LogonStudio 1.5 was released not too long ago, and many people have been asking if they can change their Windows 7 logon screens with it.  The answer is yes, but right now Windows 7 support is only provisional, so it is possible you may encounter an issue, but overall it has been performing extremely well

First, add LogonStudio to your Impulse account, and download it from there.  This way you will have the latest version available.

http://www.impulsedriven.com/LSV

Oh, did I mention it’s free?

Once you have it installed it’s very easy to use.  You can jump right in and use one of the included logons, or download one of thousands available at WinCustomize.com.  Just select which logon to use, hit apply, and it’s done!

A new feature is the ability to easily use your current desktop wallpaper as a logon.   It’s also easy to get back to the Windows default logon if necessary.

If you have an image you would like to use as a logon, you can create your own just by dragging the image into the LogonStudio window.  You can even save it to share with others.

LogonStudio also works on Windows Vista, so be sure to give it a try!

Last year, Zoomba and I experimented with a podcast for WinCustomize called the SkinCast.  It got some decent coverage and we had a great listening audience.  Problem was, is that we did it on a weekly basis, at home after a long day at work.  That doesn’t include the post work like editing, getting on iTunes, etc.  We enjoyed it, but it just got to be too much for a limited audience.

Since then, Impulse has taken off and we have often toyed with the idea of doing another podcast based on Impulse.  It of course wouldn’t be all about Impulse, but it would give us a good tech base as we deal with both games and software.  Stardock also has some great partnerships with companies like AMD, Microsoft, etc. and we would have some great opportunities to include them as well.

In our preliminary discussions, we have come up with some ideas.

• Hardware and software reviews, especially when dealing with gaming.
• Talking with game developers.
• Taking questions directly from users.
• Tech/gaming news discussion and analysis.

These are just some things we have been talking about, and as always, community feedback is important to use, so we wanted to share what we were up to.  We want to hear your opinions on the idea of an Impulse Podcast, and things you would like us to talk about.

If you are interested in seeing if Windows 7 will run on your current PC, Microsoft has provided an Upgrade Advisor tool to help you determine just that!

From the Windows Team Blog:

“A beta of Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is now available to help people analyze their PC in preparation for a Windows 7 upgrade. Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is a free tool that people can download as of today to help them determine if their PC is able to upgrade to and run Windows 7. The beta can be downloaded here (English only at this time).

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor examines a PC’s processor, memory, storage, and graphics capabilities, identifies known compatibility issues with installed software and devices and finally provides guidance on how to resolve those issues if possible. Please also note: as previously stated on the E7 blog, Windows XP users are required to do a clean install of the Windows 7 RC as well as the final product. Only PCs with Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7. “

Download Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

The Impulse Weekend Buys are back, and we have some great sales for this weekend.  This sale will last through this weekend, but don’t wait to pick something up. 

You can see these Impulse Buys, and other ongoing sales at www.impulsedriven.com.  Don’t forget to download your free copy of Impulse as well!

This has been another great week for skinning, but I’m starting to see the signs of the usual summer slowdown.  Lets not let it happen too much, so keep those skins rolling in.  I’m planning on some mini-contests this summer, along with some community projects I have in mind.  Any suggestions are welcome for summer activities.

Speaking of contests, the TWiS icon contest has produce some phenomenal icons already.  Keep them coming in and thanks to everyone for their support.

Now for this weeks picks!

	Signals V2 by DaRkFuSsioOn This DX theme has plenty of goodies, and has a great design to go with the other Signals V2 skins.
	Chronos (W) by Vad_M I’m always amazed at some of the cool things that Vad_M can do with DesktopX.
	Unconditional by werram/cacbig I just really like this image, and it looks great as a Vista logon.
	Mother Day by vlad Decorate mom’s desktop with this beautiful wallpaper from vlad.
	Nearing Shore by kenwas I was looking for a calming landscape scene, and this one fits the bill perfectly.  Great job.
	Gold by Kavel The colors in this wallpaper really stood out to me.  Wonderful work on this.
	StarFighter Vista by Vampothika As usual, a bold and brilliant design that is well worth the download.  XP version available as well.

