For over three years, Microsoft has been working to clean up Windows 11 of the last interface remnants associated with older versions of the OS.
The presentation is short, almost terse. It does, however, sum up the important work carried out by Microsoft's development teams to ensure that Windows 11 finally adopts a consistent interface, in its entirety. " We are working through our list of all older dialogs and rewriting then in WinUI3. The file copy dialog is already done, the common file dialog is on our list! That's how March Rogers - Partner Director of Product Design at Windows Experiences - put it. In French, it goes something like this: " We're in the process of rewriting all our old dialog boxes in WinUI3. The file copy dialog is already finished; the common file dialog is on our list!
March Rogers reviews the latest interface work in progress on Windows 11 © Microsoft
Officially launched in October 2021, Windows 11 is no longer strictly speaking a new operating system. However, because of the way Microsoft works, there are many elements from older versions of Windows in its wake. Pieces of Windows 10, of course, but also bits of code and interface elements that are much older. Very old, in some cases. A huge amount of clean-up and updating work has been undertaken by the development teams, and we've already seen the fruits of this, update after update. Nevertheless, the modern, simple and elegant interface of Windows 11 still conceals some old graphical elements, such as the dialog boxes that are so annoying today.
Recently, certain boxes related to copying, moving or deleting files have been modified to take advantage of the famous dark theme: until recently, dark theme users had to make do with boxes that were still "clear" for things as basic as deleting files. March Rogers confirms that work is continuing and that all dialog boxes are now based on WinUI3, the system used by Microsoft on its most modern interface. He explains that all boxes related to file copying are now ready, and that work is currently focused on the so-called "common" boxes: those displayed by the OS when a file needs to be accessed or a copy saved, for example. Boxes which, once again, cross paths on many occasions.
Finally, the work currently being done by the development teams in charge of the Windows 11 interface is crucial, not only for the visual coherence of the system, but also for its smooth operation. The transition to WinUI3 should ensure that the system remains aesthetically convincing, while offering top-notch performance: the time it takes to display a dialog box or a new window is essential for a responsive system.
