Stardock's Object Desktop 2007 in a Vista world...
Posted by Zoomba on 02 August 2006 - 15:45 · 24 comments & 16374 views
About the Author
Full name: Unknown
Forum name: Zoomba
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
Full name: Unknown
Forum name: Zoomba
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
Slashdot It!
Submit to reddit
Submit to blinklist
Bookmark on del.icio.us
Add to furl
Share on Facebook
Add to Windows Live
Add to Google- Advertisement
-
-
(1 reply)
#1 Posted by deepisland on 02 Aug 2006 - 17:56
- I have been a OD suscriber for years, and I have never regretted it. The first piece of software I install on a new computer is Object Desktop. Great work Stardock.
-
(3 replies)
#2 Posted by Dr.Jones on 02 Aug 2006 - 18:04
- Quote -With pressure from [...] Object Desktop 2007, [...] the Vista release date becomes a question.
O'rly ?? Wow, didn't quite realized the influence of Object Desktop 2007 before reading that article.
Last edited by Dr.Jones on 02 Aug 2006 - 18:10 -
#2.1 Posted by Frogboy on 02 Aug 2006 - 18:10
- I think the main issue is that if Windows Vista comes out and it's desktop experience is sluggish and yet someone with Windows XP could have almost the same desktop experience and it's faster, that it would be a major problem.
Right now, we all assume that Vista's new DWM with a 3D surface should absolutely blow away Windows XP in terms of user-experience. But someone loading up Object Desktop 2007 could essentially replicate much of the *superficial* look of Vista and still have very good performance.
Vista is a lot more than the visual aspects but let's face it, that's what people see and experience first. Same is true on Object Desktop, most of the programs are non-cosmetic in nature but people get fixated on the eye candy. Vista not only needs to be fast and solid but it's experience needs to be agile and fluid.
Consider this: Windows Vista's DWM uses around 100 megs of memory. Windows XP has no DWM so that's 0 megs. Microsoft is going to have a lot of questions if the DWM doesn't deliver vastly superior performance to what XP is capable of to justify that memory use. A user with a modern XP system can currently get Vista-like performance.
That's why there's a lot of people saying Microsoft needs to make sure Vist areally is ready to go. Vista has FAR more potential than Windows XP or any Windows XP-based software. But it's not yet meeting that potential. -
#2.2 Posted by klyde on 02 Aug 2006 - 20:04
- Quote - Dr.Jones said @ #2Quote -With pressure from [...] Object Desktop 2007, [...] the Vista release date becomes a question.
O'rly ?? Wow, didn't quite realized the influence of Object Desktop 2007 before reading that article.
Microsoft is more likely worried over competition from the likes of Apple's Leopard, Ubuntu, and XGL/Compiz. They threaten Vista with the promise of a more stable operating platform and increased performance. All the Stardock apps do is recreate a very superficial look of Vista, but you won't get any of new technology behind it. I doubt Microsoft is fearful of losing users over a GUI (they gave us Luna after all), but they are fearful of something like Leopard that could provide the same features as Vista but without the buginess or lack of polish. -
#2.3 Posted by RealFduch on 03 Aug 2006 - 06:49
- Quote -Windows Vista's DWM uses around 100 megs of memory. Windows XP has no DWM so that's 0 megs.
IMHO it's no longer true.
I was shocked when I saw Vista 5472 eating only 320 Mb of mem
the top eaters were:
dwm.exe 24Mb
svchost.exe 15Mb
explorer.exe 13Mb
other processes eat less than 9Mb
-
(4 replies)
#3 Posted by Dr.Jones on 02 Aug 2006 - 18:18
- What I meant by my sarcastic use of the word "influence" was more a nod towards the fact that Stardock is not that big of a player in this game, considering the number of OD users VS the potential userbase of Vista (and also considering Apple's upcoming Leopard)
/edit
This post is supposed to be in reply to frogboy's. I failed miserably. -
#3.1 Posted by Frogboy on 02 Aug 2006 - 18:48
- If there had been no Object Desktop (and hence no WindowBlinds) there would not have been any msstyles. I can assure you of that.