Whenever I install or update a PC with a new OS, I have a list of software that must be installed within the first hour or so.  Why?  Well because there are a few applications out there that are an almost necessity when working with Windows. 

One of those is Multiplicity.

If you have more than one PC on your desktop, you just won’t go back to your old setup after using Multiplicity.  If this is your first time hearing about MP, then MP is an application that allows you to control multiple computers with just a single keyboard and mouse.  It’s just like having multiple monitors, but each is still has the power of it’s own PC.  That means you can work with applications or games on one monitor, and control others without having to worry about slowdowns.

Examples of the benefits of using Multiplicity:

• Play a game on one PC, and seamlessly work with Photoshop on another.
  
• Have one PC dedicated to e-mail, another to social networks, and another for general use.  Control all with just one keyboard/mouse.
  
• Keep desktop clutter to a minimum, no need for extra hardware.

I think it’s safe to say everyone here at Stardock lives by Multiplicity, especially since many need multiple machines to test and code on.

As you see in the image below, Mike (Zoomba) has a very nice PC collection which he controls all via one keyboard/mouse.  He is running several different OS’s on these machines, and that isn’t a problem with MP.

I don’t have as many machines as Mike does, but it’s quality, not quantity, right?  I have Windows Vista as my main desktop, and my laptop is running Windows 7.  I also have a Netbook running Windows XP that isn’t seen in the image, and all these are controlled by the one keyboard/mouse set making everything more efficient.

Multiplicity starts at just $29 for the standard version, and $49 for the Pro version which supports up to six PC’s and features file copying.  A trial is available, and you can find more info at www.multiplicity.net.

Do you love DesktopX? You're reading this article so I'm assuming you do. If so, be sure to visit this thread: "What would you like to see in DX 4.x"

Lots of great ideas and suggestions being tossed about there, so head on over and put in your 2 cents. The future of DesktopX depends on it!!!

But first, the picks.

Outstanding General Info

Carbon Fibre GTV by Mirsguy

This is just a beautifully made combo widget. It includes weather, calendar, and a clock. I especially like the clock, but the entire package is very sleek.

Most Creative/Original

Tok 'Dok by HAPTORK

Haptork is one of my favorite DXers, so I'm always excited to see what he does next. And he's come out with this amazing widget.

It works just like a real dock. Drag and drop your shortcuts, delete, add a separator, configure the target, image, tooltip, and display properties.

I love the display effects, the 3D elliptical zoom & scrolling (how the heck did he do that?!) It has a boatload of controls for how the dock moves and displays, so you can tweak it to just the way you like it.

I know a ton of work must've gone into this thing and it definitely shows. My hats off to the author!

Most Innovative/Resourceful

DeskNotes by _Martin_

This gadget goes way beyond sticky notes. I'm not much of a desktop notes user, but this is the one I'd go with if I did.

Let's talk about the weather note; it's powered by WeatherBug.com so you get access to an amazing amount of information: video, maps, hundreds of more precise locations, and much more.

How about the stock note? You can watch stocks at a glance or open up the stock graph. It also quickly retrieves Yahoo! Finance feeds.

The RSS note works for the 5 majror news sites and it has quick access to different news categories.

It's also got a calednar note, clock note, and search note. Of course, you've got your note note, which is really more of a super note. There are so many useful options on that alone (hyperlink, alarm, pin on top, etc.,) you just have to try it for yourself.

Buy the pro version and you get tons more features and options.

Did I mention it comes with a user's manual? This is a profesional gadget made by a long-time DX expert. It is definitely worth downloading.

Theme of the Month

Alien Farstar DX by RedneckDude

Awesomeness. Yup. I think that prety much sums it up.

This theme matches the WB of the same name by madcat21. I love the color combination. It has a dark and menacing feel to it with the black semi-transparent elements. And it just looks good on the desktop.

It's fully loaded with the usual goodies: drag and drop menus, media, weather. This is Jim (in case you've not been around lately, PuterDudeJim is now RedneckDude,) so expect nothing less than the real goods.

