User:Glossybyte

Some Italian guy who joined BetaWiki on May 5, 2020.

I'm interested in Windows Neptune, XP, Vista (especially pre-reset) and 7 builds. I especially like builds with unique features/visual styles or particularly good stability for betas.

My Windows opinions and favourite builds (based on experience)
Spoiler: basically everything's great except 8

Windows 95
I never used Windows 3.1 or 95 as main operating systems, but I can still feel the incredible difference between Windows 3.1's shell and Windows 95's explorer, taskbar and desktop. A good OS with a great new interface, that would later be refined with Windows 98.

 Favorite build 

58s

Windows 98
The Windows 95 explorer shell, at least in my opinion, feels "incomplete" after using the new one included in Windows 98: it has many useful new features that we still use today! The rest of the interface improvements, including the minor ones, are also appreciated. I think it is a good OS overall.

 Favorite build 

1415

Windows XP
My first OS and one of my favourite releases, still installed today on some computers I have (obviously not hooked up to the Internet). XP also introduced a lot of stuff that defines Windows today, while also maintaining great levels of stability and a  legendary   set of programs and media resources.

 Favorite builds 

2410.main.001208-1937

2474.main.010508-1907

Windows Vista (pre-reset)
From one who's tested a lot of builds available online, Longhorn is not very stable and has a messy codebase, but can be set up to work with the right devices/drivers. The private Glass theme is still the best incarnation of the Aero interface in my opinion, and the explorer shell has a pretty clean design in a lot of areas. Some things I don't like are the fact the Taskbar switches to a different one when the Sidebar is activated and the inconsistencies in some windows' design. It was pre-release software though, so it could have been fixed in later builds if it wasn't reset.

 Favorite builds 

4008.main.030219-1933

4050.private/lab06_demo.031022

Windows Vista (post-reset)
Even though it didn't include everything Longhorn had, Vista (with SP2) is still my favorite (real) OS today. The then-new interface looked beautiful, and the useless features tied to it, such as Flip3D, were really good-looking and functioning too. It also introduced security improvements with the UAC (User Account Control) prompt which, if annoying on its first introduction, was improved a lot and is still included in Windows, together with many other aspects and features introduced in this version.

 Favorite builds 

5231.winmain.050912-2020

5270.9.winmain_idx03.051214-1910

Windows 7
Just excellent. It mixed the convenience and reliability of XP with the gorgeous Aero interface from Vista while adding new features, such as Aero Peek, Aero Shake or Aero Snap. The Superbar is a nice addition to convenience, with its extended thumbnail functionality and a new form of "Quick Access". This was generally the first release of Windows to prioritize functionality over looks, but it (luckily) didn't provide a drastic UI change like Windows 8.

 Favorite builds 

6608.winmain_win7m2.080511-1400

7000.winmain_win7beta_081212-1400

Windows 8
No... just... no. Perhaps I don't like Windows without windows or the destruction of any possible form or customization, but that may be me. At least 8.1 is an improvement.

 Favorite builds 

7989.0.winmain.110421-1825

8176.fbl_core2_sid_dev.120104-2026

Windows 10
A notable improvement over Windows 8/8.1, and a reliable system overall. The interface is clean on most applications, the new additions are nice and the concept of "Windows as a service" is, at least in my opinion, better than getting a new version from time to time. Now, I would have liked it even more if it was actually helping the interface, since a lot of things feel unfinished: the OS is out since 2015 and Microsoft still hasn't migrated all Control Panel options to the Settings app, not to mention I can count at least 8 different title/menu bar styles all across the OS, and that's just counting the modern apps. Last thing, telemetry go brrrrrr

 Favorite builds 

9879.0.fbl_release.141103-1722

10108.0.winmain_prs.150424-1818