}}</ref> Intended to be a cleaner, more powerful, more efficient and more aesthetically pleasing user interface, it also includes new [[transparencies]], animations and [[eye candy]]. SinceFrom mid-2005, [[Microsoft]] has gradually added elements ofto Aerothe topre-release releasedbuilds of [[Windows Vista]] builds. Build 5270 (released in December 2005) contained an implementation of Aero which was virtually complete, according to sources at Microsoft, though minor stylistic changes were introduced between then and the operating system's release.
==History==
Until the release of Windows Vista Beta 1 in [[July]] [[2005]], little or nothing had been shown of Aero in public/leaked builds. However, Microsoft makes it clear that the changes are by no means superficial. Previous user interfaces were ''Plex'', which was featured in Longhorn builds 3683-4029; ''Slate'', which was featured in build 4051 and was available until build 4083; and ''Jade'' (build 4074 and 4083, actually an early preview of Aero). Microsoft started using ''Aero'' in public builds since build 5048. The first build with full-featured Aero was build 5219. Originally, Aero was to have three levels available, one code-named "To Go", which had the [[Desktop Window Manager]] (DWM) composition engine (previously known as DCE) disabled. The next was to be AeroExpress, lacking many features of the highest level code-named Aero Glass. However, in December 2005, Microsoft announced that there would only be two levels available, "Windows Vista Aero" and "Windows Vista Basic", with the previous "Express" level integrated into the new "Windows Vista Aero" level. A control panel was added to enable the user to fine tune this functionality, such as being able to turn off the "glass" translucency effect. These levels are provided so that the Aero interface (to some extent) can be used with a relatively low-end graphics card.
