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Object Desktop from Stardock

Object Desktop

The ultimate enhancement to Windows XP and Windows 2000 that alter the look and function of windows. It is like getting an OS upgrade the changes are that intense.

The speed enhancements from the rendering engine are noticeable.  Equally impressive is that the program produces few strains on your system's performance.

Object Desktop From Stardock 

List Price: $ 49.95 U.S.

Website: www.objectdektop.com 

Requirements: Windows XP and Windows 2000, No Mac version

Suggested requirements, Pentium Four with at least 512 megs of ram, preferably more and a processor with Pentium Hyper Threading for the best possible performance. These are not requirements, simply suggestions. 

Are you happy with the look of Windows XP?   Are you concerned that the new Operating System from Apple has something your PC does not?  If so, Stardock has come to the rescue with an arresting set of enhancements that extend the functionally and appearance of Microsoft’s latest operating system. Bundled into one very comprehensive package, Objectdesktop is a feature rich set of individual applications that collectively alter the way you work and the way Windows works for you. 

Having been in the business of creating modification software for Windows for several years, the Livonia Michigan based company has recently released the latest set of applications that include Windows Blinds, a utility that “skins” the Windows’ Graphical User Interface, Icon Packager, a tool that permits the alteration of system icons, Desktop X, a program that allows mini applications, aka widgets, to run on your desktop, Keyboard Launch Pad, an application that permits the user to assign assorted functions to keyboard keys, Right Click, an enhancement of the right click tool that completely transforms it into a virtual start menu, Desktop Gadgets, a tool to run assorted applications that run on the desktop using few system resources, namely clocks, email notification tools and the like, Theme Manager, an interface to keep track of assorted themes that are collections of alterations to Windows’ Interface and Stardock Central, an access point to ObjectDesktop.net, a free service that offers updates and assorted other related content. 

In addition to these tools, the suite ships with Skin Studio and IconDeveloper, programs that allow for end users to create their own customized windows themes and Icons. 

What does all of this mean to the average end user?  And just how does this all make computing easier?  Those are good questions and the best answers are to be found in exploring the programs  that come with the suite.   

Armed with a full set of tools to change nearly every visual aspect of windows, Stardock’s latest collection offers a bit of something for everyone, as well as easy to operate tools for beginners.  Should you be intimidated by altering windows, Stardock has worked hard to make the options as accessible and varied as possible without making them too overwhelming.  By taking bits and pieces of what is here, and investing time in exploring the content, in short order you will be able to not only personalize your desktop, you may very well look at computing from a very different point of view.

The point with an exhaustive application set like this one is to realize that even if you know your way around windows, there are areas out of the bos it does not address. It does take some time investment to realize just what is here and how much you can alter, or not alter the computing environment, but once you start, you begin to see why customization is so productive. 

If you were like me, and some may have been, Microsoft offered up several programs that gave users the ability to personalize windows.  What these package sets amounted to were a few screen savers, some sound effects, a few enhancements to Windows Media Player and that was essential the whole package.  While this was nice, the package did not offer any real way to make windows function in new ways or explore the options offered by the latest hardware and software on the market. 

Recently, Apple has been busy putting new devices into their latest OS.  Programs like Dashboard, floating menus that extend and grow as you place the mouse over them and other ways to open and close files are being introduced with a bit of fan fair.  The truth of the matter is that these features have been available to windows users for a while now.   

Widgets, and they go by other names as well, are small applications that sit on your desktop. They can do everything from telling you what time it is, when new email has arrived and an assortment of other features.  Relatively unobtrusive, they run on the desktop allowing you instant access to features and functions.   Stardock has been offering this functionality for some time.   

Via Desktop X, you can place, coordinate and locate as many of these functions as you wish to run the way you want.  The idea is truly difficult to explain.  It is when you start to work with it, that is when you see the practicality of the program.  For example,  let me set up this scenario. 

You are having friends over to work on your pc, play games, see files etc.  Now, you don’t want them just wandering your hard drive looking at personal files and passwords. What you can do is create a new desktop that allows access to only certain areas. When your friends depart, you can revert back to your normal desktop and see everything as it was.   In essence, you have created your own customized windows interface that you can turn off and on at will. 

Not only can this work well for your when you have guests, it can actually make the work flow easier.  For example,  you are working on design projects and you need direct access to certain programs.  While your main desktop has access to the usual programs you use most often, you don’t want to clutter your screen real-estate with icons you don’t need.  To smooth the work flow, you simply create a desktop with access to the working icons you need then and there. When the project is done, you revert back to your original desktop.  Should you need that same set of tools, Desktop X allows you to save those icons and tools for later use.  

What is so spectacular about Desktop X is that you can fly in and out of it without rebooting.  For those of us that have icons that must rest on the desktop, but need and want access to specific programs at specific times, this saves a lot menu jumping.  It is not hard to see where you can save any number of mouse clicks with this ingenious approach. 

Not only that, you can create, or locate, icons that grow, move, dance and do, basically whatever. If you have ever envied the Mac community for their dancing gyrating icons, now you can have that same functionality in windows. 

If you are a true die hard Mac fan, and just love the Os, you can literally create an entire Mac Desktop that you can turn off and on at whim.  All of this is amazingly easy to do with the new Desktop X.  I do strongly suggest watching the instructional video on line at stardock.com firs. Although unscripted, it is one of the best most concise I have seen in a while. 

Should you be a huge fan of the Mac, and want the same colors and feel, Stardock’s suite of customization utilities can afford you that option.  Also, you can create your own skin, basically your own user interface, with the enclosed Skin Studio and Icon Developer. Be forewarned, these are very detailed programs, so take your time, and take advantage of the tools and customization community built around Stardock products before attempting this if you are new.  Even if you know your way around Photoshop, Quark and Illustrator, this is a new world. 

In terms of system resources, the program can be as slight a drain, or a big one, depending on how much you have running at one time, and the processor and memory you have available.  From my experiences running WindowBlinds, along with a few other enhancements, the resources drain is slight.  Unless you are running a huge skin with several colors, lots of spinning icons, you may not know the difference. 

Although this claim is not being played up, you can notice that certain skins will run a bit faster using WindowBlinds as opposed to utilizing Window’s own system. While much depends on the theme you are using, you can see an actual performance increase, but it maybe slight.  Again, much depends on your set up and system. 

Having installed the program on a machine filled with complex software, I have to admit that it performs well. I experienced no real problems with Windowblinds as such.  In fact, it worked well.   

Stardock has gone to some lengths to address the issue of memory usage and system drain.  With the new suite, which is tailored for windows Xp and Windows 2000, the program is pretty streamlined.   

Another point, and this may alleviate some concern, is that Stardock has worked closely with Microsoft of this product.  Considering how closely a program like this works with Windows, such a strong relationship should be expected of any program that goes this deeply into your O.S.  Officially mentioned on Microsoft’s own site, and displaying the official Micosoft compatibility  seal of approval,  the program has been tested. From my own informal experiments install it on a “dirty” maching, I ran into few issues. 

For those seeking a safe painless way to alter the look of windows, this is really as good as it gets.  As with any program that goes this deeply into windows, I strongly suggest backing up your applications, files and by all means creating a solid starting point before making changes.  With any intensive application, I strongly recommend having back ups of essential data. 

Summation 

Having not been all that dissatisfied with Windows, I was approaching this with a tad of apprehension.  This changed after I spent most of a weekend glued to my PC looking at all of the options. Be warned this addictive. Once you start playing with themes, widgets and flying menus, you begin to wonder just why you settled. 

Much like Photoshop, this program really starts to make sense the more you manipulate it and see what it can do for you.