Will Microsoft Unlock NTFS and Themes in Vista

Actually, the API that is the interface to writing Themes is totally
undocumented - but a 'code license' is sold to third parties for quite
substantial amounts of money - perhaps for good reason. But I agree, there
are no good reasons for putting the things you mention inside the Display
Applet, this practice is certainly disappointing.

As for the floppy, I really don't see why anyone would seriously consider
making system housekeeping on a modern computer from a floppy - but, again
you are right. The NTFS filesystem too is totally undocumented, and again a
'code license' is sold to third parties, so you can see there is hardly any
impetus for Microsoft to put (for example) a decent Defragmentation tool
inside the OS, when third parties provide them with good money to do it for
them.

We have all heard the story - NTFS will not fragment easily. In actual fact,
the filesystem is extremely happy to fragment but it is not heavily burdend
by fragmentation, so instead of putting many 'ManHours' into developing a
tool to handle the issue, one that most users will not see any great benefit
from using, it sells off the rights to outsiders.

I do not believe this policy will ever change. Let's hope that they stop
advertising the 'plus' packages as free, unless they actually make them
free.

Tony. . .


"Gospel" <from@to.now> wrote in message
news:eY7CKP0UGHA.4452@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

> Windows XP was supposed to enable easy skinning. Heck, I think there's
> still
> a bogus link in the Display applet, only instead of more themes it takes
> you
> to a software package for sale - which although promises new "themes"
> actually uses the old ones only with new wallpaper. Anyway, it was
> supposed
> to the Horn of Plentius Themes but as it turns out one had to either hack
> a
> DLL or pay for third party software. Disappointing. A sort of a defacto
> broken promise .. if not in actuality, in spirit at least.
>
> Another thing, Microsoft let third party companies sew up NTFS. Instead of
> providing a floppy disk that could read the drives on the computer, all's
> the one that one can create with XP can do is read FAT/FAT32. Again one is
> forced to shell out to 3rd party companies who have it sewn up if one
> wants
> to read and write ones NTFS formatted drives from the floppy..
>
> Now with Vista, Microsoft has a chance to make good on a broken promises,
> and fix a glaring ommision. Will Vista be skinnable? Or will the DLL be
> broke [again] and the whole thing be sewn up by the profiteers? And will
> the
> floppy one creates with Vista be able to read and write NTFS as it should
> [especially so since NTFS will be the drive format for Vista]?
>
>

There is documentation on themes here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en...asp?frame=true

and there is documentation on NTFS here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en...asp?frame=true


steve

"Tony Sperling" <tony.sperling@dbREMOVEmail.dk> wrote in message
news:O6VGxu4UGHA.4952@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

> Actually, the API that is the interface to writing Themes is totally
> undocumented - but a 'code license' is sold to third parties for quite
> substantial amounts of money - perhaps for good reason. But I agree, there
> are no good reasons for putting the things you mention inside the Display
> Applet, this practice is certainly disappointing.
>
> As for the floppy, I really don't see why anyone would seriously consider
> making system housekeeping on a modern computer from a floppy - but, again
> you are right. The NTFS filesystem too is totally undocumented, and again
> a 'code license' is sold to third parties, so you can see there is hardly
> any impetus for Microsoft to put (for example) a decent Defragmentation
> tool inside the OS, when third parties provide them with good money to do
> it for them.
>
> We have all heard the story - NTFS will not fragment easily. In actual
> fact, the filesystem is extremely happy to fragment but it is not heavily
> burdend by fragmentation, so instead of putting many 'ManHours' into
> developing a tool to handle the issue, one that most users will not see
> any great benefit from using, it sells off the rights to outsiders.
>
> I do not believe this policy will ever change. Let's hope that they stop
> advertising the 'plus' packages as free, unless they actually make them
> free.
>
> Tony. . .
>
>
> "Gospel" <from@to.now> wrote in message
> news:eY7CKP0UGHA.4452@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

