One of the definitions listed by WordWeb for the word "tweak" is to "adjust finely", and that is the most appropriate description for the Tweak UI program by Microsoft: a set of tools which allows you to fine-tune the Windows XP graphical user interface (GUI).
Well stocked with a wide variety of categories, Tweak UI offers access to system settings that are not normally exposed by the user interface, and many options that can only be set with Tweak UI. Configured with an expandable tree list, the choices include General (beep on errors, tooltip customization, Windows version on desktop, etc.), Mouse (menu speed, double-click sensitivity, etc.), Explorer (Start Menu cleanup, shortcut overlays, hot-tracking colors, thumbnail quality and size, etc.), Taskbar grouping, Desktop icons and first icon, Control Panel and My Computer icon choices, Internet Explorer toolbar backgrounds, and Logon refinement. These interface changes involve Registry adjustment, but the program takes the guesswork and danger out of editing the Registry by presenting clickable, well-defined choices. Altogether, there are over one hundred "tweaks" available, and the utility also includes an extensive "Tips" library of keyboard shortcuts.
A computer user's desktop, and the methods he or she uses to perform common computer tasks, is often a blend of functionality and taste - kudos to Microsoft's Tweak UI for providing the means to enhance and refine the Windows environment, with an easy to use, easy to understand array of shell and system options. |
