Object Desktop 2005 and beyond

A preview of what's coming soon..

from WinCustomize Forums

Object Desktop 2005 is due out shortly. It's Stardock's yearly milestone snapshot of its award-winning desktop enhancement suite.  Object Desktop isn't an operating system. It makes your operating system better.  Better. Stronger. Faster.

Even as the final touches are being added to it, new features are in the works to help make sure users of Object Desktop get the most value for their buck.  Recently users of Object Desktop have seen WindowBlinds get 64-bit support in v4.51.  They also recently got DesktopX 3 which gives Windows users widget support with capabilities that MacOS X Tiger users can only dream of.  And Theme Manager has integrated seamless support for managing all your skins, icons, wallpapers, visual styles, and themes together in a single package.

But on the horizon there's some major things due out in the coming months.  IconPackager 3 is nearly complete. It has a totally new and much more powerful package creation interface (makes it much quicker to create your own icon packages) and it can change more icons than ever.  IconX being updated to be able to change icon labels with your own PNG backgrounds!  ObjectBar 2 beta is already available and users can use it to create their own alternatives to the Windows Start bar or Mac Finder and then export their creations as .EXEs! It also includes a totally new, revamped, cleaner interface.  The rewriting of the Stardock virtual desktops is nearly complete. The 64-bit version of WindowFX is just about ready with betas starting to show up. And Object Desktop 2005 users will also get 10 stand alone gadgets.

And of course, with the beta of Longhorn in the offing, users can expect that Object Desktop will be amongst the first programs to take advantage of the new features in Longhorn (we've already got WindowBlinds running on the latest beta! Semi-transparent skinning goodness being the goal).

If you want to get Object Desktop, visit www.objectdesktop.com.

24,060 views 24 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
IconPackager 3? WooHoo!

10 gadgets - alright.

In line already.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
In line also.
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Very nice.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Having been a user of OD since your first OS/2 variant, I have been impressed with the visual development of the core products, and PNG support. However I have found that WindowBlinds and ObjectDock are probably the best packages that you have. DesktopX - which frustrates me, as I really like the concept - slows my system down terribly. Some of the widgets are just too flakey, or quirky to have running for very long. Having said all of that I do not believe that it is necessarily an issue with your suite of applications. The most likely cause of the issues I & my friends encounter are deep within the OS, for a long time well renowned for extremely poor memory managemnt, and a very temperamental desktop interface.

I still regret the day you gave up on OS/2 - a much more stable Workplace Shell, and better suited to your engine than Windoze

Jos
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think the 10 gadgets are the silica gadgets we already got with DX3.0

too bad some of them are already broken
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
One feature which I desperately want is integration of DX - Start Menu with "Windows Key" like ObjectBar has. Just curious whether it will be here or not .... ????
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
ooooh, I like that OD LaunchPad! Is that part of ObjectBar or a separate app?
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

What is broken in the Silica widgets?

The Object Desktop LaunchPad is a seperate program.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The LaunchPad is an AWESOME idea!!!!! Are the icons customizable?

Can-not-wait!
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
is that battery meter dealie in the taskbar also from OD2k5? that's the kind of thing i'm using a program called TrueLaunchBar to get now, but if i can get 'em from OD, even better!
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The battery meter is part of the ThinkPad stuff.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Brad,
The Silica Calendar shows the wrong day of the week.

If you follow this thread it shows the issues with the Calendar
Link
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The battery meter is part of the ThinkPad stuff.


ThinkPad? Part of ThinkDesk?

ObjectDesktop2005 CD is a snapshot of the ODNT suit, right? Will there be anything not available to ODNT or Wincustomize subscribers via SDC or WC?

Or more succintly; if I am a current ODNT and WC subscriber, do I get anything out of the CD?
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Brad,
The Silica Calendar shows the wrong day of the week.

For me it starts to become very anoying.
This bug should be known since the release of the Core Calendar. The Silcia
stuff wich is delvierd with ObjectDesktop as gadgets and "official Stardock stuff" should be bugfree, especial if the bugs are well known.
BTW: There already exists a bugfree version of the Silica Calendar @ https://www.wincustomize.com/ViewSkin.aspx?SID=1&SkinID=406&LibID=34
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
JavaScout: It's fixed in the Gadget version if the calendar.  We'll be updating the regular one shortly.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
ThinkPad? Part of ThinkDesk?


Doh! I just remembered that you are using an IBM ThinkPad.
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Brad,
When I run the Gadget version of the Silica Calendar (Desktop Gadgets 1.00.003) it shows May 1st as a Wednesday.
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Or more succintly; if I am a current ODNT and WC subscriber, do I get anything out of the CD?

ObjectDesktop2005 CD is a snapshot of the ODNT suit, right?

The answer was in your question
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
When I run the Gadget version on the Silica Calendar it shows today is Saturday.

not really complaining yet, but I don't think my boss will buy it when I roll in on Mon. (Tues).
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
On my computer, some widgets are broken, and it is always difficult to know why, if it related to the computer, to DX or to the widget coding.

The Itunes Remote does not display lyrics.
The currency widget is frozen in "updating" forever.
The silica drive meter is frozen at 100% (i think it is related to me but I do not know how to correct it )


When DX works, it is the best widget app. when it works.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
On my computer, some widgets are broken, and it is always difficult to know why, if it related to the computer, to DX or to the widget coding.


To that end, some of us can't use the Glassy Recycle Bins, but they work for others. Go figure.

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I just got all the Silica gadgets through ODNT and they all seem to work fine for me. Only wish I could get the RSS feed to display in larger text....wee hard on these eyes when running a 19" screen at 1280x1024
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
for my "drive" widget, it seems to be a problem with WMI being corrupted (the script get a NULL answer). I'll try to fix it and see if the others widgets get back to life too.