WindowBlinds 4.5 Discussion
You have made a really nice write up on this wonderfully MS supported enhancement to the XP desktop. However from it I can tell that that you are not a user of the fine features or the functionality there in. I myself am an end-user only of these series of programs. I have no knowledge of the other programs it takes to make these come to life. If the reader is that type of person please take it from here on those aspects.
To take it from the top, Window-Blinds buy it self is the hook for the full-blown version aptly named Object desktop. You also made some mention of Plus! This is Plus on steroids and has nothing to do with Star-Dock Object Desktop except to be referred to as a Primer by MS to want more and that is where this enhancement to Windows XP comes into play. When you get this free version Window-Blinds v4.x it comes with a few of the necessary programs to make it functional enough to get the user wanting more. This is where Object-Desktop comes into play! As you had said the earlier version where more source code driven while the development was fine tuned into the XP environment and the links to the system Kernels (Program Calls) to v4.5 not only optimize the program series itself but to also become a major enhancement to accelerate windows itself.
The entire full version of Object Desktop v4.5 is 982MB in overall size within my Windows Program Files Folder and it contains 22,853 files with 701 folders as it currently sits on my hard drive with the Suites and other ancillary files that I have added to customize my system. Within Star-dock folder itself, contains 6 major folders: Object Desktop, Object Dock, SD-Central, Smart-Exception, Win-Customize, and XP-Bench.
*Object Dock - is a program that allows you to have a nice animated launch-bar/taskbar on your screen that reacts to your mouse when you mouse over it. In short, it's a task bar and program launcher that does it with style. Object Dock is a program that acts as a kind of super program launcher and task manager. It is extremely customizable and very popular as a replacement or enhancement to the Windows Start bar.
*SD-Central - is the application interface that you should also have in your Start Up Folder where the company gives you access to many different aspects of Object Desktop from a central point.
*Smart-Exception – is a debug utility for Object Desktop that runs in the background until there is an ABEND.
*Win-Customize – is the central point of all downloaded content to re-apply to apply the first time any and all different kinds of enhancements you would like to have on your GUI.
*XP-Bench – is another debug utility that runs in the back ground until something goes wrong or to establish the performance rating you have by what you are using, mine turns out to be 69%. What that means I have not looked it up.
Object Desktop is the primary program that also houses Window-Blinds. These additional programs (and there are a lot) assist the user in many options including control of: Boot-Screen (Change your XP startup screen easily without hacking your system!), Logon Screen (Stardock's LogonStudio(TM) is a free program that allows users to easily customize new logon screens for Windows XP.), Control Center, Forums and Links. To start lets look at the majority of each component:
*Icon Packager - IconPackager allows users to change every icon on their desktop either individually or by applying pre-created icon packages. Creating your own icon package is easy, simply choose "Save As..." from its menu after setting up your system just the way you want it. Now you can trade that package with other users or keep it archived for backup purposes. IconPackager is a program that enables users to apply "packages" of icons. When applied, all of your Windows icons can be changed at once.
Includes these additional Icon Set(s):
· Argis
· Block OS HangOn
· Blue Shine
· FauxS-X (Green)
· NeXT
· Nicons Azure
· ODNT
· PolymerShine
· WBMIV
· White Glass Folders
Object Desktop and the documentation - PDF Documentation covering the major components of Object Desktop.
*Object Bar - can replace or extend start bar with bars that are nicer looking, easier to use and more powerful.
*Window-Blinds - changes the look and feel of your Windows GUI by applying visual styles to your entire Windows environment. When a visual style is applied, they change nearly every elements of the Windows GUI such as title bars, push buttons, the Start bar, and more.
*SysMetrix - is a skinnable clock and metering application. Its purpose is to provide system metrics in a variety of interesting, useful, and cool ways. Its highly advisable that you prep your system before you add this functionality. What I mean by that is you do not make to many changes to your system for several days during which time you make periodic “Restore Points”. Because this routines components are added permanently, there is no oops button or un-installer. This is also placing another load on your system mostly in the form of scripts, never-the-less, if you do not have XP-Pro I would advise you to do a full backup and test it for a couple of weeks prior to accepting this as part of you operational system. If you decide not to keep it restore your system and you are not out much if you are careful not to change much else and the different themes that are static. My personnel opinion is that “why in the world would you want to have all of this system specifications on your desktop constantly, just configure Launch Pad defined below so that you can pull them up as you need it. There are some really neat ones out there that also allow you to make “hot-button’s” that you can program to your hearts desire. Once more “Danger Will Robinson – Danger!” This is a resource bottleneck, however I have not tried it since I did the upgrade to v4.5 from v4.3, but it was really bogging my system down and creating additional periods of lag. I have a Dell 8400 2.3mhz. I am sure that you will agree that is not acceptable while online in your favorite game.