Which is why I do have to make one teeny, teeny-tiny request form the DXtheme Extraordinaire: could we have some new images for the media buttons? We've seen a plethora of amazing styles from this artist over the years and I'd like to see him continue being unique and different.

Other than that, it's pure awesomeness! You must give it a spin.

Global Hue Changer (or brightness or size or...anything!)

DesktopX.Objects is another one of those features in DX that can be a very powerful function. It wasn't until _Martin_ offered a tip in the "What would you like to see in DX 4.x" thread (you think I've thread-dropped enough times?) that I realized how little known it was.

He's uploaded a very nice Multiple Object Manipulation Slider to the object gallery, and it's a great example on how to use this function.

Expanding on Martin's tip, I thought I'd show a few other ways you can use the DesktopX.Objects namespace. Since the point is to control several objects, you'll want to create three or four objects to see how these scripts work.

This first script will shift the hue of ALL objects in your project on l-click. Create an object; create a new script; copy and paste; apply.

'Called when L-click is released
Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, dragged)
 If dragged Then Exit Function
 For Each obj In DesktopX.Objects
  If obj.states("").hue => 255 Then
    obj.states("").hue = 0
   Else
    obj.states("").hue = obj.states("").hue + 10
  End If  
 Next
End Function

You could just as easily make obj.hue, obj.width, obj.left, or any other object property.

This one will toggle ALL objects in your project on l-click, except the toggle button. Create an object; name it "toggle"; create a new script; copy and paste; apply.

Dim ToggleButton

ToggleButton = "toggle"

'Called when L-click is released
Function Object_OnLButtonUp(x, y, dragged)
 If dragged Then Exit Function
 For Each obj In DesktopX.Objects
  If obj.name <> ToggleButton Then
   If obj.visible = False Then
    obj.visible = True
   Else
    obj.visible = False
   End If
  End If
 Next
End Function

As you can see, with the .name property you can easily target specific objects to exclude from the action.

And for the heck of it, here's a script I use a lot to get the total number of objects in a collection that are NOT grouped. (To get the total number of grouped objects use: DesktopX.GroupObjects("groupname").count)

So I've got a bunch of objects I don't want grouped, for one reason or another, but I give them similar names--"point_1", "point_2", "point_3", etc. I can have this function search for and tally all the objects with "point_" in their names.

Again, DesktopX.Objects is the key. Using the same "toggle" object you created above, replace the entire script with the one below.

'Called when script is executed
Sub Object_OnScriptEnter
 SearchString = "toggle" '--string to look for
 TotalObjects = countObj(SearchString) '--call search function and assign value to variable
 msgbox "There are " & TotalObjects & " objects with" & Chr(34) & SearchString & Chr(34) & " in their name."
End Sub

'--Count how many similar objects not grouped--
Function countObj(strg)
 total = 0
 For Each elem In DesktopX.Objects
  'If string found in object name, add to total
  If Instr(elem.name,strg) > 0 Then total = total + 1
 Next
 countObj = total
End Function

The message box should say it found one object with "toggle" in its name.

So you can see there's a lot you can do with DesktopX.Objects. It's all explained HERE in the user's guide under Namespaces and Enumerators.

How to Get to the Market

People love stuff. What's more, they love stuff that does stuff. DesktopX is a program that makes stuff that does stuff.

There's lots of stuff people would love to have and use--you know, the "hey, I wish I had an XYZ that did ABC" type stuff.

You probably have an XYZ idea. There's probably tens of thousands of XYZ's out there, floating around in the minds of the masses. If only there were some program that could harness that creative energy and bring those ideas to fruition.

The ideas are there. So, I ask myself, why isn't there a mob of people using DesktopX? Where's the market?

If we get right down to it, many people love stuff that does stuff without them ever having to do stuff to make it do stuff. And if they have to do something, it better be as quick and painless as possible. Pick it up, turn it on, use it. Download, execute, done. Learning curve? Preferably not steep.

And that's where DesktopX stumbles; that's where widget-making in general stumbles, be it Yahoo, Apple, or whatever. The two major stumbling blocks, IMO, are scripting and configuring, otherwise known as painful & time-consuming.

