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Stardock has got it figured out as well

http://www.stardock.com/

Which have been available just as long on Windows via a third party http://www.stardock.com/

Does this mean that Google will buyout Stardock Systems for its Object Desktop? http://www.stardock.com/products/odnt/

Thank God! I use Windowblinds. XP Silver is Fisher Price in black and white and Classic is essentially Windows 95 with a few instances of cotton candy... 10 years later and I'm gonna look at Windows 95? Ugh!

If you want eye candy on windows, use stardock's stuff. (No, I don't work for them.) They have had their stuff out for several years.

Windowblinds allows you to skin your apps. FX allows you to do transparency and 3-D effects for min/max. And you can use their icon program to change all the icons.

It is a lot of fun, although I still use windows classic most of the time.

AppRocket sounds like it does the same thing QuickSilver does. Some other cool hacks for Windows are ObjectDock and ObjectDesktop, which make Windows look like OS X. ObjectDesktop includes WindowBlinds, an alternative skinning product for Windows.

Hot corners on the other hand, I thought Windows supported those. Maybe it was just the After Dark screensaver I used to use... Regardless, one thing you should have noticed about Windows is that it isn't hard to find software to do whatever you're searching for.

Want to talk about rigidity? How about the fact that in Windows you only have one command line interpreter? And cmd.exe can't even copy/paste like a normal app.

There's a few things you can change to fix that. For instance, I change the defaults to use Quick Edit mode (hightlight then right-click to copy, right-click by itself to paste) and turn on Autocomplete (tab completion). Makes it feel a bit more like a UNIX shell. Too bad ls doesn't work in it. *writes up a quick .bat file to run dir/w when ls is typed*

Besides, as someone already pointed out, bash has been ported to Windows. You can use it with or without cygwin.

AppRocket sounds like it does the same thing QuickSilver does. Some other cool hacks for Windows are ObjectDock and ObjectDesktop, which make Windows look like OS X. ObjectDesktop includes WindowBlinds, an alternative skinning product for Windows.

Hot corners on the other hand, I thought Windows supported those. Maybe it was just the After Dark screensaver I used to use... Regardless, one thing you should have noticed about Windows is that it isn't hard to find software to do whatever you're searching for.

Want to talk about rigidity? How about the fact that in Windows you only have one command line interpreter? And cmd.exe can't even copy/paste like a normal app.

There's a few things you can change to fix that. For instance, I change the defaults to use Quick Edit mode (hightlight then right-click to copy, right-click by itself to paste) and turn on Autocomplete (tab completion). Makes it feel a bit more like a UNIX shell. Too bad ls doesn't work in it. *writes up a quick .bat file to run dir/w when ls is typed*

Besides, as someone already pointed out, bash has been ported to Windows. You can use it with or without cygwin.

The other subscription I have, besides DAoC, is TotalGaming:
http://totalgaming.stardock.com/

Big and small games, and not a single FPS :)
(They're also working on an MMORTS)

You're basically right. Thanks for the thoughts. Yeah, I use apt-get on Redhat/Fedora, there's been lots of growing pains. Some RPMs require repository X, repo X requires repo Y, turns into repo dependency hell with freshrpms, dag, axel, newrpms, etc etc... you just can't win. You do a typical apt-get update because you need a new ssh, and then something major breaks, or the upgrade fails... It's just the way. It's getting better, but it still sucks. Look at the FC4 mailing lists. Lots of people having problems. It just sucks to be the guinnea pig time after time. "Oh new update in stable, cool", then "What's this? My email program won't start, wtf?!"

Linux's flaw and simultaneously its strength is that it is 100% free and open. because of the IP nightmare, things are even more fragmented, or stuff can't be included. I suppose a free o/s is better than being force into a blackmarket. On the windows side, by default yeah it sucks, but with easy access to warez, it quickly becomes bearable. So even if it's not technically a fair comparison, it's basically: free vs free. This is why linux doesn't get a lot of converts.

So i don't have any answers and I'm not a programmer. If push comes to shove, I can do everything in linux. I just get sick of constantly tweaking and troubleshooting things, and never ever really being satisfied with what I have. Windows sucks, but they made software installs easy enough, that within a matter of minutes you get a lot of useful stuff running without any hassles.

There are DC++ and Soulseek clients for linux, but they suck. The developers are not responsive on the mailing lists. It's basically take what we give you and don't complain attitude. Fair enough, they're all volunteer. But under windows, the developers and apps are in the same scenario, free and volunteer, but the apps work right. Well, except for soulseek, it's the windows equiv of linux development. Program is buggy, crashes, server goes down, searches suck, lot's of random issues. But these are chat/filesharing apps, so when you're friends are all on it, what do you do? I guess you have to tolerate it...

