Windows/Visual Styles/Windows Classic: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:54, 6 June 2013


Classic on Windows 7 RTM.

Caption buttons

Taskbar

Notification area
First seen	Chicago 4.00.81
Last seen	Windows 7 (7601)

Windows Classic is the name of the visual style that debuted in Windows 95. Primarily gray in appearance, it is the default theme on all versions of Microsoft Windows up until Windows XP. Several variations of this theme were released, as it was modified several times throughout the development of the Windows operating system.

Windows 9.x

Windows 95 was the first version of Windows to include this theme, though similar styles existed in the Windows 3.x line of operating systems.

Windows 98 included minor changes: gradient title bars and 3D button borders around menus.

Windows 2000

In beta 3 of Windows 2000, several alterations were made. The default gray color was changed to beige, title bars were made a lighter shade of blue, and the default font was changed to Tahoma. This modified theme, called Windows Standard, replaced Windows Classic as the default low-end version in subsequent versions of the operating system.

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Early builds of Windows XP, up until build 2253, had Windows Standard as the default theme. Build 2250 slightly modified the theme, which would later evolve into the Watercolor visual style. Build 2428 introduced the Luna visual style; the true successor of the Windows Standard theme.

Windows Server 2003, unlike XP, kept Standard as the default theme for simplicity and familiarity. Users who wanted the Luna theme had to enable the Themes service and restart the OS.

Windows Vista and Windows 7

Windows Vista retained the Windows Classic and Standard themes.

Interestingly, the original version of the theme was removed from Windows 7, while Windows Standard was renamed to Windows Classic.

Windows 8

Windows 8 removes the visual style in favor of themes orchestrated by the Desktop Window Manager.

Gallery

Windows 3.1 showing the precursor of Windows Classic
Windows Classic as it appears in Windows 95
Windows Standard as it appears in Windows 2000
Windows Standard (now known as Classic) as it appears in Windows 7

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-"Windows Classic" is the name of the grey and blue style that has been in Windows since the release of Windows 95. It was the default theme on all versions of Microsoft Windows prior to Windows XP. There are several versions of this theme, as it was modified several times troughout Windows development.
+'''Windows Classic''' is the name of the visual style that debuted in [[Windows:95|Windows 95]]. Primarily gray in appearance, it is the default theme on all versions of [[Microsoft Windows]] up until [[Windows:XP|Windows XP]]. Several variations of this theme were released, as it was modified several times throughout the development of the Windows operating system.
-===Windows 95, NT 4.0 and 98===
+=== Windows 9.x ===
+Windows 95 was the first version of Windows to include this theme, though similar styles existed in the [[Windows:3|Windows 3.x]] line of operating systems.
-Windows 95 was the first to introduce the Classic theme. Some minor changes were made in Windows NT 4.0, most notable being the new start menu graphic (a blue-black gradient instead of only grey).
+[[Windows:98|Windows 98]] included minor changes: gradient title bars and 3D button borders around menus.
-Windows 98 also included some minor changes: the new gradient title bar, web-based folder view graphics and updated icons.
+=== Windows 2000 ===
+In [[Windows:2000#beta 3|beta 3]] of [[Windows:2000|Windows 2000]], several alterations were made. The default gray color was changed to beige, title bars were made a lighter shade of blue, and the default font was changed to Tahoma. This modified theme, called ''Windows Standard'', replaced Windows Classic as the default low-end version in subsequent versions of the operating system.
-===Windows 2000 and Millennium Edition===
+=== Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 ===
+Early builds of Windows XP, up until [[Whistler Build 2257.idx01.000810-2103|build 2253]], had Windows Standard as the default theme. [[Windows:XP:2250.main.000628-2110|Build 2250]] slightly modified the theme, which would later evolve into the [[Windows:Visual Styles:Watercolor|Watercolor]] visual style. [[Whistler Build 2428.idx01.010129-1827|Build 2428]] introduced the [[Windows:Visual Styles:Luna|Luna]] visual style; the true successor of the Windows Standard theme.
-In Windows 2000 Beta 3 another update to the theme was made. Grey and blue colors were made lighter, the default background color was changed from green to blue, the default screen font was changed from MS Sans Serif to Tahoma and some icons were further modified. This new theme (now named "Standard") was also included in Windows Millennium Edition Beta 2 Refresh (build 2452) and onwards. The previous style, now available as "Classic" was also available.
+Windows Server 2003, unlike XP, kept Standard as the default theme for simplicity and familiarity. Users who wanted the Luna theme had to enable the ''Themes'' service and restart the OS.
-===Windows XP and Windows Server===
+=== Windows Vista and Windows 7 ===
+[[Windows:Vista|Windows Vista]] retained the Windows Classic and Standard themes.
-Early XP builds up to 2257 still had Standard set as the default theme on first boot. Build 2250 also first included a slightly modified version that would later evolve into "Watercolor" (set as default from build 2257 onwards). Watercolor also included a new start menu, but the old one was now still available as part of the Classic and Standard themes. Build 2428 introduced a new default theme named "Luna" that was a direct replacement for Watercolor and Classic (which was still available). The start menu was updated as well. The previous 9X icon set was replaced by a new one (though individual old-sytle icons are still included), which was added into the Classic and Standard themes.
+Interestingly, the original version of the theme was removed from [[Windows:7|Windows 7]], while Windows Standard was renamed to Windows Classic.
-Windows Server 2003, unlike it's consumer counterpart XP, still had Standard as the default theme due to stability reasons (a tradition that would be kept up to this day). Users were also able to choose Luna and other themes.
+=== Windows 8 ===
+[[Windows:8|Windows 8]] removes the visual style in favor of themes orchestrated by the [[Desktop Window Manager]].
-===Windows Vista and 7===
+== Gallery ==
-The Classic version was included until Windows Vista, which shipped with Standard only. A new start menu graphic can be seen, as well as combinations with the new UI (icons, Aero window design, etc.). Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 also have Standard set as default instead of Aero.
-Further changes were made in Windows 7, as the classic start menu that was once part of the theme since XP was removed and the Standard version was renamed to Classic for some reason.
-===The future===
-With Windows 8, the Windows Classic style was removed (along with Windows Basic) and was replaced with Aero Lite. The classic theme, however, is shown to be still in Windows 8. When running an old program, such as Office 95 or Office 97, the classic theme is used rather than the current Windows theme (which is Metro-styled desktop UI)
 <gallery widths="200px" heights="150px">
-image:Windows 95 Classic.png|Classic as it appears in Windows 95
+image:Win31default.png|Windows 3.1 showing the precursor of Windows Classic
-image:Windows 2000 Classic.png|Classic as it appears in Windows 2000
+image:Windows 95 Classic.png|Windows Classic as it appears in Windows 95
-image:Windows 7 Classic.png|Classic as it appears in Windows 7
+image:Windows 2000 Classic.png|Windows Standard as it appears in Windows 2000
+image:Windows 7 Classic.png|Windows Standard (now known as Classic) as it appears in Windows 7
 </gallery>