Aero vs KDE Oxygen

エアロ / KDE Oxygen

Aero comes from Microsoft UI and KDE Oxygen from Platform Screen Languages. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Aero

Aero — Windows Vista の Aero 合成で表示された PuTTY 2009 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0Aero — Windows 7 の Aero ガラス枠のダイアログ（Windows リモートアシスタンス）2021年撮影 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

The translucent glass UI of Vista and 7: frosted window frames, live thumbnails and GPU-composited depth making 'through glass' the OS's standard vocabulary.

KDE Oxygen

KDE Oxygen — AI interpretation
AI interpretation, not a reference

Oxygen unified KDE 4 applications, workspace and icons through clear blue, soft gray, fine outlines and icons that seem to rest on a shared shelf, bringing lightness to an information-dense desktop.

AeroKDE Oxygen
Era2006–20122006–2014
FamilyMicrosoft UIPlatform Screen Languages
KindStyleStyle
CuesFrosted frames / Reflections and highlights / Live thumbnails / GPU-composited depthPale-gray chrome with blue selection and restrained gloss / Dimensional icons with one-pixel edges and a lower shelf shadow / One upper-diagonal light source across materials / Toolbars and docks grouped by fine separators
Best used forWork screens stacking many windows where the layer beneath must stay visible · Control panels for photo or video apps floated above the content itselfGiving many desktop applications one icon and chrome language · Recreating the material character of late-2000s open-source desktops
TypeSmall light labels on the frame, dark enough to survive translucencyKeep sans labels small and clear, letting distinct icon silhouettes lead recognition.
CompositionGlass only on the frame, content areas kept fully opaqueStack menu, toolbar, work surface and status areas with fine boundaries; color only priority actions blue.
MaterialHeavily blurred backdrop, a thin top highlight, a faint tintBuild from pale gray and blue, applying one-pixel edges, a common light source and a soft lower shadow to every icon.
CautionSpreading translucency and gloss across the whole screen makes legibility shift with whatever moves behind the text, and hides what is clickable.Glossy blue icons alone do not make Oxygen. Synchronize lighting, edge treatment and shadow height across the entire set.

Put these two together

Microsoft UI ／ Platform Screen Languages

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