We take this stuff way too seriously though. That's why I can bear running Windows. I'm looking for the quickest easiest way from point A to B. That's it. What's the easiest way to get online and browse the web, or chat or rip and encode dvd's, or whatever I fancy.

There is no right or wrong way. Linux still needs a lot of work. I'm greatful to all involved because it gives me options. And when the cards are all layed out. I can do anything that I really think is essential under linux, even if it takes more effort. That's a good thing. But I do enjoy being able to take a minute here or there and do the fluff waste of time things that are just for fun. I feel more engaged with my friends and more in tune with where society is at in general. Being a stereotypical geek with practically no social contact, stuck in a basement with no friends, and working a lonely university job, I lack human contact, so some of those little conveniences of Windows are nice occasionally... So hmm, what to replace Fedora with? I'm leaning towards PCLinuxOS, I really liked their LiveCD...

Oh yeah, I don't own a TV, so my computer is my TV/DVD/Stereo/Entertainment Center.

And... here's an example screenshot, a little over the top for my tastes, but demonstrates:
http://www.stardock.com/products/universemetal/um. jpg

A former OS/2 developer explains his decision to abandon the operating system:

http://www.stardock.com/stardock/articles/endofos2 .html/

I work for an organization that moved from OS/2 to Windows NT 4.0 when it was released. We did it, as I recall, mostly because of the far superior number of applications available to Windows.

It looks like a skin for WindowBlinds.

Galactic Civilizations from Stardock has a mode that can take advantage of hyperthreading. Of course it is a turn base strategy game and is able (I assume) to offload a lot of background processing to take advantage of it.

True Launch Bar is a great quick launch replacement with menus and many plugins.

True X-Mouse Gizmo Gives you X-windows like cut and paste in windows. a bit buggy IMO. I use a macro enabled mouse now for the same functions.

AutoHotKey Script Windows GUI, just plain Great!

Stardock friends at work use some of their tools. Looks like you can redefine just about anything with their toolset.

Porblem solved.

There are other companies that manage to do online game distribution without requiring the games to call home... see http://totalgaming.stardock.com/ Galactic Civilizations, Galactiv Civiliations II Beta, and other games....

Well, since your windows friends have had access to the exact same effects showcased in those demos for over two years, I would say any jealousy on their part would be misplaced. http://www.stardock.com/products/windowfx/

The effects aren't quite as polished as Luminocity (yes, ironic), but the idea's been out there for a while:

Old video: http://www.stardock.com/video/windowfx1.wmv

New video: http://www.stardock.com/video/winfx21.wmv

The indie half of the game industry needs to *grow up* if they're going to be conventionally successful. Puzzle Pirates had a $600k budget -- if you want to break into the restauraunt business you don't start with a lemonade stand, and I can't imagine why anyone thinks they're going to be successful starting from a garage in this day and age. Distribute online, take the publisher out of the loop and get 95% of every sale instead of 15%. THEN, when you have 5000 paying customers like Puzzle Pirates did the last time I checked, the publishers will come to *you* trying to get the hot new IP fix that they crave and cannot make in house, and you will get to dictate the terms because a) any publisher can make you bloody rich and b) you have the demonstrable ability to make any publisher who takes your game to wide-release a godawful amount of money.

See Stardock for another example of a company which proves you don't have to have a $20 million budget to act like "#$&"$# professionals.

As there's cache of the images, anyone with a Web server could run this as their homepage at http://127.0.0.1/

Another thought: the icons could be recycled and used for ObjectDock (http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/) if only the goddamned thing wouldn't crash Explorer.exe so much...

If you get the latest public build, WinHec 2004 4071, and enable the DWM (Desktop Window Manager) and then use Atl-Tab, all your windows stack on top of one another and tilt away from you.
http://www.stardock.com/video/june2004/longhorn/lh 4074_6.jpg

Thats about the only 3D effect thats in Longhorn, you must be thinking of the Task Gallery research project or SphereXP.

Longhorn uses the 3D accelerator to render everything, Avalon the new presentation system is built on Direct3D, but so far theres not much actual 3D in the interface.

I've been searching for a website that would just show screenshots of "pretty" UI (something like this. Screens from well done semi-futuristic movies, where they spend all their time on UI, would be nice.

A couple near the bottom of the GIS in the parent are actual Longhorn screenshots: Here and Here

The best thing to do is to make the switch gradually, one application at a time.
...
Eventually, it won't matter much to users anymore whether they run Windows underneath all that FOSS...

Interesting read about OS/2 (and IBM)

Oh, so you want to add some development tools? that's an additional 200MB [or so, without manual pages]. You want an office suite? Add another GB. So now you're upto ~2GB and you're out of pocket over a thousand dollars. Mmm... fun.