Every time you load up Windows XP and look at that blue Luna (or other msstyle) you can see the influence of tiny Stardock on the OS. -
#3.2 Posted by Dr.Jones on 02 Aug 2006 - 18:50
- The vast majority of XP users don't and won't realize that.
Furthermore, is your logic still applicable in Vista's case ? -
#3.3 Posted by Frogboy on 02 Aug 2006 - 19:42
- I agree -- most XP users have no idea. But it doesn't matter whether users know it. Microsoft knows it.
As for Vista - it's still the same thing. WindowBlinds has over 10 million users now. If Vista ships and feels slow or bulky -- as it currently does -- in providing the Windows experience and yet users of Windows XP are able to get similar or better performance using Object Desktop, it's going to be a real problem. It will come up.
Very few users use Linux or MacOS in terms of %'s, but you can bet if Vista comes out without being ready, it's relative performance will be compared with that or MacOS. -
#3.4 Posted by Shadowdruids on 03 Aug 2006 - 01:06
- Quote - Frogboy said @ #3.3I agree -- most XP users have no idea. But it doesn't matter whether users know it. Microsoft knows it.
As for Vista - it's still the same thing. WindowBlinds has over 10 million users now. If Vista ships and feels slow or bulky -- as it currently does -- in providing the Windows experience and yet users of Windows XP are able to get similar or better performance using Object Desktop, it's going to be a real problem. It will come up.
Very few users use Linux or MacOS in terms of %'s, but you can bet if Vista comes out without being ready, it's relative performance will be compared with that or MacOS.
Correction: Windowblinds has 9.9million pirated users and 100k legit users
-
(1 reply)
#4 Posted by xxdesmus on 02 Aug 2006 - 19:30
- wow...even more ways to ugly up ones desktop.
I am a object dock subscriber and I can assure you that I will not be using anything besides icon packager...the rest of the stuff is just hideous. (except for maybe Windowblinds). -
#4.1 Posted by PermaSt0ne on 02 Aug 2006 - 20:00
- Quote - xxdesmus said @ #4wow...even more ways to ugly up ones desktop.
I am a object dock subscriber and I can assure you that I will not be using anything besides icon packager...the rest of the stuff is just hideous. (except for maybe Windowblinds).
it's a cusomizing program. if it's making your desktop ugly then it's because you are choosing the ugly skins and icons to put on
-
#5 Posted by Nave on 02 Aug 2006 - 19:50
- I get decent performance from a PentiumIII800+256MB+GeForce2MX32MB with GLX and compiz in Gentoo Linux. Simple things always work best. Looks like Windows will be the last major OS to join the "3-D GUI" bandwagon.
I would be curious enough to want to see a WindowBlinds 2 skin definition file compared to a msstyle file :p
-
(2 replies)
#6 Posted by JonathanMarston on 02 Aug 2006 - 22:25
- I'm an Object Desktop subscriber, but I've found that 90% of the time I have to keep most of the apps disabled because even after a decade of development they're still to slow and buggy for general use. Sure they work most of the time, but I'd rather be stuck with the default Windows look, than to have WindowBlinds mess up on 10% of my apps.
-
#6.1 Posted by mayamaniac on 03 Aug 2006 - 05:06
- From the video demo, the customization of the right-click menus, and the the places bar, those are useful. Most of the other stuffs are pure eye candy and not all that impressive at that. 90% of the included skins looked pretty awful to me, and can't imagine anyone using them. And as JonathanMarston said, I don't use WindowsBlind because 10% of the time, something messes up, and this is on top of the already not so great OS.
But everytime a new version of WB comes out, I'd download it and hope it is better than the last. So when is the new demo ready? -
#6.2 Posted by GAM on 03 Aug 2006 - 21:30
- I beg to differ. I don't see much of a slowdown on my system despite running ObjectDock (not part of ObjectDesktop), WindowBlinds, WindowFX, Keayboard Launchpad, and a couple of other minor Stardock apps. My main system is just a plain notebook, nothing too fancy.
