Microsoft will offer Windows 7's ribbon-style application interface to Windows Vista users in an update this October, according to the company.

As first reported by Long Zheng, Microsoft will provide Vista users an optional update that installs the code necessary to display Windows 7's Ribbon framework on its predecessor.

The framework, called "Scenic Ribbon," is a derivation of the ribbon-esque "Fluent" user interface that debuted in Office 2007 two years ago. Both feature a wide ribbon-like display at the top of a window that replaces the traditional drop-down menus, small icons and toolbars that have standardized Windows applications' look-and-feel for decades. Office 2007 faced serious resistance from some users over the ribbon when it launched, although that has subsided over time.

More: http://computerworld.com/s/article/9136924/