Winstep releases Xtreme Public Beta 3
Monday, July 3, 2006 by JcRabbit | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Winstep Xtreme is a complete integrated Desktop Environment featuring the next generation of award winning Winstep user interface enhancements: NextSTART and WorkShelf. While most Windows customization software focuses on eye candy, Winstep applications raise the usability bar to another level: they give added functionality to Windows and complete control over every aspect of the user interface. All this without forcing you to edit complicated configuration files or switch shells - it's all point and click! All of the hundreds of freely available Xtreme themes are totally resolution independent and can be switched to at the click of a button - it's that easy!
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NextSTART is a complete Start Menu, Taskbar and System Tray replacement, famous for its unmatched flexibility. The number of options you can configure is truly outstanding: configurable menus - via drag and drop or using the built-in Menu Editor - customizable menu behavior, an amazing number of ways to activate menus and run programs through hotspots, plus taskbar and systray management and more!
WorkShelf is a desktop replacement and tabbed program launcher (like a dock, but better). It enables you to organize your most often used applications and documents into categorized shelves while taking as little screen space as possible: WorkShelf automatically collapses into a small strip of tabs when not in use. It also gives you access to system folders like My Computer, Control Panel, etc... Throw in it’s task management abilities and built-in modules such as a speaking Atomic Clock, Recycle Bin, SSL POP3/IMAP Email Checker, Weather Monitor, CPU, Net and RAM Meters, and a 'fortune cookie' reader (with more soon forthcoming) and you have an incredible utility you’ll soon find out you can’t be without.
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Per-pixel alpha support: this allows incredible eye candy effects and themes that will blow your mind! You don't have to wait for Windows Vista: the next generation in user interfaces is already here!
Task Snapshots: the NextSTART tasklist
and WorkShelf's Tasks shelf display snapshots of the actual windows, which are automatically refreshed to keep the contents always up-to-date. Snapshots make it much easier to identify documents in a taskbar filled with identical icons. With NextSTART you can also manually re-order task buttons via drag & drop and easily specify the opacity of each application through handy task context menus.Image and Video Thumbnails:
context menus allow you to visualize image and video files. This is extremely useful to help you identify pictures when, for instance, using NextSTART menus to browse your hard drives.Send To, Open With, context menu options: Context menus not only provide all the options you would expect to find on Explorer's context menus as they manage to add a few more!
PNG Icon support: you can now use PNG files to specify object images for anything that previously only allowed ICO files.
Special FX: lots of new special effects, such as icons zooming on selection, shifting to make room for items about to be dropped onto WorkShelf, an incredible water ripple effect that makes the shelf behave like a liquid surface whenever you click on it, new sound events, a mind warping menu 'ripple' animation, and more!
Proxy Support: transparent proxy support for all functions that depend on the Internet to work. No need to configure anything since Proxy settings are automatically retrieved from Internet Explorer itself, although, if necessary, you can also specify them independently.
WorkShelf Hotkeys: You can now open, activate shelves and run programs using nothing but the keyboard! All key combinations are system wide, WorkShelf does not need to have the focus for the hotkeys to work.
Desktop Module Animation Support: This means that the email module can display a rotating envelope whenever you have new mail, that the Recycler can light up like a furnace when you move items over it, and that Wanda the fish can be given a new face.
There are literally HUNDREDS of other new features, changes and fixes, far too many to list here. Become part of the Xtreme experience now and enjoy them for yourself!
Winstep Xtreme works under Win9x/ME/NT4/2000/XP/XP64 and Windows Vista and is fully compatible with all Stardock applications.