1. A full install of Office, including OneNote, Project, Frontpage, Access, Powerpoint, Word, Excel, InfoPath, Visio, Publisher and the VB Macro IDE takes up only 507Mb on my system. THat's a far cry from "add another Gb", and for a lot more functionality than you get in a full Open Office install.

2. Microsoft developer tools - compilers, SDKs - can be downloaded for free. No cost. Install size of developer tools is not an issue if you're a software developer - it's only an issue if your platform requires that you compiler everything yourself - a la Gentoo.

3. While we're at it, you can run Open Office for free on Windows too if you want to. SO your "out of pocket over a thousand dollars" comment is bunk.

4. Yes, you can replace explorer.exe. Try looking at the stardock website some time. Here's an example for you.

5. Yes, you can replace the browser in Windows with something different. I know you've probably never heard of them, but try looking at Firefox or Opera some time.

6. While we're at it, any install that requires a "competent user" to do it is not exactly something that you can buy off the shelf. If it requires hand tweaking, you can pretty much rule it out as an example of "lack of bloat". In the past, I've managed to fit a fully working version of Windows NT 4.0 into less than 50Mb of disk space. Whoopdidoo.

7. Your "don't want to use" argument is lame. Your Gentoo install contains Gnome (don't want to use), perl & python (really don't want to use), mozilla (bloatware), xmms (don't want to sue), mplayer (uses illegally copied dlls from Windows), X (inefficient subsystem for a GUI that runs on a desktop computer). So that's not a particularly good argument either way.

8. Yes, you do get a competent music/media player. That's what the whole EU lawsuit is about. The webbrowser is also fine. And the shell is fine - for basic tasks. If you want more, download something else.

Exposé

They've been bitching they had this for a while... Hit Windows-Key-D, OHMYGOD, SHOW DESKTOP! Some people have it in the Quick Launch Bar.

Rendezvous

UPnP.

Dashboard

DesktopX? Samurize? Konfabulator? Granted, they're not in Windows default yet, but they're certainly available, and at least one even predates Mac OS X.

Tabbed Browsing in IE out of box

Just wait 'till Longhorn! We'll show those Mac Apologists who-has-what-first :P!

I'm surprised you didn't mention Avalon/Quartz Extreme...

I agree, it's an excellent feature to have. Despite trying all the various Windows newsgroup readers, none of them match the functionality that PMINews from Stardock had under OS/2. Fully multi-threaded, you could have 3 or more downloads going simultaneously, and everything stayed responsive.

Chip H.

Why the heck is this crap getting publicity? In the Windows market, its been done before, and done better. Who cares about this thing!

Try Stardocks DesktopX for the real thing..

This is very similar to desktopX. Which already has tons of free and paying widgest/objects/themes.

From the weather report to translucent fishies swimming over your applications, it's all there. Quite fun for some time!

Stardock already does this for Windows in a very nice way.

Check it out here.

Don't worry about this
or this
or even this
or this
hmm, or this

There's nothing "Mac OS exclusive" about widgets. Apple didn't do them first, just like they didn't do alpha blended shadows, app skinning, a dock, etc... first. But, for some reason, Apple users like to attribute all sorts of misplaced creative distinction to the folks in Cupertino.

That link is some strange search portal.

Try this one. (:

Sorry my bad -- I assumed (incorrectly) that stardock owned that link (I rally thought they did in the past). It is just an "ad link" page now. My bad

Here is the correct link DesktopX

So....it's essentially DesktopX?

So why don't you download ObjectDock? It's a free OSX-ish dock for Windows.

I used it for a bit, but in the end I prefered the lower-overhead of the standard Windows shell.

Have both, Mac OS X interface running on Windows.

Click here for screenshot

running on Windows XP SP2

using:
Stardock's ObjectDock Plus on the bottom to replicate Mac OS X's application bar
Starock's WindowBlinds using the OSXP NG skin to replicate the Mac OS X Aqua window interface
Stardock's WindowFX to replicate the shadows and minimize/maximize animations on Mac OS X
Stardock's IconPackager to replicate some of the system icons from Mac OS X, such as the Trash icon and the default blue folder icon.

Have both, Mac OS X interface running on Windows.

Click here for screenshot

running on Windows XP SP2

using:
Stardock's ObjectDock Plus on the bottom to replicate Mac OS X's application bar
Starock's WindowBlinds using the OSXP NG skin to replicate the Mac OS X Aqua window interface
Stardock's WindowFX to replicate the shadows and minimize/maximize animations on Mac OS X
Stardock's IconPackager to replicate some of the system icons from Mac OS X, such as the Trash icon and the default blue folder icon.

Have both, Mac OS X interface running on Windows.