*Rainlendar - is a customizable calendar that displays the current month. It is a very lightweight application that doesn't use much system resources or take much space on your desktop unlike the above.
*Component Tray - If you haven't used Component Tray, now is a good time to start! Component Tray is part of Star-Dock Central and it will alert you when there is a new Object Desktop component available, allows you to launch components directly from it, gives easy access to Star-Dock Central and online information!
*Control Center – Control-Center is the ultimate virtual desktop manager. It clearly and reliably allows users to manage windows on many desktops while at the same time monitoring their resources. It also serves as a great way of launching applications and can replace the Start Bar.
*Band-VWM – a new upgrade that extends the Control Centers ability noted above from v4.5 and it allows users to add and control up to 4 virtual desktops into the Windows Start-Bar all controlled with one mouse, keyboard and monitor. Just right click on the start bar, choose Toolbar, and then Virtual Desktops will appear on the right next too the system tray. The current version is the Beta and it will be given a new name. There will be two options the standard which I am speaking of now and the professional version that has no limits at all on the number of systems that can be monitored or maintained from one central system IE a Server.
*Skin-Studio - SkinStudio is used to create "skins" for programs like Window Blinds. So if you have ever wanted to try making your own user interfaces for Windows, get this program.
*DesktopX - is a revolutionary new program that makes it possible for users to build their own desktops. Use it to create more productive, more useful, more secure or just plain cooler looking desktops. Rather than replacing the Windows shell (Explorer), it extends Windows giving it new object-oriented abilities. Users can easily create their own DesktopX objects or download the thousands available on the Internet. DesktopX allows users to secure their desktop and access COM objects installed on their system as if they were natively part of the desktop. It brings the next generation of server object technology to your desktop today.
*Icon Developer - Use this with your favorite graphics program to create, colorize, and manipulate icons. Includes support for Windows XP-style alpha-blended icons.
*Icon Packager - IconPackager is a program that allows users to change nearly all of their Windows icons at once by applying "packages" of icons. A package of icons contains icons to replace most of the common icons on your Windows PC. What makes IconPackager special is that unlike Microsoft's themes, which only change a few icons, IconPackager changes hundreds of icons. Everything from "My Computer", "Recycle Ben”.
*Keyboard Launch Pad - Use Keyboard LaunchPad to assign hotkeys to applications, files, folders, system events, websites, and more! Includes support for image and text clipboard snippets!
*Object Edit - Lightning fast text editor with syntax highlighting and more.
*Object Bar - is a program for Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP that allows users to create their own custom Start bars, finders, pop-up menus, program launchers, wharfs, docks, etc. It is completely customizable. Users can download hundreds of themes and bars for it from the theme library. Below are some examples.
*Object Media - is an application that plays audio and MIDI and displays videos and images. The player does not have a window of its own, although it has a viewer window (look for its icon in the system tray), which also contains the playlist. Installations of Object Media will force open copies of DesktopX and Window Blinds to reload to pickup updated plug-ins.
*Object Sweeper - A simple program that picks up where Windows leaves off in terms of easily eliminating wasted disk space on your system by cleaning shortcuts, dead links, empty folders, Internet caches and more! Just add it to your start Menu and it only takes a few seconds.
*Object Zip - Integrated ZIP management on your desktop where you can create achieve for upload or unpack for use which is done when you Run a selected item from Win-Customize.
*Skin Studio Professional - Includes all the features of SkinStudio Standard + editing for Windows Media Player skins. Make your own complete skins for any version of Windows including Windows XP! Features a window preview that looks like it's live, but allows you to easily navigate through tons of code. It comes standard with an easy to understand Explorer like IDE (Integrated Development Environment) interface. SkinStudio also supports Object-Bar, Web-Blinds, Pocket-Blinds and Koala Player skins. [Requires Windows 2000/XP or later]
*Spring-Folder - will automatically pop-open folders while you're dragging an object to them that will save you time when you are moving files around.
*Star Dock Central - the online direct connect to: news, upgrades and events within the Window Blinds community. This is another application that will want to add to your Start Up Folder, highly recommended.
*Tab Launch Pad - A launch bar that works by allowing the user to separate their programs by category in an easy to use tab user interface.
*Theme Manager - uses nearly all Object Desktop components to easily change your entire desktop at once by applying a suite of skins, icons and themes including everything that you might use from Start Up to Shut Down.
*Tweak Shell – allows you to adjust Windows Explorer and shell settings.
