Submission details
PNG Icons
I am still wondering why Microsoft won't implement support for PNG or other icon-specific file type(except Windows's Itself). It's a must for Windows 7. People like to personalize their computers and also the majoraty of them don't like to pay on software that changes the shell icons or lack the experience in making a conversion from PNG format to Windows Specific format.
Technically there is support (hence the RGB-A 'Windows Icons')
Medium
High
Not fixed
Discussion (7 comments)
Good idea! We need a more customizable Windows, as fast as possible. They should try do make it easier to change system icons without third party applications, and bury the .ico forever...
This could be a security issue and aren't there third party tools to change icons?
Please expand on how using PNGs could possibly pose a security issue. And I don't want to have to boot numerous third-party apps simply to change icons.
@BraedenP: By default the file name extansions are disabled so it would be much easier to fool people to click on a picture tumbnail but start a malicious software.
Huh? Vista introduced PNG compression for 256×256 pixel icons. The .ICO just contains image data (PNG compressed or uncompressed) for all the sizes that the icon provides (since automatically scaling a 256×256 pixels icon to 16×16 pixels will look bad). PNGs are for a single image only. I guess they could make a new icon file format based on PNGs with multiple images (à la APNG), but what would be the point?
Simplicity of the act of customization my friend.
BraedenP wrote on November 5, 2008, 11:45pm
I think that's a very good idea. The .ico format is dying quickly; PNGs are the way of the future. We don't need to be held back by any of the limitations of the .ico format.