Any frequent user of a computer knows that interface design is important. We are all aware of our common input interface: the keyboard and mouse. Lurking beneath these common devices is another, more important aspect of a computer interface: the output device. Looking back on the days when LEDs and printers were the primary output devices, we take for granted our monitors attached to video cards. Despite the age and inefficiencies of our clumsy keyboard and mouse interface, the combination has served us well. Similarly, despite the age of our monitor outputs, they do the job just fine. Just like the features of that new super 114-key multimedia keyboard, or a 7 button laser mouse, graphical interface design through the monitor has gone through its own evolution. This week in "Notes from a Vista User" I plan to highlight the history of the Windows GUI, and displaying the latest evolution of that design that is present in all versions of Windows Vista to some extent or another: Aero.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty pertaining to Aero, I want to go through a quick history of the Windows interface. I should state that my first experience with Windows was with Windows 95, however, for a time, I do have some experience with Windows 3.1. Now that that’s out of the way, I begin with Windows 1.0 -- a visual analysis. Looking at it in a straightforward view, one can easily tell that it is quite restricted to tile-based windows. Meaning, for every window on the screen, more and more space is lost to each particular window, to an extent. One can maximize the view of a single window to work more productively on that single application. As you can tell, the icons at the bottom are also very basic, and running programs did not have any icons either. We have to remember, however, that Windows 1.0 was limited to the 16-color palette when used on a CGA or EGA display. Windows 2.0 was a different beast in its release however. While still limited to the 16-color palette, it has the added advantage of overlapped and non-tiled windows, as well as specialized icons, like the drive selectors in the screenshot. This could be considered the birth of the modern windowing environment as we know it.

Windows 3.0/3.1 gave birth to a new generation in the interface design, with the addition of VGA support. No longer are we limited to 16-colors on a CGA or EGA display, though if that was all somebody had, it would scale down appropriately. In terms of interface design, Windows 3.0 and 3.1 are very similar, if not identical. They expand upon the Windows 2.0 overlapping windows layout. Due to the higher resolution of VGA displays, windows were given a bit of a size boost, allowing for readability. Windows 3.0/3.1 also gave birth to the Program Manager, allowing for grouping of installed applications, either by type, developer, or any other way the user could come up with. These ideas would be further expanded radically altered with the birth of the Windows interface principle we’re all familiar with.

Windows 95 sought to remove itself from the Program Manager oriented design in Windows 3.x. This departure gave birth to the concept of the desktop as we know it, as well as the taskbar that everybody is familiar with. Explorer, or Windows Explorer, was a new concept in not only interacting with the PC, but also the way information was presented to the user. The taskbar lists all open windows, allowing the user to easily switch between them. The start menu, accessible from the start button, is the Program Manager brought into a cascading menu interface, allowing for easier navigation of program groups, as well as quicker access to system configuration utilities, like the control panel. Windows 95, however, did contain a copy of the Program Manager that could be set to start by default instead of Explorer, for those who did not like the departure. This interface has been subsequently tweaked, in Windows 98, ME, and 2000, with 2000 being the final "real" iteration.

Windows XP took the basic design brought about in Windows 95 and candy-coated it. Graphically, the Luna interface is quite different from Windows 9x in the regards of control design. Now we have a big red "X" button, as well as other controls that light-up as the cursor moves over them. Even the green Start button lights up, and brings up a slightly different menu. Now the start menu lists default programs for internet and email, as well as the most frequently used applications. There are also quick shortcuts to the "My" aspects of Windows XP: My Computer, My Music, My Pictures, My Documents, My Recent Files, etc. The cascading program manager menus are still present through the All Programs option. Windows XP’s Luna interface even has the ability for interfacing skinning. Though by default this feature is only capable of rendering Microsoft signed skins, it can easily be hacked to run custom, user created skins. I myself run an adaption of Windows Vista’s Aero Basic on my desktop unit, which runs Windows XP SP2. Again, Microsoft, in its desire to make people happy, also made it easy to turn off Luna and go to a Windows 9x style interface. However, unlike the previous iterations, this 9x on XP is slightly different, and represents the final iteration, short of custom skins.

I am aware that I have brought on a lot of history regarding Windows interfaces, but to see where Aero is going, it’s necessary to see where it has come from. Aero has multiple parts associated with it. Collectively, it refers to the overall interface, from windows and task bar changes, to a new aspect governing the creation "wizards." Aero is present in all versions of Windows Vista, with exception to Home Basic, which can only run Aero Basic. The flavor of Aero I intend to focus upon is Aero Glass, a 3D accelerated version of Aero. This version of Aero is present only in Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate. Let me state that the only difference between Basic and Glass is the window appearance, and Windows Flip 3D.

