Sometimes people get confused about what Object Desktop is. They don't realize that the programs, WindowBlinds, DesktopX, ObjectBar, IconPackager, WebBlinds, WindowFX, etc. are all components of Object Desktop.
The goal of Object Desktop is to allow users and corporations to transform their Windows desktop to be a customized solution that is specific to their needs. Until now, however, it has been a tedious process to do just that. That's because a user or IT manager would have to literally go and apply the themes, packages, and skins for those various programs individually. On top of that, there were various third party programs that also would then have to be manipulated to go with the overall look.
To this end, Stardock created a project called Convergence. The Convergence project was designed to put all the various major skinnable/themeable programs together with a single interface to control them all.
The final result is WinStyles, the Object Desktop component that not only controls the various parts of Object Desktop but can also control popular third party programs like Windows Media Player, WinAmp, Hoverdesk, Beatnik, etc. So no matter what programs you use, you could access them in a single consistent manner right from the Windows display properties (in the WinStyles tab).
Not only can WinStyles control the individual programs, it can apply entire super themes (.xpthemes) which contain skins and themes and icons from all those various programs at once. Want a Mac-like look? Download a MacOS XPTheme and apply it. The XPTheme will have the necessary WB skin, ObjectBar theme, DesktopX theme, IconPackager icons, etc. to have, in a single click, a reasonable facsimile of the Mac desktop.
To protect the intellectual property rights of skin and theme authors, Stardock also created a .suite format. Where a .xptheme file literally contained the actual skins and themes within it, a .suite contains LINKS to the individual pieces where WinStyles can go out and download those pieces. Fields are available for listing the author information and no legitimate website will knowingly accept a .xptheme that contains other people's materials without their permission. Meanwhile, .suites allow skin and theme authors to get their work not only more distributed but distributed with credit AND increases their download count (for instance, when a .suite file downloads the WindowBlinds skin, it increases the download count of that skin - the more widely available the .suite file becomes, the higher the download count on the websites their skin gets which in turn increases the visibility of the skin author). So users get an easy way to quickly reproduce a favorite screenshot and skin and theme authors control their skins and themes and gain greater visibility.
WinStyles is also good for software developers. If a .xptheme or .suite contains files to programs the user does not have installed, WinStyles will offer to go out onto the net and download/install it automatically. No need to hunt for the program yourself.
WinStyles is available in two forms - WinStyles standard which is free and WinStyles enhanced which is $10. The enhanced version supports additional programs (to help offset Stardock's cost of supporting those programs). Future versions of WinStyles will support a plugin-standard so that developers can add WinStyles support for their program.
