The Windows Vista Team Blog writes that the Windows Vista Basic interface, which is what you can get if you’re graphics card doesn’t support the top end features of Aero (like transparency), has been updated.

There was outcry from the Windows Vista testing community on discovering the old ‘Windows Vista Basic’ interface, as it was so ugly. It was so ugly, in fact, that it earned the nickname ‘Scrap Metal’. Now the Vista team have ditched the grey theme in favour of a new blueish gradient theme that looks more like the full-blown Aero interface, just without the transparency support.

See screenshots and comparisons of the old and new Windows Vista Basic interface at the Windows Vista Team Blog.