Reviewer’s Guide
Summer/Fall 2002
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Object Desktop: A complete desktop enhancement suite designed to allow users to completely transform their Windows desktop environment to suit their requirements. Developer: Stardock.net, Inc. Website: http://www.stardock.com Cost: $49.95 (includes a 1 year subscription to ObjectDesktop.net). Requires: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. Developer: Stardock.net, Inc. (www.stardock.com). |
Executive Summary
Object Desktop is a suite of desktop enhancements that allow users to customize Windows in ways previously impossible. It extends the capabilities of Windows through standard Microsoft Windows APIs – it does not replace any system files or modify any crucial system settings.
Installing Object Desktop is like upgrading Windows to the next version today! By allowing users to customize Windows to suit their particular needs, it can increase productivity, user satisfaction, and just plain make Windows better. It lets you work the way you want to work. You can have it just slightly change Windows or you can use it to completely transform it. You have complete control.
The Object Desktop CD
installs the following components:
WindowBlinds – WindowBlinds
applies new visual styles to Windows. A visual style can change the titlebar, title bar buttons, push buttons, radio buttons,
scrollbars, the Start bar, and much more. New controls can be added to the user
interface of Windows to control your MP3 player, monitor stocks, or visit
websites.
DesktopX
– DesktopX allows users to build their own desktops. The way Windows looks,
feels, and functions by default (i.e. “icons” scattered on the desktop with a
bar at the bottom) is just one way of an infinite number of ways your computer
can work. DesktopX lets users transform their desktop into their own design.
ObjectBar –
ObjectBar allows users to replace the Windows start bar with one that is much more
powerful and easier to use. It can also replace the right-click desktop menu
with one of your own design. Any wharf, dock, finder, etc. that a user may have
seen on another OS is possible to create with ObjectBar.
IconPackager – IconPackager can apply
“packages” of icons. A user who wants to change all their icons in one click
would simply download a package of icons and apply them.
SkinStudio –
SkinStudio allows users to create new visual styles for Windows XP, 98, ME, and 2000 that are applied
via WindowBlinds.
Object
Desktop Theme Mangager (WinStyles) – WinStyles ties it
all together. For users who simply want to change their desktop in a single
click without having to worry about which part of Object Desktop does what,
WinStyles is for them. A WinStyles theme can include Object Desktop skins,
themes, icons, etc. but also Microsoft Media Player skins, wallpapers, Winamp skins, and virtually every other type of third party
skin. With a few clicks, a user can truly transform Windows into something
completely new.
Component
Manager – Component Manager provides seamless
access to ObjectDesktop.net. Through it, users can install additional Object
Desktop components or update existing ones.
The above are some of the things included on the actual CD. Users also receive a one year subscription to ObjectDesktop.net whereby they can get regular updates to the above components or download some of the additional components, such as those listed below.
A few components that are part of the ObjectDesktop.net subscription:
· WebBlinds – Turns Internet Explorer into a fully skinnable web browser with powerful pop-up ad blocking features (that actually work the way you want pop up ad blocking to work!)
· ControlCenter – A separate dock that contains virtual desktops, resource monitoring, program launching and more.
· ObjectZIP – Extends the ZIP features found on Windows XP and then provides those features to Windows 98, ME, 2000 (and of course on XP). It also extends ZIP functionality to command line users.
· TabLaunchPad – a program launching program with tabs to group programs by category.
· WindowFX – add shadows and special effects to Windows and take greater control over how Windows actually draws things.
· SpringFolders – Makes Windows automatically open a folder when you drag an object over it.
· ObjectEdit – Faster than notepad, more powerful than virtually any text editor available. ObjectEdit is the ultimate universal text editing program that integrates itself into the shell.
· Much More! – There are about a dozen other components in various states of development available for users to install from ObjectDesktop.net.
Bear in mind, all of this is currently for $49.95. And users also get everything we develop or update for it for an additional year via their ObjectDesktop.net subscription. At the end of the year, users can continue to receive new features and updates for $34.95 for each additional year.
Accessing The Object Desktop Network – Component Manager
Object Desktop is available in two formats – electronically and CD. When the user purchases Object Desktop electronically, they download a single file – Component Manager. Once installed, the user configures it in the User Information section and then can connect to the Object Desktop Network. From there, the user can see all of the components they do not currently have installed as well as updates to their existing components. Component Manager works as an install/uninstall program as well as allowing users to get the latest information on Object Desktop.
