More proof of Aurora Desktop?

Or you might want to call it Desktop Aurora. Regardless of how you want to call it, the feature to have an animated and potentially 3D desktop background would be extremely cool. We’ve already seen two proofs (one/two) such a feature is going to be shipping with Windows Vista, but along with Build 5728 comes a new hint. This is shown in the OOBE (Out-of-box-experience) testing process. I extracted this from the resource file.

Aurora Desktop icon

This is most obvious and clearest indication of the Aurora feature. The background features the prominent blue and green colours which the Microsoft designs have been talking about for a long time, as well as the aurora effect which we’ve all been used to. But in addition, the flare makes a guest apperance with a cool glass effect.

Along with an insider tip that something exciting is going to ship with Windows Vista, I can now safely assume such a feature will either be shipping with Windows Vista or delivered as a Windows Ultimate Extra.

14 insightful thoughts

  1. I don’t see what about this icon proves that we will have DA in Vista. It can be a fancy wallpaper, we have some auroras in Windows Backgrounds… I guess only time will tell, thanks anyway!

  2. Rajo. I think it isn’t just a wallpaper because it doesn’t suit the style of a Windows Vista wallpaper, it’s very busy. The colors are way more intense than anything we’ve witnessed for a wallpaper or anything in Vista for that matter.

    And it’s the only design element that shows all three elements of the Vista branding: blue/green, Aurora and the flare in one screen. If there is anything more appropriate for Desktop Aurora, then it’s this.

  3. Yeah, and for that matter (its busy-ness), it’s an icon, and not a wallpaper :o) You have to have something more appealling and in-your-face for an icon to work. But I am pretty sure something is cooking at MS for RTM. Thanks for new wallpapers, by the way, your site really adds something for the Vista community.

  4. I just think its a pretty icon. The Computer icon has a nice blue background, but they didn’t use that as a wallpaper, so I think its just a pretty icon. Also why would they advertise such a feature in the OS then make it an Ultimate Extra? My understanding is, UE is the replacement for Plus!, I don’t remember seeing anything from Plus! for XP in XP unless you bought the Plus! software.

    Still, lets hope, I wouldn’t mind having a little surprise for RTM.

  5. You REALLY want the aurora desktop don’t you?

    I think it will come someday, but not in RTM. Maybe SP1?

  6. And then they changed that policy with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Just look at Windows XP Service Pack 2. Heaps of new ‘features’

  7. Im convinced Aurora is in there – Ive seen from earlier builds (5270? -cant remember) during the set up process that Aurora was not only there, but was fully animating! This happened once though as I’ve never seen it again.

  8. Why the fuss over an animated wallpaper. Beside the fact that it would pull undue resources off other more important tasks, it would become highly distracting (especially once the “novelty factor” wore off). I’d rather see MS get everything running A1 than focusing on such silly little details.

  9. Sorry for digging up dinosaurs here, but this is indeed static wallpaper, and is present in at least the RTM version of Windows Vista Ultimate. It is indeed very busy, but it’s still wallpaper.

    If anything I would expect that any animated background would be far LESS busy than this, or it would be too distracting to work on when you have transparent windows.

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