Exactly!  Describes in a nutshell what I'm saying... loyal customer satisfaction, too many old timers missing a key app that fulfilled a need/want/desire.  And IconPackager, how it could be the best icon management app, and how it has become lacking/mediocre because it got left on the back burner too long.  Had it been given he love it was promised 2 or 3 years ago, maybe it would be the financially viable app Brad needs it to be to invest in its further development.  Sadly, however, I feel it will die an obscure and lonely death, as things stand/how it has been described as a "time versus pay off ratio" funeral waiting to happen.

Put bluntly, the described roadmap to 2011 doesn't sound too positive or promising.  Hopefully, we'll get a revised edition with some grunt, like Stardock taking the future of customisation by the horns and showing us some balls.

Just tried to install IconX...... "This program is not compatible with your operating system".

A lot of use THAT is then...........

Boxxi: IconX was discontinued years ago.

Starkers: IconPackager does what it does pretty well.  There were still a few bugs when I left Stardock but it changes icons.  When I asked what new features it needed was wanted it got pretty quiet.    Further, with the amount of effort it takes to create full icon sets . . . there weren't as many skinners doing anything for it (15 in the gallery in 2010).

What we really need is an insider at MS to convince someone that they should bring Luna back for Windows8.  

Brian I understand just seeiing your post reminded me and after reading Brads thread just got my juices going on it ,

Some good points to note:

(1) It could be done as a set (obviously we would not want to animate all icons )that comes when you Dload Icon Packager

(2) The platform is already available,stable and could help DX and IP at the same time! Very little development time which after reading the thread , thats a good point

(3) memory usage check out the image below I set TaskManager to real time these are the results

(4) While I understand it isnt exactly an Icon,But for a consumer they dont know if it is powered by DX, IP, IconX etc... so with short development time,skinnable, packageable,From a buisiness aspect it has all the key components

*little to no R&D

*low cost

*platform existing

*breath new life into 2 programs at once

*easilly marketable

Brian I think it is a great suggestion either way.

Brad I would be happy to devote some time anyway I can!!!

The issue is not that we need it to add extra work for skinners, but rather, adding the ability for users to skin desktop shortcuts within IP.   And I did mention this several times in one of the dedicated IP threads, and again in the general ObjectDesktop feedback thread.  So rather than frilly new features right now, I think most users would appreciate the complete skinning of icons somewhat more. 

I do recall a few others agreeing with the idea of skinning desktop shortcuts within IP, but I do not recall getting an answer from Stardock to its implementation, one way or the other... hence my raising it here.

Hey!    Oh, R&D not RND....sorry.....

Reading through the material, may I give another perspective?

I subscribe to ODesktop, but haven't been using any skins in months.  Aero Glass is just too nice, clean, and useful and the skins on offer from Wincustomize aren't good enough for me to try out.  If you can't wow me by creating something usable and at least as clean as glass, I'm less inclined to try it.  I tried gussing up my GUI with Christmas stuff last year and half the skins are pretty lacking.  Some are too busy-looking, some are unfinished, and some just too garish.  I ended up using the nicest icon set I could find, using a snowing animated wallpaper, and re-tinting Aero Glass.  Good 'nuff.

I've looked at the master skins too.  They're mostly really good, but they've got to wow me and be *better* than Aero Glass for me to shell out money.  I'd just as soon part with my treasure for food, music, books, on-sale video games than one skin.  I don't, as they say, get enough utility out of it.

That might actually be a better way of framing the discussion: utility.  What utility am I getting out of ODesktop?  Am I just so wowed by the eye candy that I switch from default?  Nope.  Not lately.  Well what do I really get utility out of?  Fences and Objectdock...

Ahhhh.

