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There is a lot of help available for DesktopX, and this
section gives you links to that information. Links are also included to
galleries of mostly free downloads of additional content (i.e. widgets, objects,
desktops) on WinCustomize.com. There is a lot of power in scripting,
similar to programming that can allow you to create all sorts of exciting
widgets, objects, desktops & gadgets.
On the DesktopX Welcome menu, clicking the Documentation
button will display online help in your web browser.
Galleries - Downloads
You can download additional Widgets, Objects & Desktop Themes
on Wincustomize.com:
DesktopX Widgets:
http://www.wincustomize.com/Skins.aspx?LibID=34
DesktopX Objects & Zoomers (super icons):
http://www.wincustomize.com/Skins.aspx?LibID=3
DesktopX Desktop (Themes):
http://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?libid=31
Video Tutorials
Windows Media Player (.WMV) video tutorials in 640 x 480
resolution from Stardock TV:
Tutorials on WinCustomize.com
WinCustomize Articles
| A guided tour of
DesktopX |
Topic |
Author |
Date |
|
Guided
Tour |
See the new features of DesktopX
3. |
Brad Wardell |
03-05-05 |
|
DesktopX Day 1 |
Creating a widget from a single
script. |
Brad Wardell |
02-08-05 |
|
DesktopX Day 2 |
Extending the base features of
DesktopX. |
Brad Wardell |
02-12-05 |
|
DesktopX Day 3 |
Adding your own preferences
dialogs. |
Brad Wardell |
02-17-05 |
|
DesktopX Day 4 |
The new welcome
screen. |
Brad Wardell |
02-22-05 |
|
DesktopX Day 5 |
Building a
simple desktop. |
Brad Wardell |
03-10-05 |
|
DesktopX
Day 6 |
The look & feel of Silica
Widgets |
Brad Wardell |
03-10-05 |
|
DesktopX
Day 7 |
Using Plugins to create MP3
players quickly |
Brad Wardell |
03-13-05 |
|
DesktopX
Day 8 |
Flash & DesktopX, match made in
heaven... |
Brad Wardell |
03-13-05 |
|
DesktopX
Day 9 |
Making animated objects for
your desktop |
Brad Wardell |
03-14-08 |
Misc. Links
Information on DesktopX:
http://wiki.wincustomize.com/wiki/DesktopX
Press Release:
DesktopX 3
Scripting
What JScript is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jscript
What VB Script is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VB_script
Stardock Scripting Guide: Adobe PDF format.
Contacting Support
You can also get help from the DesktopX forums on
WinCustomize.com:
http://www.wincustomize.com/Forums.aspx?ForumID=168
Contacting Stardock
Email support:
Support@stardock.com (should be used for technical problems, not to show you how
to use it.)
Phone support:
734-762-0687 (USA)
IRC Live Chat Support:
Irc.stardock.com channel: #stardock
History of DesktopX
1994: IBM and Apple team up and launch
Taligent, a new OS that would have an object-oriented desktop. Microsoft
counters by referring to its next generation OS that would be code-named "Cairo"
that would provide an "object oriented" desktop environment.
1996: IBM invites Stardock to Austin Texas
for an exclusive demonstrate of what would have been OS/2 Warp 5. IBM
demonstrates how OpenDoc
would be used to extend the desktop beyond the limitations of "static icons" by
having live objects (called OpenDoc parts) be on the desktop.
The OpenDoc enabled desktop would allow developers to create parts that could
extend the desktop without having to develop "full blown" applications. And
companies would be able to put together custom environments. OS/2 Warp 5 was
never released.
1998: Stardock announces Object Desktop for Windows. Amongst
its core features would be a program that would change the look & feel of the
Windows GUI (WindowBlinds) and a program that would extend the Windows desktop
to support true objects (DesktopX).
1999: Teams up with developer Alberto Riccio to lead the
project. DesktopX Whitepaper released. It envisioned a program that would extend
Windows to support "live objects" that could have scripts of any scripting
language attached to them. Clocks, calendars, MP3 players, Factory monitoring,
Stock tickers, system resource monitoring are the kinds of things one might want
to have on the desktop. Things that don't make sense to have as a full blown
application but are still useful.
2000: DesktopX 1.0 is released. It allows
users to add objects to their desktops and use those objects to add
functionality or to design completely new desktops. These objects and desktops
can then be exported for others to use making it much easier for users to create
content that was once only possible by expert software developers.
Most of the early objects were cosmetic in nature - "super icons". Internet
Explorer "objects" that zoomed up in size on mouse over, Animated icons on the
desktop, and more made DesktopX 1.0 an early hit. The first clocks, news
tickers, system resource monitors, mail checkers, MP3 players and other "live"
objects begin to show up.
2001: DesktopX 1.3 released. It enabled users to begin
attaching scripts written JavaScript or VB Script to be attached to objects.
It is also about this time that Stardock runs into the downside of such ease of
use -- buggy content makes DesktopX itself look frail. Since all objects run in
the same memory space, if one object is buggy, it brings down all of DesktopX.
Also, some objects could use tens of megabytes of memory (this in 2001) due to
animation causing some new users to conclude that DesktopX itself was not just
buggy but consumed too much memory to be practical.
2002: Stardock begins development of DesktopX 2. The goal is to
allow users to export their objects as programs that run in their own space as
.EXEs. The term "widget" is used to describe these exported objects.
2003: DesktopX 2.0 released with support for exporting objects
as widgets. Lots of objects, widgets and themes are made.
2004: Stardock releases DesktopX Pro 2. It
allows users to export their widgets as stand-alone programs. But fearing that
its generated content may compete with its profitable "gadget business" (selling
gadgets to corporations) it prices DesktopX Pro very high and puts restrictive
licensing on it.
Sales of DesktopX standard grow though sales of DesktopX Pro remain limited.
Stardock feels the revolutionary nature of DesktopX Pro is not being fully
realized by pricing it out of reach of normal developers. The solution:
DesktopGadgets.com. A new website that would allow its development community to
create high quality mini-applications to sell (heavily moderated for quality)
them.
Users could still sell their gadgets on their own if they chose but this
provided the opportunity for developers to work in partnership with Stardock.
2005: DesktopX 3 announced. Pro version price
slashed to $69.95 and a client version developed that is designed purely for
running content to keep it simple that's only $14.95. DesktopGadgets.com
announced to enable users who use DesktopX Pro to create stand-alone programs to
be able to sell them there if they choose.
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PDF available