As you can see I do absolutely nothing, I believe the original Windows default works fine.
To be honest I don't really mind what happens, if the default GUI works ok then I won't bother editing it. It might help you to understand me if you knew that I believe that the desire to customize and personalize software and goods in general shows that you feel inadequate about your own personality and uniqueness. Especially since most of the customizations look terrible, simple and sleek is best.
I agree with you. (Why modify what works, no?). I always liked the simple, clean, and classic Windows's Start menu. I have been using Windows from the time of Win 3.11 & Win 95, and now, with Windows XP, I prefer and continue using the "Classic" menu, and not the "modern". For me, the principal point of the Start menu, is: simplicity (for a fast access) and a good looking GUI as the classic Start menu of Windows (2000/XP). Logically I'm not against that anyone can personalize the Start menu, but for me, the predeterminate style must be the classical.
...and yes, the overall UI needs to be improved, and not be so rustic or rough...
Some are from KDE 3.4, the DOS prompt is the original, the trashcan I think is from a MAC cloned set, and the rest are from the aps themselves. This screenshot is from an XP box with a look and feel of what I think ROS could become.
The 4 screens block is obviously a dummy icon. And is a real PITA to get the icons (contacts, reminders, inbox alert, battery) to show next to the systray. Only the battery and ibox alert seem to work, but I'm not real good at these registry hacks. Maybe someone with talent could show the publix how to do them right.
Good to see some of the best threads are still alive and kicking. This one had alot of good GUI suggestions in it and I hope some of it finds its way into ROS.
Did anyone see the new-style SEARCH function built into the Longhorn (pre-Vista) GUI? Thats something that would be innovative in an open source NT. Adding in a toggle for web-based searches or local search options would be icing on the cake.