[Help] Desktop Eye Candy enhancement !

[amitsaraf32]

My first personalised desktop and Samurize configs, made entirely from scratch, except for the plugins and icons. I have tried hard to keep away from the hot-chick-wallpaper-with-some-stats-thrown-in kind of configs which are pretty common and tried to create something with high usability and eye candy at the same time. High quality unshrunk screenshot, courtesy Imageshack is available here http://img143.exs.cx/img143/3243/snap13b9jv.jpg

Though the screen appears highly overcrowded, usually all the other components on the screen are hidden, leaving only an empty desktop showing the main config with performance meters. Compare this screenshot and you will see what I mean http://img152.exs.cx/img152/2516/snap13c0qb.jpg

Wallpaper is Subconscious Mind done by yours truly with a little help from online tutorials.

The font used is Hooge 05_55 Cyr2, which looks cool and minimalistic, especially on transparent bubble glass configs. Visibility is good on dark backgrounds and it should be usable on any dark wallpaper thanks to the transparency effects.

Config 1 : Contains only the bare minimum performance meters which matter to me. Also has shortcuts for launching and closing Configs 2 and 3.

Config 2 : RSS News headlines, thanks to Torsius for the Plugin.

Config 3 : Weather config, built from scratch. Thanks to Torsisus for his excellent Weather2004 plugin.

Depending on my mood, to view the news headlines, I use either the config 2 or WorldFlash News Ticker or the Desktop Sidebar on the right.

Desktop Sidebar has two additional advantages.

1. Allows vertically scrolling headlines, which is a nice effect hard to implement in Samurize alone.

2. Allows collapsible shortcut toolbars which is a convenient way to launch programs. I don't need to use the start menu or my desktop icons any more !!

Desktop Sidebar skin is made by me too, from scratch. Now I only need to find a way of subsituting the metal body of the MMD player with the transparent red bubble glass. Then it will be truly complete.

Need help in further improving the eye candy from all the gurus here at Neowin.net ! All comments and suggestions welcomed !! :)

Edited January 5, 2005 by amitsaraf32

[YBG]

It looks highly cluttered to me. But I'm one that prefers a desktop with a taskbar, wallpaper, and dock and thats it.

I think you should get rid of some of that stuff if you ask me. But thats just my own opinion.

[amitsaraf32]

Hi !

Thank you for your reply ! Your suggestion is appreciated :)

How does this look instead ? Thank you again for your insight and helping out a newbie !

[shihchiun]

Personally I wouldn't want all that stuff on my desktop, but it's up to you. You shouldn't be out to please others, since you're the one using it after all.

[amitsaraf32]

Yes, it does look highly cluttered on a 1024 X 768 screen, but what do you think of the updated bare screeny above ?

Appreciate your comments ! Thanks and have a nice day ! Ciao !