>> Windows XP was supposed to enable easy skinning. Heck, I think there's
>> still
>> a bogus link in the Display applet, only instead of more themes it takes
>> you
>> to a software package for sale - which although promises new "themes"
>> actually uses the old ones only with new wallpaper. Anyway, it was
>> supposed
>> to the Horn of Plentius Themes but as it turns out one had to either hack
>> a
>> DLL or pay for third party software. Disappointing. A sort of a defacto
>> broken promise .. if not in actuality, in spirit at least.
>>
>> Another thing, Microsoft let third party companies sew up NTFS. Instead
>> of
>> providing a floppy disk that could read the drives on the computer, all's
>> the one that one can create with XP can do is read FAT/FAT32. Again one
>> is
>> forced to shell out to 3rd party companies who have it sewn up if one
>> wants
>> to read and write ones NTFS formatted drives from the floppy..
>>
>> Now with Vista, Microsoft has a chance to make good on a broken promises,
>> and fix a glaring ommision. Will Vista be skinnable? Or will the DLL be
>> broke [again] and the whole thing be sewn up by the profiteers? And will
>> the
>> floppy one creates with Vista be able to read and write NTFS as it should
>> [especially so since NTFS will be the drive format for Vista]?
>>
>>

>
>

On the Themes issue, it would seem I stand corrected - I looked on that link
but I haven't given it any closer study. It does look pretty complete, I
grant you.

As for NTFS, that is no documentation of the filesystem, or of the API and
the technology behind it - mind you, the information is there, just not from
Microsoft and developing your own housekeeping programs from them would
require years of experimentation and any result would probably be termed as
'reverse engineering' and you would be sued by the 'Devil and his Grandma'
for the effort.

But thanks, Steve. I appreciate the info on those themes. And I also
appreciate being grabbed by the ear when the need arises.


Tony. . .

"Steve Cochran" <scochran@oehelp.com> wrote in message
news:7B362708-D716-4C01-B382-23B5FB558152@microsoft.com...

> There is documentation on themes here:
>
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en...asp?frame=true
>
> and there is documentation on NTFS here:
>
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en...asp?frame=true
>
>
> steve
>
> "Tony Sperling" <tony.sperling@dbREMOVEmail.dk> wrote in message
> news:O6VGxu4UGHA.4952@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

>> Actually, the API that is the interface to writing Themes is totally
>> undocumented - but a 'code license' is sold to third parties for quite
>> substantial amounts of money - perhaps for good reason. But I agree,
>> there are no good reasons for putting the things you mention inside the
>> Display Applet, this practice is certainly disappointing.
>>
>> As for the floppy, I really don't see why anyone would seriously consider
>> making system housekeeping on a modern computer from a floppy - but,
>> again you are right. The NTFS filesystem too is totally undocumented, and
>> again a 'code license' is sold to third parties, so you can see there is
>> hardly any impetus for Microsoft to put (for example) a decent
>> Defragmentation tool inside the OS, when third parties provide them with
>> good money to do it for them.
>>
>> We have all heard the story - NTFS will not fragment easily. In actual
>> fact, the filesystem is extremely happy to fragment but it is not heavily
>> burdend by fragmentation, so instead of putting many 'ManHours' into
>> developing a tool to handle the issue, one that most users will not see
>> any great benefit from using, it sells off the rights to outsiders.
>>
>> I do not believe this policy will ever change. Let's hope that they stop
>> advertising the 'plus' packages as free, unless they actually make them
>> free.
>>
>> Tony. . .
>>
>>
>> "Gospel" <from@to.now> wrote in message
>> news:eY7CKP0UGHA.4452@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

>>> Windows XP was supposed to enable easy skinning. Heck, I think there's
>>> still
>>> a bogus link in the Display applet, only instead of more themes it takes
>>> you
>>> to a software package for sale - which although promises new "themes"
>>> actually uses the old ones only with new wallpaper. Anyway, it was
>>> supposed
>>> to the Horn of Plentius Themes but as it turns out one had to either
>>> hack a
>>> DLL or pay for third party software. Disappointing. A sort of a defacto
>>> broken promise .. if not in actuality, in spirit at least.
>>>
>>> Another thing, Microsoft let third party companies sew up NTFS. Instead
>>> of
>>> providing a floppy disk that could read the drives on the computer,
>>> all's
>>> the one that one can create with XP can do is read FAT/FAT32. Again one
>>> is
>>> forced to shell out to 3rd party companies who have it sewn up if one
>>> wants
>>> to read and write ones NTFS formatted drives from the floppy..
>>>
>>> Now with Vista, Microsoft has a chance to make good on a broken
>>> promises,
>>> and fix a glaring ommision. Will Vista be skinnable? Or will the DLL be
>>> broke [again] and the whole thing be sewn up by the profiteers? And will
>>> the
>>> floppy one creates with Vista be able to read and write NTFS as it
>>> should
>>> [especially so since NTFS will be the drive format for Vista]?
>>>
>>>

>>
>>

>