It's all really down to taste, some people like DX some don't

But the whole idea is to get away from the standard desktop set set my MS, tha standard setup is a background a taskbar (Usually at the bottom) icons placed on the desktop background (either in order or specific places), whic after some time can become a bit boring

DesktopX, is an excellabt way of changing all of the above, in some cases no taskbar (or hidden taskbar), and an animated background (somrthing you mentioned above) with not only fishes, but walking people, skatboarding kiddies, snowflakes, and many more, a great improvement over the default MS desktop

Along with Windowblinds which of course change all elements of a standard MS window, in many cases with skins matching a DesktopX theme, makes for a new and brighter desktop, rhis i believe is how useful it can be, and many people agree it would seem.

Having said all that I refer to the first sentence, DesktopX may not be for all people, I personally use it to impress visitors, some of who cannot believe that I am running MS Windows , it's really a case of - If you like it, then use it, else just ignore it and don't use it - There are many more exciting products by Stardock, all of which are being improved all the time.

End of speach

Yes, I agree, Personally I don't use it as a daily setup, I prefre to use the other seperate programs - Windowblind, Iconpackager, CursorXP, etc

But there are many that have DesktopX run at startup and use it all the time, and are very happy with that, which is great for Stardock, but personal taste always comes into being on everything from Fashion to Computers to Food etc, mostly I have ignored all trends and gone my own way, no matter what people say.

Choose you own setup and stick with it, and always think that you are right, everyone else is wrong

This is the theme that I use on a daily basis: https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=31&SkinID=1954 It has everything I need, suits the way I work, and (I think) it looks cool. And that is the whole point really, DX can be anything you want it to be.

BoXXi, that's an extremely cool looking theme you've made! And it's really practical to.
The only thing that keeps me from using theme's like these on a regular basis: the menus.
DX is not capable of handling menus in the same convenient way as Object Bar does. Or at least I couldn't find a way to create more or less flexible menus with the ability to be controlled in an effective way by a hotspot (or touching the edge of the screen). But of course, tips are always more than welcome.

I think you're going to see some things soon that will really show off the power of DX. Stuff that could very well push it into the mainstream as much as WB is. A great deal of the potential of DX has yet to be tapped.

digital_trucker, I sure hope you are right!

DTX is still something that interests me a bunch
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I think the confusion comes from the whole "object" thing. Though I see immense potential for them, I have little interest in stand-alone objects for my own use. The power of desktopX is customizing your desktop to the most minute detail, bypassing all the abstraction and obfuscation of the Windows desktop.

It is probably temporary, but I wish they'd start focusing more on the 'total desktop' aspects. The fish and stuff are neat, but there is immense usability that never seems to make the front page. People understand this with older shell replacements, but not with DesktopX so much.

**

My current grump is the limitations of the 'label'. In Talisman I can overlay whatever text I want on a generic button graphic, but in DesktopX I have to pre-make graphics for each, unless I want the label riding beneath the button. I'm hoping the 'label' field will attain a coordinates field so you can decide where on the object to put it.

Hus: yeah, that seems to be how it is done on most of the themes I have downloaded to look at. I'm not crazy about it, since it makes it difficult to do mouseovers (when you mouse-on the text you are mouse-out on the button itself). I have played with scripts that fix it but it is honestly a lot faster for me just to crank out a single graphic. Thanks though.

**

re: "WindowBlinds only makes what is currently available pretty"

I used it a while and I found several themes that had some decent features, like winamp controls, a clock, etc. DavidK made a nice one with some odds and ends on it if I recall.


re: desktopX

I hate to say it, but pound for pound Talisman is more comfortable for me, since it has some native items that need to be scripted in DesktopX. That said, DesktopX is a more advanced app, extensibility-wise. I think a great deal more can be accomplished with it, but it requires a lot more comfort with higher-level theming and scripting. I just kind of wish there was less scripting on the low-end.

I'm putting my spare time into DesktopX at the moment, but I haven't had much to spare, lol.


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Imagine if you combine some of the great DX coders with some of the great skinners...imagine what kind of objects you will end up with.

I think that if Desktop X is really going to capture the hearts and minds, Hus is right, and that is exactly what needs to happen, and hopefully will. Right now what I see a lot of in the new DX listings is either "Sorry for the graphics, but look at this cool object," or "Thanks to Coder for letting me use his script, so I could make this."

The Skins Factory is a classic example of the kind of success you can have with great coders working with great skin artists as a team. I know that a lot of skinners take great pride in doing their own "code work," and rightly so. But what most are doing in other apps is more complex configuration work than true coding. To me, DX is a whole new ball game, and I think we'll see some of the truly awe-inspiring themes, widgets, and objects that DX is capable of delivering coming sooner from those that take a team approach.
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JerryHat: Does that make the text layer click-through, though? I mean, when you click the text layer does the button beneath activate? I was thinking I tried that, but I may have overlooked it. I'll try in a couple of hours when I have skinning time.

Thanks very much for the heads up.

I have been thinking that the graphic people and the coder people should team up for a while. just think what would happen to dx if adni and brazen started working together. nothing could stop them.

You don't sound like a troll at all GoatRider. Welcome.

I have DesktopX running at startup on all my machines.
On a couple of machines I just use a blank theme with a weather object,maybe a clock. I guess I mostly use it to customize the standard Windows interface in ways I couldn't do so easily without DX. On my main machine I usually use this one. https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=31&SkinID=2524 It's so gorgeous that I've gotten to the point that I hate using Windows without it.


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P.S. I wasn't in any way suggesting switching products, btw. I am breaking in DesktopX myself at the moment. I just meant that there is a large body of extant work in desktop/shell replacement, going way back. By looking over different flavor themes you might see some options you hadn't considered for DesktopX.

(Whew, did I dodge the bullet? Frogboy must think I am Lighttek's love child with all the Talisman yap he has tolerated over the years... )


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clik library and look through. look for "widgets for skin studio" there ...