Although I started with 98, I think Vista / 7 was the peak. It was user friendly enough for newbies but didn't sacrifice advanced controls. Just organized them better to bring focus to the more used parts.

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theandrewbailey 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In terms of aesthetic, I love Windows 7-era Aero glass design (and to a lesser extent, Vista), but I also love the classic Windows 9x/2000 look. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with Aero simply because of the start menu search bar.

	▲	publlus_enigma 33 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		In both Windows 7 and Vista you could change the theme engine to Windows Classic, which gave you the Windows 9x/2000 look AND the start menu search bar.

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Zarathustra30 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Maybe on the OS side. However, Vista coincided with the release of Office 2007. That release of Office introduced the dreaded Ribbon, which made functions much harder to find.

	▲	okanat 26 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I actually like Ribbon and I disagree. It made functions easier to find, for people who didn't have a muscle memory of those functions. It actually taught them how to use the program and exposed conditional menus like picture options better than the toolbars that appear and disappear. Of course people who got used to traversing 3-level menus got annoyed but they still have all the same keyboard shortcuts. However, spending enough time, you also get used to Ribbon and it usually requires fewer clicks not more. I still find a tastefully done Ribbon is better than a menu and a toolbar combination. The problem is, not everybody has put the same effort that Microsoft did which created monstrosities like Solidworks Ribbon.

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abhgh 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I loved Windows Aero and the flip 3D view - the latter mostly because it looked so cool for that time!

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LtWorf 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Oh you mean "ripping off compiz"?

	▲	okanat 3 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		... which is "ripping off OSX". But you don't want to hear that, do you? UX being copied by OSes from each other is a good thing.
	▲	someguyiguess 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I just learned that X Window System came out a year before the first Windows release. Interesting. Thanks for pointing out the compiz ripoff. It spurred me to look up the original release dates.

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larusso 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I used the Zune theme for windows XP which I really liked. I dreaded Vista because it was just a resource eater with all the effects turned on.

https://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Themes/Mi...

	▲	queenkjuul an hour ago \| parent [-]
		The zune theme is great, now on my XP machines i use a mod of the MCE theme called Royale Noir which is my absolute favorite. https://images.sftcdn.net/images/t_optimized,f_auto/p/5c889a...