DesktopX 3 Journal: Day 4
The new face of DesktopX 3..
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: DesktopX
The most visual change in DesktopX 3 over its predecessors is that when the user double clicks on the DesktopX icon, they will be presented with a clean, easy to use, interface.
The beauty of DesktopX has traditionally been that it makes it easy to create really cool stuff. That has also been its problem too. DesktopX tightly integrated its development environment with the user environment. The net result is that the poor guy who just wants to put a neat CPU meter on their desktop or a really nice drive object on their desktop had to also mess around with the development environment. And no matter how simple the DesktopX development environment is, it's still a developer's environment.
This also allows us to provide more options for users. The run-time version of the program (DesktopX Client) is only $14.95 (about half what other commercial widget enablers provide and has far more features). The full blown DesktopX will be $24.95 but also comes with Object Desktop. With that version, users will be able to mold their own desktops to their own desire, make widgets, etc. And then there's DesktopX Pro which introduces gadgets -- the next evolution of widgets. Widgets require the widget enabling program to be installed. Gadgets are truly stand alone. In fact, the DesktopX 3 UI is a gadget.
Reply #2 Tuesday, February 22, 2005 9:01 PM
Reply #3 Tuesday, February 22, 2005 10:39 PM
More than half the themes out there won’t display properly at 1600x1200.
That’s very frustrating and the main reason I quit using DX a year ago.
Reply #5 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 10:01 AM
Reply #6 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 12:27 PM
Reply #7 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 4:18 PM
Themes can be resolution independent already. It's up the the theme author to do it.
For instance, Galactic Civilizations II's screens are basically DesktopX themes and they're resolution independent.
Think of themes much like web pages. Some websites are hard coded for a particular resolution. Others are resolution independent. It's not Internet Explorer's fault that the theme author didn't make their page resolution independent.
Reply #8 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 7:05 PM
I don’t have the time or the spare ram to create my own themes. Bottom line I can’t use most of the themes out there. And it’s always the theme I like that doesn’t work at my resolution don’t ya know.
Reply #9 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 7:12 PM
We're software developers, not magicians. Perhaps with Longhorn and its compositoer we could rescale everything on the fly, but again - think of themes like websites. It's up the the maker of teh theme/website to decide whether they want their theme to be resolution independent.
Reply #10 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 8:24 PM
Reply #11 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 10:09 PM
This is my third year subscribing to Object Desktop and I love WB. When I’m looking through the WCB and find a blind I like I just apply it and presto changeo it works. I like that, But DX not so magical.
I’m very good with PhotoShop so maybe one day I’ll find the time to create my own themes but not today. Just saying that is why I don’t use DX. Love your other tricks though.
Reply #12 Thursday, February 24, 2005 7:54 PM
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Reply #1 Tuesday, February 22, 2005 8:43 PM