DX3 - The Overhaul: An Independent Perspective
=n00bish(|33t_gfx)
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 by azdruid | Discussion: DesktopX
the n00b sentence: DesktopX is software made by Stardock that creates a content layer on the desktop, allowing one to display cool graphics/animations and all sorts of interactive stuff. It's neat. I heartily recommend it.
All right! DesktopX 3 is out and now WE have a nice shiny press release to stick in Konfabulator's face. So, what's new, why should you care, blah blah corporate speak
To begin, I have used DesktopX since version 1. It was really, really neat. Problem was, all the content for it consisted mainly of animated objects that did one thing and were on the whole ugly. It was like Linux: massive potential but no means to exploit it. Plus, the button-filled interface made noobs run away in terror. Bah. They weren't the target audience anyway.
Right, so then Alberto Riccio (the deity behind DX) began work on DesktopX 2. The beta, which I ran, broke tons of stuff and had even more buttons. I eventually reverted back to the stable build, as it is. I could wait. When DX2 was deemed fit-for-consumption, SD released it. Suddenly, the community began hearing whispers of this "uberkool!" new feature called widgets. So, apparently someone thought that hey! Its not enough to run DesktopX.exe - lets run EACH OBJECT in separate memory space! In my own humble opinion, my friends, I never cottoned on the the widget crowd. It seemed pointless, because there was really no reason why I would install DesktopX if not to actively use it. Plus, I like tweaking the hell out of every object I possess without a 5-step import process.
The Widget Wars have since escalated, and symbolify the gradual acceptance of OS Customization by the commoner fools. Granted, widgets were easier, but only for those who felt that a light system was 50 processes. The app of Mac origin, Konfabulator, has recieved a lot of press from pretty much everyone in the last year, due to Apple's ass-raping them and the creation of a Windows version (which was slow and weak). Now there are multiple contestants in the Widget Arena(tm) like Kapsules and AveDesk. Oddly enough, DesktopX remained overshadowed, ironically, by these lesser programs. Our King and benefactor Brad realized that hey! Most people are confused by any more than two buttons displayed in a dialog at once. And so, the simplification of DesktopX began.
To me, the announcement of DX3 came out of nowhere. I expected the 2.x line to last a lot longer. In any case, the big changes in DX3 are as (to the best of my memory) as follows:
- 3part UI. Runtime, Builder, Widget Manager Thingy
- Plugins (gee! thats not a NEW feature)
- Mormegil's beautiful graphics. Long overdue.
- 150% more widgety goodness and configuration
- DX Pro is now only $70. Sweet.
Wait a moment, you say. WTF is DX Pro? Please tell me ATI is not in control of the naming scheme.
Fear not my young inexperienced friend, would be my response, for the shiny, expensive version of DesktopX possesses the magic key to which people like us can make good-looking standalone applications very, very easily. Visual Basic be damned. And so it was to be. Have a look at the DX Welcome widget. It is IMPOSSIBLE to do that in VB. Mormegil probably did it in 5 minutes.
But DesktopX 3. Yes. Well, it comes with a nice assortment of widgets (gahh) that look really pretty and can outperform Konfabulator's offerings out of the box. I think that was one of SD's key goals with DX3 - make it be useful as soon as its loaded. In any case, yes, out-of-the-box-awesomeness is fulfilled. I'd like to see even more, but hey, that's because I'm picky. Where is KClock? KClock kicks ass.
The truth and rec---I mean the division and consolidation of DesktopX was done quite well, even though I hate its guts. See, I actually liked having all the bells in whistles in ONE panel, so I didn't have to manage three executables to build and test content. Making software is always a balanced equation: you want to stuff enough features in to make it viable, but on the same time, you need to make the interface usable enough and refrain from button madness. The DX3 interface is the extreme opposite of The GIMP's. The core component, DesktopX.exe, provides just enough buttons to get stuff onto your desktop. How terribly fascinating! It's Konfabulator! To do anything particularly productive, one must turn to the DesktopX Builder, which has an interface more reminiscent of the good old days.
To sum up this jumbled mass of words:
- DesktopX 3 is cool. Shut up and download it.
- If you are a n00b, be happy.
- If you are a power user, you will have to cope because the other new features are worth it.
- If you are Alberto Riccio, pat yourself on the back and have a beer.