The CD version of Object Desktop includes several of the released components along with Component Manager from where the user can pick and choose what features they want to add and update.
Figure 1 Component Manager 1.0 in action
Object Desktop – What it does
Object Desktop takes the existing potential of Windows and makes full use of it. Many great features of Windows are underutilized by software developers. Stardock’s job is to create software that takes use of these new APIs that can extend Windows in all sorts of exciting ways. Because Object Desktop makes use of Microsoft’s standard APIs, Object Desktop will work the same on multiple versions of Windows without modification. There’s no worry that a fix pack or new version of Windows will suddenly cause Object Desktop to no longer function properly.
Object Desktop is like upgrading Windows to a new version. Because Object Desktop uses so much of what is built into Windows and merely extends it (as opposed to reinventing the wheel for each component), the components themselves are relatively small. They do an amazing amount of things relying on documented APIs. As a result, the entire package is very small when installed despite the impressive number of features. And because it is hooking into the existing framework of Windows, it uses very little additional memory.
Many of the components, such as WindowBlinds, DesktopX, WindowFX, and IconPackager are very well known as stand alone products. That is how Stardock helps get the word out on what Object Desktop is. Each program helps strengthen the whole suite. By themselves, these components are quite powerful. But when put together, they represent an incredible tool for extending the features, productivity, and visual appearance of Windows.
Figure 2 In this screenshot WindowBlinds, DesktopX, ObjectBar, WindowFX, and IconPackager combine to create a whole new desktop experience.
Figure 3 Some users use Object Desktop to make Windows look like other operating systems (MacOS, BeOS, Linux KDE, OS/2, NeXTStep, etc.). This is Windows XP running Object Desktop.
Object Desktop components in action
Users of Object Desktop aren’t stuck with just the skins, themes, and icons that come with Object Desktop. They can create their own designs to improve Windows or they can download any of the thousands of skins, themes, objects, and icons available on http://www.wincustomize.com, http://www.deviantart.com, http://www.deskmod.com or any number of other websites that support Stardock’s Object Desktop components.
WindowBlinds
Figure 4 WindowBlinds integrates into the Windows display properties dialog allowing users to choose completely different user interfaces for Windows. Users can change the color and brightness of their overall GUI as well.
Figure 5 Here is an example Notepad being "skinned" by WindowBlinds. It's totally seamless and typically hardware accelerated.
DesktopX
Figure 6 DesktopX lets Windows have true objects (rather than just icons) exist on the desktop. These objects can be put together to create virtually anything without programming (such as this clock).
Figure 7 DesktopX objects can be extended via Javascript or VBScript.
Figure 8 By putting DesktopX objects together, users can create completely customized desktops that look, feel, and function like anything they’d like.
SkinStudio
Figure 9 SkinStudio provides an easy to use development environment for making visual styles.
ControlBands
Figure 10 Look at the Start bar and you can see virtual desktops. That's ControlBands in action.
Object Desktop Theme
Manager (WinStyles)
Figure 11 WinStyles applies overall desktop themes that make use of all the Object Desktop components
Figure 12 When a WinStyles theme is applied, it talks to the various parts of Object Desktop as well as third party programs to completely change your desktop.
ObjectBar
Figure 13 ObjectBar can replace the desktop right-click menu with one you can customize easily.
Figure 14 ObjectBar can also replace and extend the Windows Start bar with one that is vastly more powerful
Figure 15 A popular use of ObjectBar is to actually create "crippled" Start bars. Note there is no Start button on this Start Bar. Only ObjectBar can do this sort of thing.
Advantages of ObjectDesktop.NET
When a user purchases Object Desktop they also get a one year subscription to ObjectDesktkop.net (ODNT). One might say that Object Desktop is always a work in progress because the features of it are constantly improving and increasing on a day to day basis. As Windows gets new features and new abilities, Object Desktop advances to support those features.
Contacts:
Stardock.net, Inc.
Phone: (734) 762-0687
Fax: (734) 762-0690
Object Desktop home
page:
WinCustomize (to get skins, icons, themes)
Other Articles of Interest
The Object Desktop White Paper
http://www.stardock.net/media/odntwhitepaper.html
Introduction to Skinning
http://www.stardock.com/stardock/articles/skinprimer/skinprimer2002.html