Since my switch to Vista full-time I have been having a great time customizing it and getting away from the typical "Aero" look.  Now some people have expressed to me that the like the Aero look, and I have no problem with it except it has now gotten old.  I used Aero for months and months, so now it's time to change Vista to the way I want it.

In the last few weeks some skinners have released Vista versions of their WindowBlinds skins, but I have also been running skins made for XP without problem.  There have been a few XP .msstyles I have converted and used as well, and I have been downloading skins like crazy lately.

This is my current Vista desktop....

 

Right now I'm using the Stingray skin by Z71, along with ObjectDock Plus and the matching Stingray icon pack.  I wanted a darker skin, and I liked the colors used in this skin.

These are a couple of skins I have been using over the last week or so as I change out every few days.

Vienna for Vista by vStyler

 

 

This skin also has an XP version, and both are great skins.   

 

 

 

Nuage Redux by essorant 

 

 

I really like the transparency in this skin, and it's definitely something different from the default Vista look. 

 

 

So for all you Vista users, what skins have you been using on Vista?

 

 

  

About 4 months ago, I posted a small chart detailing several of Stardock's applications, their current status running on Windows Vista, and (if applicable) their targeted "Vista-Ready" date.  Since the original list was posted in January, a lot has changed.  Some of the original dates came to pass, some didn't, and it's about time we put up a more accurate and up-to-date list for the coming months.

	Vista Status	Vista Version	Testing Phase	Targeted Beta Date	Targeted Release Date
DeskScapes	Ready	1.0
WindowBlinds	Ready	5.5
IconPackager	Ready	3.2
ObjectDock	Ready	1.9
Keyboard LaunchPad	Ready	1.6
LogonStudio Vista	Ready	1.0
KeepSafe	Ready	1.1
Multiplicity	Ready	1.1
CursorVista	Testing	1.0	Internal Alpha	Summer, 2007	Fall, 2007
TweakVista	Testing	1.0	Beta	Available to OD Subs	August, 2007
DesktopX	Testing	3.5	Internal Alpha	Late Spring, 2007	Summer, 2007
IconDeveloper	In Development	2.0		Summer, 2007	Fall, 2007
SkinStudio	In Development	6.0		Summer, 2007	Fall, 2007
SoundPackager	In Development	1.0		July, 2007	September, 2007
ObjectBar	In Development	2.01		Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007
RightClick	In Development	1.2		Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007
IconX	In Development	1.2		Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007
ObjectEdit	In Development			Summer, 2007	Summer, 2007

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Hey, where is <Insert Application Here>?  I don't see it, does that mean it won't ever get a Vista version?
   The list above is a list of applications CURRENTLY supported under Vista, and what we have on the schedule to update in the next several months.  Though the chart has items listed as "Fall" it really only goes up through the end of September/early October.  If an application is not listed here, it's just not on the schedule to see either a beta or release prior to September.
2. Wow, it looks like all you guys are doing is making Vista updates this year.  Is Windows XP development dead?
   Not by a long shot.  WindowBlinds 6.0, SkinStudio 6.0, SoundPackager and IconDeveloper are all getting significant updates that will directly benefit our XP users.  Development on Windows XP is alive and well and will be for some time to come.  Most of us still have XP running on at least one system at the office, and at home.  We want updates to XP products as much as you do!  This list is just for people concerned over when their favorite apps will make it to Vista.
3. What about 64 bit support?
   This article isn't about 64 bit support.  While we do know that many of you are very concerned over this since you moved to 64-bit when Vista came out, we currently don't have a schedule we can give you.  Certain items like WindowBlinds and IconPackager are definitely coming soon, and others such as DeskScapes and TweakVista already have 64-bit support.
4. Do These Versions Also Work on XP?
   With the exception of Vista-specific applications such as DeskScapes, TweakVista, LogonStudio Vista, and CursorVista, all applications listed above work under WindowsXP.  We try to be very clear when an application is Vista-only.

Another Friday, and the month is slowly winding down.  Summertime is getting real close and there is some exciting stuff coming up in the next couple of months.  I want to take this time (again) to thank everyone for their feedback on this weekly feature.  It has been great, and I appreciate all the comments and suggestions I have been getting.

So many great submissions this past week I might have to make this a slightly extended version today.

Now for the picks!

MB-MetalReligionCur for CursorXP
By ModBlackmoon

 

 

This cursor was made to match his DesktopX theme, but I found myself using this on it's own.  Very nice design, and very cool animations.

 

 

 

Shark Pit in Dreams
By Stardock Design

 

I really like this dream because it's something different than what I usually see submitted for Dreams. 

 

 

Black Docks for ObjectDock
By J. Aroche

 

These docks are made to match the "Black" WindowBlinds skin.  Great work.

 

 

Vienna Dock Backgrounds for ObjectDock
By messiah1

 

 

 

Another very popular WB skin is Vienna, and messiah1 has created a fantastic set of matching docks for ObjectDock. 

 

 

 

 

Enchanted Morning in Wallpapers
By Stephen Lundmark

 

 

This is a beautiful set of photographs overlooking Lake Superior.  Very nice.