As far as configuring, I've given my thoughts on an intuitive interface and one-click object creation in the aforementioned DX 4.x thread (one more mention wouldn't hurt,) so I won't become a broken record here.

But learning to script is like learning a second language. Having to script in order to create the really amazing widgets is akin to saying 'batteries not included.' How do we get around this stumbling block?

I imagine a truly easy-to-use widget engine would never have the user encounter coding. Ever. Unless they wanted to. That means creating a proxy by which they could add functions without knowing they're scripting.

Supposing you had a list of actions--something quite like the Filters in Photoshop: "Shift hue on l-click," "Shrink on mouse away," "Grow on mouse over," etc. All the user would have to do is select the action, enter a few settings, and DesktopX could build the script and put it into the object for you. Add to that the repository idea RomanDA has mentioned before and DesktopX could come with a whole library of scripts, ready to use.

I've said it before, I think accessiblity is the key to opening up DesktopX for the general market. The biggest obstacle is getting all these ideas implemented. There's not much we can do on the user end of the DesktopX community besides offer suggestions. In the end, it's all up to how much time, money, and resources Stardock is able to invest in upgrading and mainstreaming DesktopX. I understand they'd have to weigh whether that investment would be profitable, whether it's got a viable market, but I believe the market is there and it's broader than just the die-hards and coders; we just have to make DesktopX more accessible to them.

Of course, this is just my take. How do you think DesktopX can get to the mass market? Is it even possible or will DesktopX be another one of those much-loved but little-known softwares? Share your thoughts below.

Thanks for reading. Until next month, Happy DXing!

A new month starting on a Friday, but for some reason it seems like that should be reserved for a Monday.  Oh well, since it is Friday it’s time to catch up on the skins submitted to WinCustomize throughout the past week. 

Now for this weeks picks!

	Signals V2 by DaRkFuSsIoOn A great cursor theme for CursorFX, with some slick animations.
	Clear view_gadget by Richard Mohler I have always enjoyed the clear view series, so I was happy to see some released as a gadget so anyone can use them.
	Light Mark Docks by Mirsguy These are made to match the Master skin from Z71, and what a perfect accompaniment they are.
	Windows 7 Alternative Default Wallpaper by vlad Master skinner vlad gives us his own take on the popular Win7 wallpaper.
	Designa by Lightstar Pink isn’t my thing, but this is still a great WindowBlinds skin with a beautiful design.

Impulse is a convenient way to purchase and install both applications and games, but what if you want to archive these for backups or for later use?  It is possible to archive and restore your games/applications within Impulse, in which you can then leave them in their default location, or backup to an external drive.

If you are an Object Desktop subscriber, it’s recommended you archive your applications in case your subscription expires, this way you will always have access to your applications.

Lets go through the steps of archiving an item in Impulse.

Archiving

Open Impulse and browse to the My Games, or My Software tabs and find the item you wish to archive.  Make note that you must have it downloaded and installed before archiving.  Once you have your selection, right-click and select ‘Archive Application’.

Once clicked, the item will proceed to be archived, and the length of time this will take depends on the size of the product chosen. 

Once archived, the .impulse file is placed in the following default locations:

Vista - C:\ProgramData\Stardock\Impulse\backup

XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Stardock\Impulse\Backup

The default archive location can be changed by clicking the Orb, selecting Preferences, then Folders.

Now your items are archived, and you can leave them or backup to your preferred choice of backups.

Restoring

You have your stuff archived, so now you need to know how to restore it.  Open Impulse and click the Orb, and select ‘restore archive’.

A window will then open with the location of your archives, now just select the one you want to restore, and Impulse will restore it.

It’s a pretty simple and effective way to keep a copy of your apps and games backed up to another source.  If you don’t have Impulse already, head over to www.impulsedriven.com and grab a free copy.

A lot of exciting things are in the works for WindowBlinds 7.  The target date for it hasn’t been set. It’ll be “when it’s done” but it will be, by far, the most significant update to WindowBlinds ever. We’re taking it in a pretty different direction.

The above is just a mockup but give you an idea of some of the things we’re thinking for for the config UI.