Download: Winstep Xtreme (includes NextSTART v4.0, WorkShelf v2.0 and FontBrowser v 1.0)
More Information: Winstep Web Site
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Reply #22 Tuesday, July 4, 2006 11:32 AM
Reply #23 Tuesday, July 4, 2006 1:46 PM
| Does this change window borders? Are there different themes for this? |
No, it does not change window borders, but runs perfectly alongside WindowBlinds and all Stardock products without issue....and yes, there are hundreds of themes available, many of which are the same as/or complimentary to WindowBlinds/other themes here on WC.
| Workshellf is a trial. Is nextstart a trial also? |
Yes, but both are included in the Xtreme beta 3 package, which is highly functional (not just pretty) and is more than worth the purchase price, which as I recall, is about $35.00.
| Also, because it is a shell enhancement and not a shell replacement, getting back to 'normal' Windows is a simple matter of quitting the applications, so you won't get in trouble there. |
That's what convinced me to purchase Xtreme, the ease of use and returning to normal Windows start menu/taskbar, if desired/needed.....but what I like also, is being able to bring up the normal start menu with the Windows key while NextStart is loaded. It's not necessary with everything available from both WorkShelf and NextStart, but my start menu is personalised to suit my needs, skinned with WB....and I like to see it every now and then.
I did notice a slight performance drain to begin with, but once I had tweaked my settings/preferences, the startup speed returned to normal and general usage seems to be a little faster....so all in all, next to ObjectDesktop, Winstep Xtreme is the best customization software purchase I've made.
Reply #24 Tuesday, July 4, 2006 3:11 PM
| It does seem a bit slow to react though sometimes - whereas objectdesktop is ultra-fast |
That's because WorkShelf is able to show the contents of physical and virtual folders (My Computer, Control Panel, Desktop, etc....). As I'm sure you've noticed when you open a folder in Explorer and see it slowly getting populated with each application and document icons, fetching icons from folders is a very 'expensive' operation. Anyway, WorkShelf caches the icons in memory after getting them, therefore it only reacts 'slowly' when you click on a large shelf for the first time.
| I'd say nextstart is the weakest area |
Hehe. You say that because you only just started using it. Just wait until you find out about hotspots, horizontal menus, tasklist and startbar flexibility and a ton of other features.
| New error...something about proggy or coding corrupted...and it closed. |
Hmmm... Jafo, maybe I should install LiteStep on my other PC and check this out for myself.
| Does this change window borders? |
No, that's WindowBlinds department.
| Are there different themes for this? |
Tons, right here at Wincustomize: https://www.wincustomize.com/Skins.aspx?LibID=7
| Workshellf is a trial. Is nextstart a trial also? |
WorkShelf and NextSTART are part of the Winstep Xtreme suite, just like Excel and Word are part of Office, and cannot be sold separately.
Reply #25 Wednesday, July 5, 2006 12:53 AM
As of now I'm running a WindowBlind with all the appearance changes that result. Lets call that theme "WBTheme".
1.If I install and run WinStep do its elements get skinned with that WBTheme if I don't load a NextStart Theme?
2. Say I the like the look of the "Coyote" NextStart theme and want to use it. Obviously I can tell NextStart to load and apply it. If I did that, should WindowsBlinds be set to Windows classic and unloaded first so that it doesn't load on the next system reboot or does the WBTheme run concurrently?
If these questions are naiave I apologise and I do understand the note about Winstep being compatible with Stardock apps but I'm interested in the "how".
Reply #26 Wednesday, July 5, 2006 1:45 AM
| 1.If I install and run WinStep do its elements get skinned with that WBTheme if I don't load a NextStart Theme? |
No, but since most Winstep skinners are also WB users, more often than not they also made a matching WB theme. And in the rare cases they didn't, it's usually quite easy to find some other WB theme that will look good with the current Winstep theme. Some of the Winstep themes are also 'ports' of existing WB themes.
| 2. Say I the like the look of the "Coyote" NextStart theme and want to use it. Obviously I can tell NextStart to load and apply it. If I did that, should WindowsBlinds be set to Windows classic and unloaded first so that it doesn't load on the next system reboot or does the WBTheme run concurrently? |
No, no. WB does not skin Winstep applications or any of its components (except the GUI Preferences window and settings dialogs) and Winstep applications do not mess with WB either. Both skinning engines run concurrently and none messes with the other (WB skins normal windows and Winstep skins itself).
Reply #27 Wednesday, July 5, 2006 3:27 AM
Reply #28 Wednesday, July 5, 2006 3:41 AM
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Reply #21 Tuesday, July 4, 2006 11:27 AM