 

 

 

Arran for WindowBlinds
By BoXXi

 

 

This skin caught my eye immediately with the buttons on the side of the frame.  Very unique and different. 

 

 

 

Vienna for Vista for WindowBlinds
By vStyler

 

 

Vienna for XP is a very popular WB skin, so vStyler has given us Vista users a version as well.  Great job.

 

 

So many great skins this week, even though I featured a couple more than usual, I could have kept going.  Thanks to all the artists for their work, and be sure to drop by their personal sites and leave them a note.  See you next week!

Yesterday, we announced the availability of TweakVista Beta to Object Desktop subscribers, and at long last people outside of Stardock are taking this fantastic application for a spin.  Personally, this is one of my favorite applications that we've developed in the past few years, it's just that well-done and so insanely useful I wonder how I've managed to run Vista as long as I have without it.  If you're a power user and try to get every bit of juice out of your system, this is a must-have utility.  It's well-built, easy to use, and extremely powerful.  For me, this ranks up there with Multiplicity on the list of applications I can't live without.

Now there are all sorts of great features packed into this utility that let you really optimize the performance of your system, to get it running just the way you want it.  Several simple service profiles have been pre-built and provided that will immediately give you a performance boost, and the amount of information you're given regarding what's taking up resources on your system is great and I'm sure there will be articles and walkthroughs of those features, today I want to talk about my personal favorite: Process & Service Profiles.

It's one of those features that unless you know where to look for it, you very well might miss it.  Of course, before you go looking for it, I'm sure you'd like to know what the heck it does!  Have you ever taken a look at your process list and wondered what the heck srv32gremlin.exe is?  A search of Google will sometimes give you something useful, but more often than not it's all gibberish, or other people posting to forums and blogs asking what the heck the process is for.  What we've done in TweakVista is built a profile database that the application can directly access to check to see if any information exists for a given process or service.  If the entry exists, it returns the information, along with a link for you to add your own comments and input.  If no information exists, you can fill it out yourself and submit it for inclusion. 

The idea is that given time and enough users filling out information on what's running on their PCs, we'll be able to compile one of the most complete and detailed lists of processes and services on the 'net.  All neatly integrated into the application and available to anyone on the Internet the TweakVista Forums.

Now that you have some idea of what the feature is, lets get around to finding it and using it.

Open up TweakVista, and select "Resources" from the list of options on the left of the window.  Next, select the "Process List" tab in the right portion of the window.

 

This is a list of active processes much like you'd see in the normal Vista Task Manager, however we tweaked what you see a bit, making it more useful to power users, developers and anyone trying to figure out what's sucking down their resources.  On this list, merely select one of the running processes and at the bottom of the screen you'll see a little bit of information about it such as the application name and where it's installed.  And at the very bottom there is a link "Look up this process on TweakVista.net"  Clicking on that will bring up a profile on the selected item, if it exists.  The image to the left is the process profile for TweakVista.exe.  At the bottom, you have the option to contribute your own input.  That link will take you to a thread on the TweakVista forums where you can add your thoughts and comments on a particular process.

If you choose something that does not yet have an entry in our system, you will be asked if you would like to provide it yourself.  Clicking yes will bring up a window that asks you for some basic information on a process, and then any special instructions for uninstalling it.  Once you submit it, it is added to our processing queue for evaluation.  A moderator will look it over and add it to the site if it's deemed appropriate (i.e. people submitting a description saying nothing but "This sUx0rz m0nk3y buTt!" will not see their contributions added).

Since we just launched the beta and the website just went fully live yesterday, the list of processes with descriptions contributed is small.  We're hoping that by the time beta is over and TweakVista is released as a final product, that testers will have contributed a significant number of descriptions to our profile list.  Think about how much easier troubleshooting your relative's Vista-running PC will be if you can quickly discover if an application that's running in the background is some system-crippling spyware masquerading as something more innocent looking like winSpeedTrac.exe.

So give the feature a whirl, and let us know what you think!

Keyboard Launchpad 1.6 by Stardock was recently released, and this is another application that is very useful, but one I think some people aren't that aware of.  So let's take this opportunity to walk through KLP, and see some of it's features.  If you are not familiar with KLP (Keyboard Launchpad), it is an application that allows you to easily assign hot keys to launch programs, perform system commands, control application functions, and much more.

KLP is part of Object Desktop, or as a stand-alone product.  A limited shareware version is also available as a free download.  Keyboard Launchpad 1.6 adds categorization of hot keys, Windows Vista support, and the ability to assign hot keys to control iTunes(R) music player.

I have been watching the galleries over the past week, and I have been waiting for Friday to come because I saw so many skins that I wanted to feature.  It really gets tough some weeks because due to time and space constraints, it's hard for me to feature all the skins I would like, so having to narrow all of them down to 5 or 6 is difficult. 

It's always good to browse the galleries, and the personal sites of the artists here because many times there are works there that are not featured in the general gallery.

Now let's get to the picks!

Vista Water Bubbles Blue v2.0! for BootSkin
By unclerob

 

Blue water bubbles.  A huge step up from the default bootscreen, and unclerob has some other color variations as well.