Click here for screenshot

running on Windows XP SP2

using:
Stardock's ObjectDock Plus on the bottom to replicate Mac OS X's application bar
Starock's WindowBlinds using the OSXP NG skin to replicate the Mac OS X Aqua window interface
Stardock's WindowFX to replicate the shadows and minimize/maximize animations on Mac OS X
Stardock's IconPackager to replicate some of the system icons from Mac OS X, such as the Trash icon and the default blue folder icon.

It's published by Ubisoft, but developed by Stardock. Stardock has a history of giving such things as CD protection the finger.

http://elf-inside.livejournal.com/116304.html

http://totalgaming.stardock.com/Articles.asp?MID=5 &AID=21876

If you are at all interested in buying the game or crashing some servers check out http://totalgaming.stardock.com/.

I'm pretty sure this is NOT from Ubisoft. This game has been in development at Stardock (the company that makes Galactic Civilizations and all the little windows interface replacements like WindowBlinds).

The Political Machine - (scroll down).

http://stardock.com/

Jaysyn

1. MS Powertoys - In addition to many other things, this will assist you with relocating your document and data directories. Also, you can speed up the menu response times considerably
2. ATNotes - Best free sticky notes I've came across!
3. Stardock/Object Desktop - Tons of GUI-related tweak and skinnig options
4. XP Smoker - Good all around hardware/software tweaker
5. AutoHotKey - Omigod! I just discovered this. Get it now!! It's probably the closest to Appescript I've seen yet for the PC, it's OSS, and it's awsome!!
6. AltDeskOne of the better virtual desktop programs I've found for the PC. There's better and faster ones out there, but this is one of the few who's behavior I like w/multiple monitors

Anyway... Plenty of other tweaks and programs out there, but this is probably plenty for now. I really should finish that book I keep starting about this crap install of trying to cram it into threads anyway... 8)=

My original point was/is that Raid 0 is a great technology, and can greatly speed an already great system. But if you're the type of person who just will setup a box once with Raid 0 for everything, never consider backups, or other methods to really take advantage of your PC's technology

Remember, scalable bitmaps and alpha blending are already fully available on Mac (natively) and Win (with add-ons).

I see your point, and I'm sure the publishers have their reason for pricing games at ~$50.

Maybe instead of dropping the price of games they need to improve the quality. I think it's absolutely rediculous when developers are working on a patch before it's even hit the stores. Most publishers put so much pressure on developers to release that they often release a buggy product. It seems to me to be part of the reason why people are more willing to warez.

I guess I just don't believe that people are inherently malicious in their actions and are more driven by market forces.

Check out this article believed to be written by one Brad Wardell of Stardock and Galactic Civilizations fame. I posted the article (and ranted a little) here if you are interested.

I guess you are not aware of DesktopX which exists for some years now.

Well anyway let me not stop your little fantasy about Apple the innovator, the squasher of the ISV's.

Personally, I've recently installed the free version of Stardock's Desktop X, using one of the many weather objects available at WinCustomize.

So far, I've gotten alot out of it, and there are alot of other useful and sleek looking objects (plugins) and themes available, if that's your sort of thing. Just some minimalist weather reports and system stats, for me, though.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I've been offered a job in the US, subject to getting a H1-B, and I'm really looking forward to it - the place I'm working is basically the place to go for what I enjoy doing. I've been in their community for about four years or so. I'm not being paid any less than a good US graduate starting salary, and I believe that to be reasonable for the skills I have. Frankly, the H1-B is a great way to get qualified people into the US, and I'm sure your country has benefited from it. Yes, it may mean that jobs go to forieners. But if they make the effort to be the best for the job, how is that unfair?

Using the 'explorer' shell, which is heavily intergrated into the Windows OS, is the fastest, and should be the default. Then if people want to change it to look pretty they can, by sacrificing speed (in slower machines).

Windows shell replacements, as opposed to skinning apps like WindowBlinds, usually run faster, not slower. The secret seems to be choosing an alternative browser and file manager, thereby using Explorer as little as possible.

My Win2k box runs a lot faster with Geoshell/Servant Salamander/Firefox than with Explorer/Explorer/Explorer.

1. 4NT - I am old enough to use the command line.
2. Visual Slickedit - my editor of choice. I started out with version 4 and I just sent off the money for the upgrade to version 9 yesterday.
3. Subversion - 'cause VCS is a must. The place where I work may not use it but I will.
4. Tortoise SVN - to make my life with a VCS even more easy.
5. Cygwin - mostly for GCC.
6. Linkstash - I think this is a much better way to manage bookmarks
7. Winzip - the latest version. And yes, I've paid for it.
8. Object Desktop - I've gotten addicted to Object Bar and Object Edit. No, I'm not into skinning...
9. OE-QuoteFix - makes Outlook Express a bearable newsreader.
10. ev41 - a free HP-41 emulation for when I need a real calculator. There is a Pocket PC version too.