*Upgrade Object Desktop - is part and parcel to Star Dock Central that allows you to manually or automatic upgrade to installed components or notification of availability of new modules),
Window-Blinds v4.x - is the first utility of its kind. It extends Windows XP to have a fully skinnable user interface including the MS-Office, taskbar and explorer shell styles. You can change the style of title bars, buttons, toolbars and much more. It gives you total control over your graphical user interface. Includes support for 9x/2000/2K3 as well!
*Window FX - is a revolutionary new program that allows you to add an unprecedented number of special effects to windows.
· True, alpha blended shadows under windows
· Ability to morph windows when minimizing and maximizing (SEE VIDEO IN ACTION)
· Several different morphing effects available.
· A set of window opening and closing effects
· Ability to have large icons on the desktop while having normal sized icons everywhere else
· Ability to apply light sources to different coordinates on the desktop that colorize titlebar/borders of windows*
· Wide range of semi-transparency options such as making windows, the star bar, menus, and more semi-transparent
· Various special effects for Windows desktop icons and their labels
· A set of special effects for menus when opened and closed
· User defined size for windows to maximize to.
· Able to add more transition special effects and shadows created by users
· and more!
*Drive Scan - graphically maps out where all of your disk space is going. Users can now see what is taking up all that disk space and makes it much easier to reclaim it.
*Icon-X - Enhances your Windows desktop icons beyond what Icon Package provides. Give them shadows, make them any size, have them zoom up on mouse-over and much more. In short: Make your desktop icons look totally awesome!
*Right-Click – extends your Windows desktop menu by enabling you to add more options to it. It's fully skinnable and even will automatically inherit your Window Blinds(TM) visual style. It is available on its own or as part of Object Desktop. RightClick enables you to put programs, URLs, and a host of Windows functionality right onto the desktop menu. Moreover, you can assign a “hot-key” to bring it up even when your desktop is covered with other programs.
*Cursor-XP – This is a must have; Cursor-XP enhances your mouse pointers like you've never seen before. They will blow you away!
With in each one there are many routines supplied to apply, monitor, adjust, or create any component of the Windows GUI that you can imagine. There are also additional routines that can be added for a nominal fee. Some of them are for life and others are per year. The overall system is like you said $49.99 for the first year, and to renew each year afterwards is $39.99 and it is well worth it.
As each user reads this I hope that it helps you understand that this is the Bomb for Windows XP. Not only does it allow you to modify the GUI to your satisfaction, if not to your wildest dreams, but it also allows you to do this in the fly by either downloading a complete Theme or Suite with a single click of the mouse or by accessing each component and making your selections manually. In addition, you should create a new Folder in your My Documents Folder, which I call “My Window-Blinds”. As I download anything I first save it to that directory and then do it again and select “Run” which activates Object Zip, which unpacks the files and performs the install directly into directory where each portion resides. Also, when you buy the full/renewal package you can select the option to buy a CD-ROM of everything that is contained at that particular time on a Disc of all the programs, options, Suites, Blinds and Themes that is current available. If you do not want to tie up space then order the disk. However remember that anything that you download after that point will not be contained on that disc. Whenever you purchase a premier Theme or Suite and/or special application add-ons or routines to the system like Cursor-XP should always be saved first. Star Dock is fairly good about making contact to you on any particular issue but it can take a few days and if a holiday is involved a little bit longer. In addition, if there are those of you who are reading this and you have a version earlier than v4.5. You need to send support an email about your request and they will intern reply with all the registrations codes that you have on your account. Following that will be the associated URL links to either download if you had to do some major work on your system or you wanted to have the upgrade for free! News Flash! With the advent of the new version and it’s current and pending modifications you will no longer need to do this in the future, it’s on automatic from now on!
When he is discussing Skins, all he is talking about is a portion of how the GUI will appear, he is not talking about the full GUI which includes everything from the time the user presses the power button on their machine, which I have mention above, until you are done and press the power button again to shut down.
So far there has been only one thing that I am not to happy about. When these Themes/Suites are made sometimes the author incorporates multiples of different components and they advise you to go into here and this to what ever to have this apply as you would like it. I’m going huh, what are you taking about! Then there are others who do the same kind of think but I’m happy to say it is done the way I prefer. That is to have the entire thing duplicated except with a notation with duplicate so that we can again one click and it is in to our liking. IE Alien-II 1600
There is a second thing that I would like to have changed. As you will find out as you are adding this and that to your system you find the time that you want to have this or that instead of what is applied by the Suite or Theme. But when you do it that way each one of those components or modules are not added to the individual manager module for that component and you have to go online and locate and then download it and then you can apply it. I would like to ask that when you download something that comes in this kind of format “*.skin” each component is added to that module so that we can simply pull it up and then apply. The way it is being done now it creates a lot of confusion and wasted hard drive space. It would also relieve some of the traffic that you have on your systems for us to find what the name is as wallpaper, Icon Package or Cursor-XP etc.