The ol' double-edged blade in DesktopX is of course how ridiculously easy it is to create stuff for it. It was what originally attracted me. It is of the most trivial matter to draw a square in Fireworks and have a nice square on your Desktop that opens Firefox or whatever. Upside? You can do Whatever you want! Dont wait for someone else to do it, dream it up yourself. Downside? I don't want a square to launch Firefox, and probably 99% of visitors to the DesktopX library on WC don't ether. So, guys, moderate your own content before you upload it. It saves time for everyone.
Just one other quick note that is completely irrelevant to DesktopX 3 but has implications for the program overall, is its shelf life. Stardock needs to (and does) make it very, very clear what DesktopX is capable of. Fancy animations may satisfy the dull-witted co-worker but not the rest of the world. I originally used DesktopX to create bars for launching oft-used programs easier. That task has since been delegated to ObjectDock Plus. A year ago I had 50 DX objects at one point in time. Now I have 2 objects, and four ObjectDock Plus bars because the ODP framework makes for a much nicer and easier launchbar. So, just be aware, that as more specifically designed applications focus on smaller points to compete with DX, DesktopX needs to evolve as well. So far it's doing a wonderful job.
Download it. Now.
All right! DesktopX 3 is out and now WE have a nice shiny press release to stick in Konfabulator's face. So, what's new, why should you care, blah blah corporate speak
To begin, I have used DesktopX since version 1. It was really, really neat. Problem was, all the content for it consisted mainly of animated objects that did one thing and were on the whole ugly. It was like Linux: massive potential but no means to exploit it. Plus, the button-filled interface made noobs run away in terror. Bah. They weren't the target audience anyway.
Right, so then Alberto Riccio (the deity behind DX) began work on DesktopX 2. The beta, which I ran, broke tons of stuff and had even more buttons. I eventually reverted back to the stable build, as it is. I could wait. When DX2 was deemed fit-for-consumption, SD released it. Suddenly, the community began hearing whispers of this "uberkool!" new feature called widgets. So, apparently someone thought that hey! Its not enough to run DesktopX.exe - lets run EACH OBJECT in separate memory space! In my own humble opinion, my friends, I never cottoned on the the widget crowd. It seemed pointless, because there was really no reason why I would install DesktopX if not to actively use it. Plus, I like tweaking the hell out of every object I possess without a 5-step import process.
The Widget Wars have since escalated, and symbolify the gradual acceptance of OS Customization by the commoner fools. Granted, widgets were easier, but only for those who felt that a light system was 50 processes. The app of Mac origin, Konfabulator, has recieved a lot of press from pretty much everyone in the last year, due to Apple's ass-raping them and the creation of a Windows version (which was slow and weak). Now there are multiple contestants in the Widget Arena(tm) like Kapsules and AveDesk. Oddly enough, DesktopX remained overshadowed, ironically, by these lesser programs. Our King and benefactor Brad realized that hey! Most people are confused by any more than two buttons displayed in a dialog at once. And so, the simplification of DesktopX began.
To me, the announcement of DX3 came out of nowhere. I expected the 2.x line to last a lot longer. In any case, the big changes in DX3 are as (to the best of my memory) as follows:
- 3part UI. Runtime, Builder, Widget Manager Thingy
- Plugins (gee! thats not a NEW feature)
- Mormegil's beautiful graphics. Long overdue.
- 150% more widgety goodness and configuration
- DX Pro is now only $70. Sweet.
Wait a moment, you say. WTF is DX Pro? Please tell me ATI is not in control of the naming scheme.
Fear not my young inexperienced friend, would be my response, for the shiny, expensive version of DesktopX possesses the magic key to which people like us can make good-looking standalone applications very, very easily. Visual Basic be damned. And so it was to be. Have a look at the DX Welcome widget. It is IMPOSSIBLE to do that in VB. Mormegil probably did it in 5 minutes.
But DesktopX 3. Yes. Well, it comes with a nice assortment of widgets (gahh) that look really pretty and can outperform Konfabulator's offerings out of the box. I think that was one of SD's key goals with DX3 - make it be useful as soon as its loaded. In any case, yes, out-of-the-box-awesomeness is fulfilled. I'd like to see even more, but hey, that's because I'm picky. Where is KClock? KClock kicks ass.
