Informed DesktopX reviews

Whoah. When did this thread get here? Good idea getting other ppl's reviews.

I posted PRO!!!

So I take it that an "informed" review is one that thinks this program is actually useful and increases productivity and doesn't think it is just the toy that it is.

hm. i downloaded desktop x...don't you guys find it weird that everytime you change a skin you have to get used to the new interface? and my friend says that if i use desktop x, i'm actually running two interfaces at once so it actually slows down my com quite a bit. is it true? for now i'm sticking to window blinds only.

moreover, i did try to download some themes for desktop x. but for every theme i load, it always come with this error messege..."stardock mcp not found or wrong version. systray support disabled.". and the themes wont load properly. sometimes it's wrong resolution. eventually i uninstalled the program.

Well, I don't usually go for the themes myself, but when I do I read to make sure that they are appropriate for my resolution.   There was a time awhile back that the MCP error did show up, but that is long since resolved.

I make my own themes, build them from background up.  Therefore, they are customized to what I need and are always changing as I add and remove stuff I want.  They grow with me so I don't have a need to get used to anything.

It has a minimal impact on my CPU.  Most of the time when I look it is between 2 and 12% depending on the number and type of objects I am using.  When you have a window open, DX saves resouces by not running behind it.

Oh, and as for the taskbar and system tray .. if the theme is built without one, or with a hidden one and you are not used to it it can be disconcerting.  It was for me.  I learned to really read the author's comments carefully to see what has been included and excluded.  Now-a-days object dock can supply you with both a taskbar and a tray..

mostly, though, I like to make my own stuff.

[Message Edited]

haha, i wanted to make my own skin too...but i need some time to figure out how to use the program, and i'm in a midst of major exams...oh well. thanks

WARNING: Didn't read the whole thread:

#3 by lutikriss - 9/6/2004 2:25:55 PM So I take it that an "informed" review is one that thinks this program is actually useful and increases productivity and doesn't think it is just the toy that it is.

Nope.

Informed means whatever you say about it, make sure it is actually based on reality. So I would guess he doesn't just want 'hey, its great' or 'wfh, it always crashed' statements... More like full sentences or maybe (*gasp*) 3 or 4 sentences of an opition based on reality of the program.

haha, i wanted to make my own skin too...but i need some time to figure out how to use the program, and i'm in a midst of major exams...oh well. thanks

  

You don't need to make a proper theme to enjoy dx.  You don't even need to have dx running as long as it is installed in your computer.  Check out the widget section.  There are a lot of really good ones, including media players, drive monitors, radios, calendars and weather objects...

There are tons of practical things that can be done with DX that little to no impact on system resources. Excessive use of resources is usually the result of unoptimized scripting. The power of DX hasn't even begun to be tapped yet.

#11 by digital_trucker - 9/9/2004 5:31:27 PM There are tons of practical things that can be done with DX that little to no impact on system resources. Excessive use of resources is usually the result of unoptimized scripting. The power of DX hasn't even begun to be tapped yet.

Agreed. 2 years ago I saw the use of DX as I was taking classes for C++ and VB.

Now its even better. You can, quite literally, create your own mini app.. You can use DX to make a database on your computer using Access, Text Files or SQL. You can access the web or access a website database with it too. You can technically create a browser, just like WinCustomize browser, for users to connect to your website.

How cool is that??? Now if only I could remember how to connect VB to MS Access or SQL. (Plus I need to look up some better tutorials on how to write ASP script so I can have ASP pages and those pages connect to the database)

DX is sooo cool. You know what I would like to see? A DX object that changes shape and color depending on how many skins are uploaded or how many news reports are posted a day. That would be cool.

But I am rabbling...

When I start working again, the first thing I am going to get is DX Pro ($500 USD for commercial use, $129 USD for your own use). My second big investment into my future!!! (My first was grad school... sheeesh!!! Spent a lot of meatballs on that and I am still not finished)

DesktopX pros:

Currently I am using DX for it's "great ability" to provide very useful objects on the desktop that I can actually read without having to squint (unlike the 32 x 32 icons).

Allows beginning users to load a variety of desktop tools from one or two objects to a complete theme of multiple objects which can be used to create a very productive desktop.

Allows a user to gain more enjoyment out of sitting at the computer for hours on end with some simple desktop luxuries that one might not otherwise have.

On a personal note: I just began a book "beginning programming" which introduces one to the basics in the most common programming languages, in an effort to design some DX objects.

Learning some basic programming has become a focus for me since purchasing Object Desktop and seeing all the great possibilities in this suite (especially DX). I have to chalk this up in the pro column.

Possible cons:

Though the CPU usage is very good, some other issues may exist. I am running this on a machine with a good P4 and 400 Mhz front side bus, but with onboard graphics and 1 GB RAM. The onboard graphics and memory seem to present some issues if DX and ObjectDock+ are up and I try to load a DVD into WMP. Need to test this on a machine with a good video card to see if it is indeed a hardware issue, which is what I suspect at this time.

I have noticed that the objects (or widgets) do utilize a fair amount of memory. Because I am not a coder, I can only say that it would be of help if DX could somehow load up the objects with less memory usage.

My statements are based on personal use. I have a fairly good background in computer hardware and a fair bit of both business and personal software use.

In summary I would say that DesktopX is a very nice piece of software with alot of possibility, one which I would certainly recommend and will continue to use.

Thank you for the opportunity to post.

Wrox makes an excellent book on VBScript. I had the old version, the new one's even better!

http://wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/productCd-0764559931.html