How many different UI layers are there in Windows 10?

• Original link: https://ntdotdev.wordpress.com/2021/02/06/state-of-the-windows-how-many-layers-of-ui-inconsistencies-are-in-windows-10/

You may have heard this statement: If we dig deeper into the Windows 10 UI, it is likely that there are even design elements from the Windows 3.X era. But is this really the case? In this article, we will explore how many different UIs there are in Windows 10 and when these UIs first appeared.

Considering the purpose of the experiment, I chose the latest Windows 10 version (released on February 6, 2021), which is the Windows 10 build 21301 version.

So, let’s not say much, let’s get started!

First floor: Fluent Design

Let's start with the latest and greatest UI layer, which is Fluent Design. This UI was first released in 2017 and was later introduced in the update of WIndows 10 1803 version. Fluent Design is a significantly redesigned version of Modern Design Language 2 (MDL2), which aims to bring elements of light, depth, motion, texture, and zoom. At the same time, it also brings a new lighting effect and acrylic semi-transparent background.

Now, most UWP applications have been upgraded to use the elements provided by the new smooth design, and of course also include some front-end elements, including the start menu, activity center, and landing page.

Although Fluent Design is widely acclaimed, many diehard fans still think that this design came too late, and the application is not comprehensive enough-only some features have been expanded following this new design style.

Let's experience Fluent Design through a few pictures:

The second layer: Metro

As we continue to explore the operating system in depth, we can also see many design elements that have not been updated since Windows 8/8.1.

The more obvious ones are: volume controller, USB pop-up window, and some elements of the login page:

There are other less obvious Metro style elements, such as the startup page (which will be replaced with a new one soon) and the restore production settings page:

do you know? This rotation point loading animation was first introduced in the Windows 8 build 7989 version:

The third layer: Windows 8 Win32 UI elements

Ok, now we continue to explore the third UI layer, which is the Windows 8 Win32 style design elements.

Like Windows 10, Windows 8 also has the problem of inconsistent UI styles (for better or worse). However, Windows 8 does make many great improvements to the main user interface elements, such as File Explorer and Task Manager. Although they have been improved in subsequent Windows 10 updates, the changes are minimal.

Of course, an important improvement brought by Windows 8 also includes a redesigned file transfer box:

Some changes have appeared since Windows 7, so next we are going to talk about the fourth layer of UI.

The fourth layer: Windows 7 UI elements

Windows 7 is undoubtedly one of the most popular versions for a long time, largely because it has so many great improvements compared to Windows Vista. It brings a lot of new features. Although these features are not as important as the new features brought by Vista, they undoubtedly make Windows 7 a very smooth system, and it is definitely a big success compared to Windows XP. In addition, Windows 7 also brings the well-known Ribbon UI. This UI is ported to Office 2007, and applications updated with the new Ribbon UI include Paint and WordPad.

For a while, Microsoft planned to abandon the classic drawing application and replace it with the latest 3D drawing application, but it met with a lot of opposition from users and finally dispelled this idea.

Other features that have been updated in Windows 7 and remain so far include: Windows Media Player 12, remote desktop connection, and some file dialogs:

Fifth layer: Windows Vista UI elements

Now, let's look at the fifth layer, which is the UI of Windows Vista.

Windows Vista is destined to be a version of Windows that will go down in history (note: too much controversy). It brings a lot of practical modern functions, almost all functions on the operating system have been improved more or less, whether it is a boot loader or a driver model. However, as we know today, Windows Vista has become almost the worst Windows version ever, mainly because it had too many problems at the beginning of its release. Nevertheless, we can not ignore its advantages, that is the UI. It has redesigned some areas that have not been updated since Windows 95. One of the most interesting updates is the introduction of the so-called Aero wizard program, which replaces the previous Wizard97 wizard program.

Other redesigns are basically retained in Windows 10, including the control panel, search programs, and Windows Fax and Scan.

By the way, do you know that in some very, very special circumstances, Windows 10 will fall back to the Vista startup interface? This happens when your graphics card does not support the video mode used by the standard boot interface.

Sixth layer: Windows XP UI elements

Now, we continue to look at the sixth layer, which is Windows XP.

Believe it or not, in fact, XP does not have many UI elements that have been retained until Windows 10. This is probably because most of the functions of i have been updated in the Windows 2000 version. However, Windows 10 still retains some of the file popups in XP. For example, the interface you see when installing the driver is the same as XP:

Seventh layer: Windows 2000 UI elements

Okok, we have come to the seventh floor, which is Windows 2000.

Windows 2000 is a huge milestone in Microsoft's NT operating system (an operating system designed for high-end individual users and servers). At the same time, it also serves as a stepping stone, marking the beginning of the transition of Microsoft's Windows to a new and unified version. However, Windows 2000 is still an operating system for enterprise users, so it has many new features designed for high-end users.

One of the most important updates is the addition of the Management Console (MMC), its UI elements have not changed since then:

Another new feature introduced by default in Windows 2000 is the Windows Installer, did you know? Its icon has not changed!

Another UI element that has not changed is the Windows version description box. Its design was first introduced in the Windows 2000 build 1946 version.

Although Windows 2000 introduced a large number of features aimed at high-end users, Windows 95 may be the most important update in the true sense. It introduced many basic functions that are still used today, including the start menu, right-click menu, taskbar, and garbage collection bin. After so many years, although some functions must have been updated, there are still some functions that have remained today.

So, let's take a look at this eighth layer.

Eighth layer: Windows 95/NT 4.0 UI elements

This element can be said to have a certain age, and that is the screen saver that people used to protect their precious CRT screens.

Another element that has hardly changed is the "run" program:

There is also a common UI element, which has obviously passed the test of time, and that is the folder properties box:

There are many UI elements that haven't been moved since Windows 95. Will these designs continue to be used like this? Haha, I leave it to you to judge this question.

The ninth layer: Windows 3.1 and DOS...

Well, this may not be considered a separate UI layer, because I haven't found UI elements that appeared earlier than Windows 95 (although my intuition tells me that such UI elements exist). However, there is a file called moricons.dll in Windows 10, which contains a lot of old icons from the DOS era. For example, the following:

Haha, it's really a lot. As you may know, Microsoft is planning to revamp the Windows UI in the update codenamed "Sun Valley" to make the UI design of the entire operating system consistent. However, as we have seen, Windows as an operating system is simply behemoth. Will their efforts to create a consistent user experience really succeed? I think only time will know the answer.

Thanks for reading.