Fluent Design System: Is Windows Becoming More Like Linux?

[GreaseMonkey255]

I just watched the Fluent Design System video, and Windows seems to be taking a cue from the Linux shell. This screenshot of a proto File Explorer basically says everything.



And here's the Linux Nautilus File Manager:



Does anyone see a correlation between these designs?

 

[Josiah23]

I think they have a somewhat similar look.

Some Linux distros (like Mint, Ubuntu, and many others) has always had its visually appealing design when it comes to its file manager and GUI, but it's not completely the same.

Microsoft is trying something similar, but I'll say it looks more like Google's Material Design if anything.

 

[Drael646464]

It advances on a bunch of ideas from different places, takes them a bit further.

I think the primary differences are in the level of execution - parallax rather than drop shadows, fully scaling UI elements rather than just drop down, or slide out. Material radial blur rather than aero transparency. Highlighting instead of cursors and selection.

It's like a bunch of existing design ideas, sort of polished and taken to the next level. Like everything already 2.0. Of course everything else took its inspiration from windows more or less - animations, drop shadows on windows, icons on the desktop. Android is basically derived from windows.

But its time windows was ontop again, design wise.

It's really well thought out from a design perspective, the inspiration from nature, the smooth transitioning. Keen to see it in action!