Developer(s) | Stardock |
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Stable release | 2018 / January 16, 2018; 2 years ago[1] |
Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
Type | OS Customization |
License | Shareware |
Website | objectdesktop.net |
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Name | Description |
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Changes visual styles for window borders, controls, the taskbar, Start Menu and other areas. The first versions of WindowBlinds were released in 1998 for Windows 95. It has since developed to become Object Desktop's most popular component. WindowBlinds technology is the basis for DirectSkin, Stardock's corporate ActiveX/COM skinning component. https://downsfiles993.weebly.com/football-jersey-lettering-font.html. | |
DesktopX[2] | A widget engine for Windows 2000 and above which can create individual objects or entire desktops. First released in 2000, it is available in three versions, one of which is able to create independent executables. |
Fences[3] | Desktop icon visibility and organization tool, allowing related programs to be split into groups (fences) and shown or hidden at need. Fences Pro, included with Object Desktop, adds sorting and automatically inserts new items into fences based on file name or type. |
DeskScapes | Animated wallpapers for Windows XP and up. Includes dynamic, configurable wallpapers which can — for example — change sky color with the time. Initially an extension of Windows Vista Ultimate's DreamScene. |
IconPackager | Icon customization is popular An icon package manager. Users can create and apply icon packages that replace the Windows icons, file type icons and folder icons.[4] The shareware version includes basic icon changing and the Icon Explorer, an icon viewing applet. Registered versions add shell integration and the ability to change the icons that represent file formats in Windows Explorer. Icons may be adjusted separately, or by the loading of icon packages, which may themselves be part of a larger theme managed by Theme Manager. Several artists sell premium icon packages on WinCustomize and elsewhere, but the majority are free to use. IconPackager was the subject of controversy when competitors TGTSoft filed a lawsuit against Stardock over the rights to its file format. |
ObjectBar | A highly customizable shell add-on, oriented around 'bars'. Has been most popular with users of Windows who wish to have the Macintosh menu bar, for which it provides an effective emulation. ObjectBar also integrated the functionality of Stardock's ControlCenter, but has been largely superseded by WindowBlinds and ObjectDock on Windows Vista and later. |
RightClick | An expanded context menu for the desktop, offering DesktopX-compatible plugin support for menu items. Many features work in a similar way to ObjectBar, from which it is derived. |
Tweak7[5] (TweakVista) | Helps users to optimize the performance and behavior of Windows Vista/7 in several areas. Supersedes TweakShell. |
IconDeveloper | Creates icons from existing pictures, as opposed to software designed to create them one pixel at a time. Also provides for recolouring icons or icon packages. |
LogonStudio | A free program that allows users to change their Windows XP, Vista or 7 logon screens using a variety of built-in or user-created images. |
SoundPackager | A sound pack manager for Windows. Allows users to replace the entire set of sound effects. |
Theme Manager (WinStyles) | Creates and applies theme suites, changing the skins of applications which support them. Integrates with several other components. Also available as MyColors, used largely for co-branded themes and corporate installs. |
Keyboard LaunchPad | Creates keyboard shortcuts that can be used to launch applications, control media players, or insert clipboard snippets. Can be expanded through the use of plugins. |
SkinStudio (BuilderBlinds) | Creates skins for WindowBlinds. SkinStudio Pro offers a code editor and eases the creation of animations and substyles. Previous versions supported ObjectBar, WebBlinds, PocketBlinds, Koala Player and Windows Media Player. |
WindowFX | A program that adds shadows to windows, and provides window transitions for Windows XP. Transition effects use the same 3D APIs as mainstream computer games; as a result, they could be very demanding, particularly on computers built before Windows Vista. Transitions are created using a proprietaryscripting programming language - a free third-party tool called WFXScripter can manipulate these scripts. |
Name | Description |
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Component Tray | A satellite applet of Stardock Central that sat in the system tray and checked occasionally for component updates. Replaced by an equivalent tool for Impulse. |
ControlCenter | Provided virtual desktops, folder shortcuts and statistical displays. Its importance diminished as DesktopX allows the creation of equivalent objects with more sophisticated graphics and custom functionality. |
DriveScan | Visualized the file contents of drives in pie chart, bar chart or list format. Also showed a folder-by-folder breakdown of used space. |
Enhanced Dialog | Enhanced common dialog boxes, allowing users to customize the places displayed at the side and to add 'quick launch' buttons to the area above the folder view. Reached version 1.0 in July 2006. |
IconX | Provided antialiased resizing, transparency, and mouseover effects/animation for desktop icons. Initially part of DesktopX, IconX was split out into a separate product in August 2004. |
Object Edit | A syntax highlightingtext editor. |
ObjectMedia | A media player component based on DirectMedia. Could be run standalone, but was most often used with the DXPlayerplugin for DesktopX. |
Object Sweeper | Cleared out temporary files and web caches, and removed empty folders from the Start Menu. |
ObjectZip (Object Archives) | Provided basic ZIP, RAR and CAB support, including explorershell integration. Deemed obsolete since newer versions of Windows provided a folder view for ZIP and CAB archives. |
SpringFolders | Eased reorganization by opening folders when other folders were dragged onto them, in Explorer windows or on the desktop, and then closing them after the drag operation is complete. |
Stardock Virtual Desktops | Integrated into the taskbar, adding virtual desktop capabilities. Replaced the component known as BandVWM. |
Tab LaunchPad | A once-popular replacement for the OS/2 LaunchPad, adding tabs to store more shortcuts. Eclipsed by other components, notably ObjectDock, which added a tabs feature to its Plus version. |
TweakShell | Modified elements of the shell. Windows PowerToys now provide a more complete solution. |
Name | Description |
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StyleVista | Changed Windows Vista's window styles. A beta version was released on 16 August 2005, permitting adjustment of the colour and opacity of Vista's translucent window borders. Microsoft incorporated this feature into Vista. |
Association Wizard | Managed file associations. Superseded by improved support in Windows 2000, it was withdrawn in 2004. |
SmartIP | Let users create dynamic DNS entries of the form username.stardock.net with a system tray applet. Withdrawn in 2002, the service remained running for existing users until the end of 2003. |
TreeView | Added a 'Tree' option to the list of View options in Windows Explorer folders, similar to that offered by macOS. While still available in beta, CEO Brad Wardellindicated that he did not consider it a viable component. |
WebBlinds | An early demonstration of DirectSkin, Stardock's ActiveX/COM version of WindowBlinds. Allowed users to use WindowBlinds skins with Internet Explorer, plus change the toolbar icons. The icon functionality was merged with WindowBlinds. |
Name | Description |
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Desktop Backup Advisor | Provided packaged desktops (useful for corporations wishing to roll out a standard desktop layout to users) and improved performance by repairing OS/2 INI files, which tended to fill with invalid entries over time. |
Object Navigator | An advanced file manager for OS/2. Displayed long filenames on FATpartitions, and the professional version offered a view pane that displayed most types of file. |
Object Netscan | Displayed a bandwidth usage graph and other statistics relating to network usage. |
Object Inspector | Allowed users to inspect and modify OS/2 Workplace Shell objects. |
Object Package | Used to back up the desktop and other shell objects. |
Object Schedule | A folder-based task scheduler. |
Object Security | Provided basic desktop-level security. |
Object Viewing | The equivalent of Quick View for Windows 95, this allowed the display of numerousfile formats in applications, as well as in Object Navigator. |