 

 

 

 

 

The Cat 1024 for DesktopX Themes
By buzzh58

 

The colors and clean look of this DesktopX theme got my immediate attention.  It includes a custom wallpaper, start menu, and more.  Another resolution is also available.

 

 

 

 

Necromancy: Inferno in Dreams
By DuckStar

 

This is definitely one of the best "flame" dreams out there.  It's seamless and goes great with darker skins.

 

 

 

Slider for IconPackager
By Skinhit

 

 

It's been a few weeks since we have seen some new Icon Packs, and this addition is worth the wait.  Great job!

 

 

 

 

Vienna XP for WindowBlinds
By vStyler

 

 

This is an excellent WindowBlinds skin.  No need to go on about it, just download it and see for yourself.  There is also a matching cursor, weather widget, etc., so be sure to check the galleries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has been an exceptional week, and make sure you check the galleries here on WinCustomize as there are some fantastic submissions.  See you next week!

I thought I would put this out for discussion. Much has been said regarding premium content especially since Master Skins were made available. The reasons cited were (as I recall) along the lines of 1) expanded availability of quality content 2) competition among skinners to produce very high quality content 3) more improvements in WinCustomize 4) more skinners and better retention of skinners. So, is this being attained?

I am definitely a self oriented person. I don't mind paying for some stuff, if I feel I need it or if I feel it's something I want. Along those lines then since skins are something I sometimes want, the purchase decision for me is, basically, am I getting enough for my money?

Based on my experiences so far I believe I am getting good value in my purchases. To that end, I've lately put together some screen shots showing how by mixing free and premium content, you can have excellent looking desktops for your own personal use as well as obtaining the satisfaction of doing some customizing of your own with Object Desktop.

The contrary points of view seem to be of the form first, they were always free before and second, the Master level skinners won't have any incentive to produce free content. It is my contention, since most people I know are also self oriented, the more successful premium content is the more the whole community and I will benefit.

How can this be? The answer is I have been getting higher quality content since skinners are now being compensated for their hard work, as they experience success at it, the more effort they will put into their work. I as a self oriented person benefit directly from this. In fact it is this very self oriented nature of the activity that ensures plenty of high quality content and a real possibility of continued improvements for the whole community. As far as I can see it, I can't find any genuine downside to premium content other than the grumbling that occasionally occurs because it's new.

Whether or not all of the above mentioned four points are being achieved I think it's still too early to know. I do know I like what I see so far. So, what's your experience been?

Many people have asked how to make .Dreams, so it's obviously time for a guided tour of DreamMaker.  Dreams are animated wallpapers that run on Windows Vista Ultimate using Stardock DeskScapes.  DeskScapes is an enhancement to Windows DreamScene that adds features such as dynamic dreams, triggered dreams based on conditions such as the time of day, and much more. 

To create and use your Dreams, you will need a few things.  First, you will need Windows Vista Ultimate, and DreamScene which is available through Windows Update.  Next, you will need to download Stardock DeskScapes and DreamMaker (both free) from Dream.WinCustomize.Com.

In this first tutorial we are going to create a simple looped video Dream using DreamMaker.  The next item you will need is content.  Alex Kipman from Microsoft posted a series of tips on how to create animated wallpapers.  I would suggest giving that a good read before you start making your content.  Now your content can come from a variety of sources.  Some people render animations using 3D programs such as 3DS Max and Maya, and some record video using HD cameras, and some use applications such as Adobe After Effects.  There are many ways to create content, and that will be your decision on how you pursue that.

For this tutorial we want either a .wmv or .mpg file.  Preferably a .mpg as .wmv files can be more CPU intensive. 

Once you have your video file, start DreamMaker.

 

I can't believe it's May already, only a couple weeks of school left for the kids, and summer begins.  In case you missed it, I posted this months edition of "This Month in Dreams" where I highlight Dreams (animated wallpapers) submitted to WinCustomize. 

Also, let me take this chance to remind you there is one month left in the ObjectDock contest, so be sure to get those docks done because I can't wait to see the final submissions.

Now for this weeks picks.

 

Green Light in CursorXP
By J. Aroche

 

 

J.Aroche always makes some fantastic cursors, and this one is no different. Be sure to check out the man others in his gallery.

 

 

 

 

Blue Horizon in Dreams
By chaorendabusi

 

This dream looks great with a darker WindowBlinds theme, and looks great on the desktop.  It's not too busy, but it definitely stands out.  Great job.

 

 

 

 

Aquarium Tabbed & Side Docks for ObjectDock
By WebGizmos

 

Webgizmos is making ObjectDock backgrounds for the premium suites, and one of them is a background for the Aquarium suite.  Check his gallery for many more ObjectDock backgrounds.

 

 

 

 

Captain America v1.0 in WindowBlinds
By unclerob

 

 

 

If you are a fan of the Captain America comic series then this WindowBlinds skin is perfect for you.  Even if you aren't familiar with it, this is still a great skin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for another great week, and keep those suggestions coming.  See you next week!