The truth and rec---I mean the division and consolidation of DesktopX was done quite well, even though I hate its guts. See, I actually liked having all the bells in whistles in ONE panel, so I didn't have to manage three executables to build and test content. Making software is always a balanced equation: you want to stuff enough features in to make it viable, but on the same time, you need to make the interface usable enough and refrain from button madness. The DX3 interface is the extreme opposite of The GIMP's. The core component, DesktopX.exe, provides just enough buttons to get stuff onto your desktop. How terribly fascinating! It's Konfabulator! To do anything particularly productive, one must turn to the DesktopX Builder, which has an interface more reminiscent of the good old days.
To sum up this jumbled mass of words:
- DesktopX 3 is cool. Shut up and download it.
- If you are a n00b, be happy.
- If you are a power user, you will have to cope because the other new features are worth it.
- If you are Alberto Riccio, pat yourself on the back and have a beer.
The ol' double-edged blade in DesktopX is of course how ridiculously easy it is to create stuff for it. It was what originally attracted me. It is of the most trivial matter to draw a square in Fireworks and have a nice square on your Desktop that opens Firefox or whatever. Upside? You can do Whatever you want! Dont wait for someone else to do it, dream it up yourself. Downside? I don't want a square to launch Firefox, and probably 99% of visitors to the DesktopX library on WC don't ether. So, guys, moderate your own content before you upload it. It saves time for everyone.
Just one other quick note that is completely irrelevant to DesktopX 3 but has implications for the program overall, is its shelf life. Stardock needs to (and does) make it very, very clear what DesktopX is capable of. Fancy animations may satisfy the dull-witted co-worker but not the rest of the world. I originally used DesktopX to create bars for launching oft-used programs easier. That task has since been delegated to ObjectDock Plus. A year ago I had 50 DX objects at one point in time. Now I have 2 objects, and four ObjectDock Plus bars because the ODP framework makes for a much nicer and easier launchbar. So, just be aware, that as more specifically designed applications focus on smaller points to compete with DX, DesktopX needs to evolve as well. So far it's doing a wonderful job.
Download it. Now.
BlueDev
Reply #2 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 6:49 AM
Reply #2 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 6:49 AM
Great article. Desktop X was one of the programs that always sort of mystified me. I had tried demos of it a couple times and had no idea what exactly it was supposed to do. I then purchased an ODNT subscription and started playing around with it a bit more. It has been interesting to watch it evolve a little over the time I have had that subscription. DesktopX 3 really seems to be an amazing application and may finally convince me to use it regularly.
thomassen
Reply #3 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 8:51 AM
Reply #3 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 8:51 AM
I've had DX since version 1 as well. However, the stuff I wanted to create for/with it had allways turned a bit akward and more-difficult-than-nessesary. (I didn't want to make another clock or weather thingy. I was going a bit further than that. You'll see later...) How, however, I've only had DX3 for about a week (beta) but I've picked up my old ideas and projects and I feel comfident that this time it'll be a breeze.
Anyways, what I'm curious about is where is the windows API access thay they talked about before it release? Or did I misinterpret this?
Anyways, what I'm curious about is where is the windows API access thay they talked about before it release? Or did I misinterpret this?
Alberto
Reply #4 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 9:11 AM
That's still being hold off. We are still evaluating usability in VBScript and security concerns. There are still lots of features to come for the 3.x line.
Reply #4 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 9:11 AM
| Anyways, what I'm curious about is where is the windows API access thay they talked about before it release? Or did I misinterpret this? |
That's still being hold off. We are still evaluating usability in VBScript and security concerns. There are still lots of features to come for the 3.x line.
mormegil
Reply #5 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 10:56 AM
Reply #5 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 10:56 AM
You can set DX builder to be the default Program for Opening objects, in the Builder preferances. This will make it more like the older Versions of DX.
CerebroJD
Reply #7 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:53 PM
Reply #7 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:53 PM
Extremely good read! Thanks for writing the article. I think it might help people to understand the new version a bit better. 
thomassen
Reply #8 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 5:06 PM
Just VBScript? I'm building my objects in JScript.
Reply #8 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 5:06 PM
| Anyways, what I'm curious about is where is the windows API access thay they talked about before it release? Or did I misinterpret this? That's still being hold off. We are still evaluating usability in VBScript and security concerns. There are still lots of features to come for the 3.x line. |
Just VBScript? I'm building my objects in JScript.
butch123
Reply #10 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 6:23 PM
Reply #10 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 6:23 PM
Excellent article..Definetely clarifies a lot for me..thanks. 