Your comments were warranted some time ago, but recent versions doesn't seem to be affecting performance much.
I have a lot of software on my PC, but recently I've had very little problems with my Stardock apps. I am keeping my system up-to-date, so maybe that attributes to the stability of my system.
-
(1 reply)
#7 Posted by on 01 Jan 1970 - 00:00
-
#8 Posted by Frogboy on 03 Aug 2006 - 01:48
- Quote -AS IF. Microsoft wouldve bought you out by now if you were making that kind of money.
You mean millions of dollars annually? Yes.
Depending on how you want to split hairs, more than 10 million people use WindowBlinds in one form or other. Got an ATI card? You've got WindowBlinds in there handling all the skinned parts of its control center. Running some program that has a skinned UI? Decent chance it's running WindowBlinds under the covers. Got an Alienware box? Same thing.
And so forth. Each week, WindowBlinds gets around 30k to 40k downloads just from Download.com. There is a free version after all that lots of people use. And yes, a substantial number of users upgrade to the enhanced, non-free version.
There really are a lot of companies, not just Stardock, making a lot of money in the Windows market that Microsoft doesn't buy.
-
(2 replies)
#9 Posted by Ag3ntS on 03 Aug 2006 - 03:33
- and Stardock is the perfect example of liking a program/idea, but thinking the developers are arrogant tools.
-
(1 reply)
#10 Posted by Dibbler on 03 Aug 2006 - 23:13
- Frogboy - what has happened to the development of Object Bar....? It first went into beta 2.0 in December 2004 and AFAIK it still hasn't been finalised, or have I got that wrong...?
Wasn't OB 2.0 also supposed to support W2k...?
Could you confirm please if Object Desktop with the latest Object Bar will work under W2k, I assume it will as you note this on your website...
System Requirements:
Windows 2000/XP/2003
256MB RAM
Internet Connection for the Object Desktop Network
Thanks
The programs that make up Object Desktop have become increasingly popular in the past year. WindowBlinds, for instance, has been able to deliver Vista-like glass effects on the desktop at performance levels that rival or exceed that of Windows Vista thanks to Object Desktop's full use of video hardware acceleration.
Stardock has insisted that Object Desktop is not designed to steal any thunder from Windows Vista and adds that it has multiple Windows Vista specific programs in development to be added to Object Desktop in the next year.
Still, Object Desktop's tendancy to have features that make their way into Windows has been consistent. Object Desktop '99 introduced seamless ZIP folder integration, the Control Center "side bar", and of course the GUI skinning that many users take for granted today (Windows XP's "Luna" msstyle system is implemented virtually identically to WindowBlinds 2).
Object Desktop 2007 has features such as WindowFX's taskbar previews, a user-configurable enhanced file dialog, hardware accelerated virtual desktops, shell-integrated hot key support for launching programs and saved clipboards, and of course the already well known eye candy that tend to overwhelm the productivity features.
Critics of Object Desktop say that Object Desktop may look nice but can slow down the system and use up a lot of memory. Stardock insists that the programs of Object Desktop 2007 should have little to no impact on performance on any remotely modern system and that few if any of the components of Object Desktop use as much memory as even a single Internet Explorer window.
What Microsoft's reaction to Object Desktop 2007 will be remains to be seen. While Stardock says it has no intention to take away any momentum from Windows Vista, the video demo of Object Desktop -- running on Windows XP, shows that Microsoft will need to make sure the visual elements of Windows Vista take full advantage of the new graphics infrastructure.
Neowin has recently reported that long-time Microsoft backers such as Longhorn Blog's Robert McLaws have argued that Windows Vista needs to be pushed back. With pressure from Apple's upcoming Leopard and Object Desktop 2007, combined with pressure from beta testers, the Vista release date becomes a question.
After all, if Stardock can make Windows XP do the things Object Desktop makes it do, then the expectations on Windows Vista are just that much higher.