainstream 64-bit version and hard capped at DirectX 9.0, meaning modern games no longer worked. Later on, lack of TRIM support for SSDs. Basically between SP3 release in 2008 and XP's end of support in 2014, you could have used a very stable OS if you didn't need to play the latest games or run the absolute latest hardware.

SP3 was pretty late in XP's life. Many of us remember the struggle with earlier versions of XP and longing for the good old days of Windows 2000.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#39

Post by rajamaka »

foxpurple wrote: post #32
superasn wrote: post #28

What I love about these old designs is how obvious everything is. You just can't miss the button or the tabs. Now after all this skeuomorphic design revolution it's so hard to tell, is it a button, text, link etc. It probably looks better but it is at the cost of extra thinking for the user.

This is such a hacker news comment. Somehow a group of people supposedly good at using computers struggle to work out what a button is while the average user seems to have no problems.

I imagine the average HN lurker spends less or equal time clicking around on their OS GUI than any other average person.

Personally I can automate the provisioning, configuration and management of hundreds of servers, but still often have my partner show me how to personalize and customize my own desktop.

Re: A CSS framework to recreate Windows 7 GUI

#40

Post by onli »

mrighele wrote: post #35
foxpurple wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is such a hacker news comment. Somehow a group of people supposedly good at using computers struggle to work out what a button is while the average user seems to have no problems.

The average user has the same problems, but doesn't realize it is a UI problem or even think that he could be more productive. When he does he probably thinks that he is too stupid to use a computer.

Which is by the way one main point in "The Design of Everyday Things" by Norman, the book being one core pillar of the usability field.
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