SuiteLife
Reply #11 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:26 PM
Reply #11 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:26 PM
Alberto,
Great product, I love it!
You mean there more for Desktop 3.x line to come? Wow, I through it could do enough, but if there's more, yippe!
If you could (and Brad/Frogboy) please read my entry entitles "DesktopX 3.0 Pro is Great but..." in the OS Customization section. It concerns questions about the DesktopX 3.0 Pro license and Widget and Gadget ownership and resellability. Since it seems like I can sell anything else I make with a Stardock product. Example, Windowblinds Skins/Themes and ObjectDock Themes. (Through I have never seen anybody sell Objectdock Themes.)
Link
Great product, I love it!
You mean there more for Desktop 3.x line to come? Wow, I through it could do enough, but if there's more, yippe!
If you could (and Brad/Frogboy) please read my entry entitles "DesktopX 3.0 Pro is Great but..." in the OS Customization section. It concerns questions about the DesktopX 3.0 Pro license and Widget and Gadget ownership and resellability. Since it seems like I can sell anything else I make with a Stardock product. Example, Windowblinds Skins/Themes and ObjectDock Themes. (Through I have never seen anybody sell Objectdock Themes.)
Link
Frogboy
Reply #12 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:31 PM
Reply #12 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:31 PM
You can sell the stuff you make with DesktopX.
The only limitation is that you cannot export a desktop as a GADGET. And that has to do with the licensing -- gadgets actually include DesktopX in there.
We don't want some Kiosk development company paying $69.95 for DesktopX Pro and using it as the basis of their $500 a pop kiosk product. (as an example)
SauravX
Reply #13 Friday, March 18, 2005 1:21 PM
Reply #13 Friday, March 18, 2005 1:21 PM
Help me, after installing desktopX Standerd demo from stardock, my Start -> Find Pallate is gone, I mean when I enter to search something, there is nothing but a black screen at the place where the usual dog appears during search, Using XP SP2
Also it crashes now with saying that dxaxhost.dll has some problem, whome to contact
Also it crashes now with saying that dxaxhost.dll has some problem, whome to contact
Draginol
Reply #14 Friday, March 18, 2005 2:11 PM
Reply #14 Friday, March 18, 2005 2:11 PM
DesktopX doesn't change the Windows shell. If I were to guess, I'd say your system is low on handles which means you should close some programs (particularly IE) and then try again.
SauravX
Reply #15 Saturday, March 19, 2005 2:04 AM
Reply #15 Saturday, March 19, 2005 2:04 AM
Hmm, well, I don't think my system is low on resources
P4 3.06 GHz, 512 MB RAM, FX5900XT, is not by any means low on recources
I have used system restore to go back to previous condition, & due to this , i M not installin it, better wait for DesktopX 3.1
P4 3.06 GHz, 512 MB RAM, FX5900XT, is not by any means low on recources
I have used system restore to go back to previous condition, & due to this , i M not installin it, better wait for DesktopX 3.1
Chris TH
Reply #16 Saturday, March 19, 2005 2:56 AM
There are 'resources' and then there are 'Resources'... An excercise for the student: find out the meaning of 'resources' in the context of Windows to understand what Brad means.
Reply #16 Saturday, March 19, 2005 2:56 AM
| P4 3.06 GHz, 512 MB RAM, FX5900XT, is not by any means low on recources |
There are 'resources' and then there are 'Resources'... An excercise for the student: find out the meaning of 'resources' in the context of Windows to understand what Brad means.
SauravX
Reply #17 Saturday, March 19, 2005 3:54 AM
Reply #17 Saturday, March 19, 2005 3:54 AM
Oh man, I can't even edit the mistake, sorry for that everyone
again back to the topic, what should I do, as I m also getting problem like this with Windowsblind when it opens folders slowly
again back to the topic, what should I do, as I m also getting problem like this with Windowsblind when it opens folders slowly
azdruid
Reply #18 Sunday, March 20, 2005 9:51 PM
Reply #18 Sunday, March 20, 2005 9:51 PM
I can see that nobody here has played Halo.... 
Thanks for the positive feedback though
Thanks for the positive feedback though
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Reply #1 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:40 AM
Sorry for my english
Take care.