Something that actually changes the functionality of the interface and makes workflow more convenient.  More importantly it hits right in Microsoft's weak spot: the usability of their bar/start-menu interface.  It works, but it kind of still sucks.  IMO this is the "Luna" of Windows 7, the thing that people can build on or replace to create a better computing environment.  If there were a way for Desktop X or some other program to change the interface functionality easily, I think that would become the must-have app on offer from Stardock.  Not prettifying the windows or the icons, but changing wholesale how you get to the stuff on which you do your work.  Objectdock is the closest to doing this right now.  If there were ways to change the interactive paradigm, wow.  For instance can I make my gui operate like next-step?  Can I create animated "drawers" of icons?  Can I create a new program bar that drapes itself around the corner of the top *and* sides of the screen?  Can I create status indicators that mesh cleanly with program icons?  Can I rip and tear pieces of the interface and rearrange them to my taste?  And above all will my maximized windows behave well with all these changes?  Basically, looking at extending the operation of OD... making an OD^10 if you will.  Skinning's not going to go away, but imo functionality of my interface is the new skinning.

Like Objectbar? [See (bad) video here]

Yup, ObjectBar was a nice program, right along there with RightClick.

Yes, actually.  I think that's exactly what I'm talking about.  The design of the "themes" available with Objectbar would have to have a decent jump in consistency and quality and SD should promote and develop its feature-set, but yeah.  Exactly what I'm talking about.

OBar WOULD have been great except for the total lack of any coherent tutorials/documentation. It now lies festering at the bottom of a stinky pile of could have beens..

Indeed.

Winstep Extreme

what was that about windowblinds..?

Absolutely agree with Jafo's 'less G and more I" regarding the GUI. It's simply because of what's already been said so I won't repeat.

BUT, as long as there's a vStyler, AVMan, Essorant, BoXXi, (and Vamps when her other work load is lightened), Mirsguy, and Karen around...as well as the up and coming generation , the "G" is well taken care of!

As for functionality? That should be the selling point, and "RightClick" and "ObjectBar" are highly functional. DX is as well, but does have a learning curve....which could be eased with a serious update. I guess it's up to you to decide what's worth it, though.

Yes, Winstep Xtreme certainly boosted my user experience to a high I'd not seen before.  In fact, after firewall and antivirus apps, it's the first non-security app I apply after refomatting... and with all my settings saved and imported, I'm ready to go in seconds.

I particularly like the desktop modules as they provide all the crucial system/email/network information I need at a glance. The only thing missing there, I think, is a configurable calendar similar to Rainledar.  Add that (hint, hint, Jorge) and I'd be as happy as a pig in muck.

Mind if I delete my posts? They don't seem at all relevant. I misunderstood the direction it needed to go.

Ahem......

I want to be able to use and create my desktop in the same way as a web page. Think of the desktop as a canvas upon which you can lay out any sort of thing you want using a WYSIWYG editor and/or markup language. I should be able to put controls, embed video, clocks, monitors, what have you on the desktop. Let ME define the interface to replace the current Windows GUI. Entirely. Make it easy to create and edit, in the same way that it is pretty easy to create web pages. Supply a whole laundry list of controls and monitors that are skin-able to place on the desktop so that I can get started right away at making my desktop work for me. Sounds like what? DesktopX. I know! But that puppy is JUST TOO HARD to use and not enough comes "in the box" for most people.

My biggest gripe about your products isn't actually functionality. It is MAKING THE FUNCTIONALITY ACCESSIBLE to every day users. I've made my own Right Click skins, altered and created WindowBlinds from scratch, etc. Never once did I find the CREATING part easy enough for anything but a dedicated hobbyist to do. The editors are clunky, unintuitive and largely undocumented. And therein lies an opportunity it seems to me.

I really hope things get better, I'm loosing the faith a little bit and yes, iOS is a very attractive field I've being entering too.

I just wish other OD apps got all the love that WindowBlinds and DeskScapes get, but not being updated only over the years

to go compatible but getting new directions, blowing my mind away like they used to do in the past.

I don't pay for brags, if I do good, I do good. If I don't, He tells me..lol.  I know he has all my DX themes.  I generally give him K to leave me alone.

I know Doc lurvs me, and he knows I....  er ....  well.. He knows how I feel..I was just raggin him.