A bit of fun for Christmas cheer! I want people to send me Christmas cards !!!!! I'm conscious that we have a great international community here so I think it would be fun to see how many cards I can get and where they come from. This isn't an ego trip, I don't want it to be a "send me a card if you like my widgets", if only because that sounds a bit wierd !! I just think it would be cool so if you do too then the address is as below. Martin Conroy 1 Halifax Close Full Sutt...
As we all get more sophisticated in creating DesktopX widgets we are setting parameters. The issue with this is that, if these parameters are not organised in a consistent manner then where several objects need the same kind of information we will find ourselves having to configure these each time. Before this becomes too much of a problem I propose that we create some standards that users can set and developers can access. For example: Name information (title, forename, surname, suffix, ...
Today I finally submitted what will hopefully be the next substantial release of The Natural Desktop for testing. It's been a lot of fun so far and I expect there will be more to come so I created a small article on JoeUser briefly describing the process for those that are interested
Well, a mixed bag of comments which is what I expected. Let’s go through the general issues before getting onto any specifics. My initial feelings were one of dismay. Why did the first response just have to point to a bunch of Konfabulator widgets? Now don’t get me wrong, these widgets are great, but the fact is that there is nothing on that page that doesn’t already exist on numerous forms in the DesktopX libraries. OK, so the to-do list isn’t quite the same, but we have DX NoteIt which perf...
DesktopX is an amazing tool. For $20 you get software that can do pretty much anything on your desktop. DesktopX is NOT just eye candy, it can be an awesome productivity tool. The problem is that it's just not as popular as it should be. The main issue is the lack of really useful objects. There is some real creative talent out there and a few developers really push the boundary, but personally I get a little depressed when every other object uploaded is a clock, calendar or weather o...
A new object to introduce users to DesktopX is now available. Whilst obviously we recommend that you actually read the main documentation to maximise your enjoyment of DesktopX this will provide a few tips and tricks to get you started.
DesktopX Pro allows you to share the power of DesktopX with your friends and family. DualZones is an example for those who need to work across two locations. It provides time and weather information for both locations. Click a location to set it, and click the top right temperature to toggle Celsius and Fahrenheit. The DesktopX version is available here ( https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=3&SkinID=3153 ), and a stand alone EXE is available for those who want to shar...
Scripting may seem daunting if you need to tweak something to your needs in DesktopX. Yesterday, I received an email from Marcel Wijnberger in the Netherlands saying he wanted a Dutch newsfeed. Despite almost no scripting experienceHe decided to experiment and almost immediately it worked. Why? XML. The structure of XML means that script based on XML is very transferable. To quote: "I just changed the url ... and to my total surprise: it works !!!!!! I have now a tickertape with the...
The Force is evidently still strong with the Star Wars legacy - Jedi is the chosen "religion" for thousands of people in Britain, according to newly released census results. The 2001 census reveals that 390,000 people across England and Wales are devoted followers of the Jedi "faith" made famous by the blockbuster films. Could Yoda appear on R4's Thought for the Day? Census officials bowed to pressure after a massive internet campaign to include Jedi on the list of chosen reli...
I've noticed a continuing trend to make DesktopX themes for a variety of resolutions. I understand the inclination to do this, it appears easier to just switch resolution, move some objects and resave. However, it is in fact a poor long term strategy if you intend to improve and update your theme. Think about it - every time you tweak the theme you need to do it several times, at each resolution! DesktopX provides functionality to allow to to scale objects relative to the screen...
It's unfortunate that occasionally we have to be the bearer of bad news. BoXXi, one of our most talented skinners will be leaving the scene for a while. I'm sure he would have prefered a quiet exit but that would be a waste. It's hard to believe that he'd not even used a PC until a couple of years ago. Since then his work has consistently shone (https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?AuthorID=194), including winning the DBS competition. I have only recently got to know BoXXi, bu...
Due to problems with old location, Stardock are now kindly hosting my DesktopX tutorial site. You can find it here https://www.stardock.com/products/desktopx/tutorial/ Thanks to Kris for sorting it out (several times) _Martin_
Apologies all but there seem to be redirection problems. The tutorial site is therefore currently unavailable at the mis-online address but can temporarily be found here www.martinconroy.freeserve.co.uk
My cock-up with transfer of DNS servers for web/email forwarding. Hopefully will be resolved soon, if MyInternet ever respond to my email !!! _Martin_
I'm about to get away for a week on vacation, but before I do I thought I'd leave some practical samples of the Common User Information file in the form of a calendar and weather objects. If you need a sample CUI file it can be found here: http://www.desktopx.net/standards/dxCUI.xml Once you have this, place it in your DesktopX directory and exit it to your details. The samples are here: Calendar Weather The Base Weather Template has also received an update in the DX O...