Before I get into Aero Glass, I’d like to take a focus on the other elements that make up Aero. Firstly, the Start menu has been redesigned, again. Not entirely redesigned, but it has been adapted to Vista’s XML nature. One of the first things a new user is likely to notice is the lack of the "My" folders. Instead, they have just become Documents, Music, Computer, Pictures, and so on. The left pane has been redesigned as well; while it still features the frequently used programs and the defaults for Internet and Email, it now sports an integrated search at the bottom, allowing for a quick search of programs. The Run command is no longer a total necessity, as you can just hit the Win-key and start typing the name of the program you wish to run, and then hit enter. Since it appears to use regular expressions in searching, it is not necessary to type the full name of the program. This does have a minor failing however, sometimes it may call up the uninstaller for a program first, so it would be prudent to allow it to list what it found and make sure you select the right program, at least until that program gets moved up in the frequency list. The final change to the Start menu is the All Programs option. Instead of opening cascading menus, it changes the "page" in the left pane like a web browser. It lists all the groups, which then cascade into that "page" as you open them. This has advantages for long group chains, no longer will there be 10 or so submenus open, cluttering the screen.

Start menu changes aside, it is now time to focus on Aero Glass itself. Hardware requirements are pretty stringent, given the 3D accelerated nature. To have the option in the first place to use Aero Glass, a video card supporting DirectX 9 is the absolute minimum, but it doesn’t stop there. That same card must pass through the Windows Experience Index (WEI) with at least a 2.0 rating. Fortunately, I believe most mid-range DX9 cards are capable of handling this. Despite DX9 support and having a 2.0 rating with the WEI, there is but one more caveat remaining: there must be WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) drivers available. Without WDDM-based drivers, even the newest ATI Radeon HD2900XT will fail to run Aero. Fortunately, ATI’s Catalyst drivers for Vista are WDDM based, as should the nVidia drivers as well. The drivers Microsoft provides during installation are also WDDM drivers.

Okay, you have WDDM drivers for your DX9 graphics card that earned a 2.0 or higher WEI rating. Now what? Aero Glass should be, from a fresh installation, enabled by default. That being the case, one should see open windows with a clear title bar that obscures what’s immediately behind it through blurring. The color of this bar can be changed through the control panel to give a colorized alpha translucency. Even the degree of the effect can be adjusted to an extremely little blurring, though this may affect your color settings. This gives Aero a very aesthetically pleasing look, that’s somewhat clean, and despite the changes, does not feel clunky at all. Why is this so easily possible and why are the hardware requirements the way they are?

Aero Glass is bringing to the table something other interfaces have had for some time: compositing. Mac OS X’s Aqua interface is probably the earliest, popularly know interface. The popularity of Aqua led to its replication to other environments, such as Windows XP, WindowsBlinds skins, and Gnome and KDE skins. Aqua wouldn’t remain the only interface of this type for long. Linux has, presently, two compositing projects, compiz and Beryl, with the latter being a fork of the former. Both of these provide various effects such as alpha blending, window wobbling, etc. Aero’s visit to this table may have been late, but at no real harm. Hardware requirements for compositing are higher than a standard interface as they treat windows as distinct 3D surfaces. Given that these surfaces are now 3D accelerated, the operating needs more graphical "oomph" to provide them to the user. The effect is what’s plainly evident in Aero Glass, or any of the other interfaces for other operating systems. The final, at least to me, plainly visible feature of Aero Glass is Windows Flip and Windows Flip3D. While I’m not positive as to Windows Flip’s presence in Aero Basic mode, I do know that it, in itself, is a nice feature. Windows Flip is Vista’s Alt+Tab replacement, while very similar to the old Alt+Tab screens of Windows 9x and XP, it has the added benefit of providing screenshots for the active windows. Windows Flip3D expands further, zooming out and giving an angled view of your open windows in 3D. Just like all the other elements of Vista I’ve talked about, and those that I will talk about, with all the upsides, there are obviously downsides.

Running a barely Vista capable computer with Aero Glass will generate a performance hit. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. The same can be said with Windows XP’s Luna, given the higher GDI requirements, it took more processor power to render the windows, but with the newer hardware, nobody notices it anymore. The same will be true for Windows Vista, as people slowly adopt newer systems with newer graphics cards, they will be less likely to notice any performance hit from Aero Glass. My experience with Aero on a Vista Capable system is that, unless there are many applications running with many windows open, the hit is already negligible. The other downside to Aero Glass is application compatibility, and its own internal requirements. Aero Glass will not activate if the computer is running under a 1024x768 resolution. Some games that drop the screen to 640x480 or 800x600 will cause Aero Glass to be temporarily turned off, but it will be reactivated upon closing the game. Other applications, for some reason or another, will also spontaneously cause Aero Glass to be temporarily deactivated. Right now, I can confirm that Adobe Audition 2.0 and Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 are two such programs. As developers embrace Aero’s interface specifications, this should not become a big problem in the future.

Aero is more than just a simple interface change. It’s a complete overhaul of what has come before it. It’s more than the present interface as well. Microsoft has also targeted UI conformity in its spec. Aero wizards, such as the connecting to a wireless network wizard, are to be designed with new guidelines in mind, including control placement. It remains to be seen how this will affect future application development, but the prospects could be beneficial to the user. A stringent UI spec has been present in MacOS for a while, and that has shown to improve application design and usability, so it would follow that creating a standard to conform to for Windows may bring a similar benefit. In the end, I’ll just settle for the eye candy of Aero Glass.