Windows Vista The next big bang
One very noticeable feature of Vista is its beautiful and stylish 3D user interface. Aero is Microsoft's new default 3D desktop theme. Gone are the bright blues and smooth colour gradients of Windows XP. The transparent Aero features subdued colours and unobtrusive rounded corners ready for the Web 2.0 era. Transparencies and soft fade effects give Aero a polished and posh look. The borders of each window blur objects lying under them, leaving the window you are working on in focus while giving you a hint of what lies beneath. It really IS cool.
Icons are larger and full-colour, with alpha-blending effects; but that's just the start. Folder icons show the items within, and even icons of documents are smaller live views of the contents.
Of course, for the no-frills power users, a classic Windows theme will be included that closely resembles desktop elements found in Windows 2000.
Source: The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 634.