Windows XP has seen its source code leaked on the web. This allowed us to get our hands on a graphic theme never presented by Microsoft before. It looks a lot like what Apple was offering around the same time and was designed for internal use only.
Windows XP has yet to reveal all of its secrets, almost 20 years after its release. The famous Microsoft OS, released in 2001, has indeed seen its source code leaked on the net. If the thing can worry the last users, it also allows us to learn more about him and to discover his little secrets, like this theme very close to what Apple did at the time with MacOS. He was spotted by the American site The Verge.
This design, named Candy, is furiously reminiscent of the Apple Aqua interface, then used by the Cupertino brand at that time. Can we speak of a copy? Not really. Inspirational, rather. This theme was used at the very beginning of the development of Windows XP and helped establish the direction in which Microsoft went thereafter.
The Candy theme is indeed for internal use only, and it's not even finalized. We note all the same a clear interface, refined, even cold if we compare it to the basic theme of Windows XP. As a reminder, when the OS was released on the market, it presented a graphic charter built around two colors: green and blue. This theme was named Luna.
Windows XP, the renewal of Microsoft
It is true that at the time, Apple was an example to follow when it comes to computer design, while Microsoft was riding high on its Windows ME. It is therefore logical that Microsoft looked for leads from the competition.
The rest, we know it. Windows XP has become one of the most popular operating systems in software history. It is still used today by 0.82% of Windows PCs, which still represents almost 20 million devices. Not bad for a twenty year old operating system.
As a reminder, Windows XP has not been supported by Microsoft since 2014. It is therefore at the mercy of hackers.