Hey, does anybody know who started the 'compact start menu' thing?

If you haven't done so already, you might look through the blinds and find the first skin that mentions it. It may take awhile however I admit since you can't search the descriptions.
I am curious myself though about this since I don't see the point. I guess it allows more flexibility in the design of the menu, but personally I find it looks too weird.

I can narrow it down a bit. It was not me.

I can't find the thread, but a while back someone was saying "looky here, you can't do this with WB"..... there were a couple of MSStyles with compact menus out there. I remember the thread because I took it as a challenge, and did some tinkering. A while later I posted a screenshot of a WB compact menu, and said "sure you can". I never released a skin with a compact startmenu, and I'm not trying to take credit for it. And I can't answer your question, coz I don't know who did the MSStyles skins where it truly originated.  But technically, I was the first to do it for WB.

Koasati, might have been the first to do a compact start menu, but I believe the first one to upload a compact start menu for windowblinds was by a guy named (Sole Survivor) a little over a year ago.https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?searchtext=Sole+Survivor&sort=Name&order=Descending&library=1

A little back story on this. He lived a couple of blocks from me and he also worked for me. One day he used my computer (since he didn't have one) to create this skin. I helped to get the compact SM to work, then he uploaded it. Sorry to say, he has since moved on to better thing. Hope he comes back someday.

About 4 to 6 months later, skin studio came out with the porting option and it's been all downhill from there.

Please, don't quote me on this. If you can find an older WB (not MSStyle) skin, than I will bow my head to you.
I hope this helps and is what you were looking for.
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I stand corrected....... that skin predates my compact menu. I wasn't aware of it, and obviously neither was anyone who participated in that old thread. His skin was uploaded 4/14/2003, I just checked the properties on my screenshot, and it's dated 5/4/2003.  Sole Survivor is the first to do it for WB, and possibly THE first to do it, period. His skin may have inspired the MSStyles skins.

I'll take a look...

When I first saw a compact menu....I said to myself...."Self, why, if there are compact menu's hasn't anyone made one with no user icon or user title?" So I did for the skin I entered in the GUIOlympics. I don't know if that has been done before or not, and I labeled it an ultra-compact menu

I'm certain compact menus started in the Msstyle scene. No idea who first played around with the idea though.

Essencay - Hmmm, I missed a trick doing my minimal entry for the GUIO didn't I?

I did try and make a start menu without ANY text (I forgot to remove the user icon/user name bit)...but the moderators on the GUIO thought it was a bug (or just didn't like it) and rejected it until I put the text back

ah so it started in msstyle huh? I just think the whole thing is very interesting and unique. Someone saw a way to add something new to skinning.

I wonder what other innovations will come up next? The supper compact menu? The totally frameless window?

I hope adding plug-ins will be the next surge in skinning. I could use a windowblind with news rss feeds.

The super compact menu? The totally frameless window?

ssh....experimenting with both.

It's too bad you can't skin the Classic StartMenu....It's perfect for a super compact menu.

I just had a thought....a challenge....we should see who can make the smallest .wba file size WB skin, that skins the entire WinXP GUI, leaving the original animations and toolbar icons in place (I suck at graphics ) that makes it through moderation here.

That would be cool!

Hmmmm...interesting challenge...I suspect if I took the toolbar icons and animations out of my minimal skin that it would be down to <50Kb ...and taking out the user icon and tweaking the graphics to RLE bmps....I'd think people would have to aim for sub 10Kb...But would it be art?

ASCII skins!

The supper compact menu?

I tried that one already, sadly it doesn't work. Only the right pane can be compacted, the left one remains the same size and only the text is shortened.

Haven't tried it yet but if you use magic pink on the left side then wouldn't it disappear?

Well, anyway, so far I am waiting for the skin that comes up with the new thing. Not sure what the new thing could be but... maybe it will happen in the GUIO
???

Essencay: That is pretty compact XP panel.


Well, I guess I better get started on that story... and it will be FULL of screenshots with compact menus.

Not that I am a compact menu freak or anything... I just like the ingenuity.

I think it was a result the of msstyles psuh for minimalism.

Hippy and JtB: http://www.guiolympics.com/skins2004.asp?SkinID=83 Check out this skin. Its mine, but its still cool. Different compact idea.
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How you do that?

/me goes and breaks into the skin code

CJD, if there was a way to get rid of the logoff and shutdown words, and if you had a really short name, you could have a startmenu that's only 1" wide.

Also, I'm working on a way to make the startmenu for the bottom (righthand) side. And before you say it can't be done, I've done it. Just have to work out a few kinks.
It's close thought. I'm hoping to enter it in the GUIO's if I can get it figured.

sub 10Kb

Wow......

So Far I've got my SkinnyBop skin down from 258k to 49k

/me looks for more ways to trim that fat

CerebroJD....That's a pretty cool compact menu

startmenu for the bottom (righthand) side.

Ooh, I was tryin to figure that out too. Hope you succeed. I cant get it.

Thanks for the compliments guys! Feel free to check out how I did it. I just tweaked some margins and sizes.

Hint: Comments on my skins are always welcome
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CerebroJD - I'd spotted that alternative compact menu of yours on the GUIO and I've been meaning to check it out, you slippery ingenious devil you. -and ASCII skins sounds like a good idea for a theme...it could be based on the look of an old green screen monitor, and use faked text characters to make up the windows etc....it's crazy, but it just might work

Like Z71, I've also been looking to find a way to get rid of the Logout/shutdown text on the start menu too as it would be nice to have complete control of how they appear.

Also...does anyone know how to force the "undock" option to appear to test things without having a suitable laptop set up to test it on?