Desktop Enhancments: Revealed

[Dameon Angell]

We've had a couple threads of where we post pictures of our computer desktops and we wonder "Ahh, that thing over there ... looks like a counter of some sort, wtf is it?" Or how the person got all that together anyways. I thought it'd be cool to make a thread of all the cool gadgets we have on our desktop and how we could find them to use for ourselves.



1.) Stardock/Objectdock - It's a PC version of the dock menu you find on Macs. I found it for free on their site: http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/
You can get the "plus" version, but for a "price"... heh.... *wink wink* *Nudge nudge*

2.) Yahoo! Widget Engine - It's just a program from Yahoo! that lets you put these mini-programs for different purposes on your page. The two I have came with the program. The round thing is a clock showing how much % of my PC I'm using in total. The other is obviously my weather.... another hot as shit day. It's all free here on their site: http://widgets.yahoo.com/

3.) Trillian - This is the AIM/MSN/Yahoo!/ICQ program I use. It's everything in one. No popups, no bullshit, just the messages. Also lets me check my e-mail, etc*. It's good stuff. I have the 'pro' version that a friend gave me for free, but you can get the free version here: http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/

You don't have to do it in the format I did, it's just what I did to make things easier to point out. But yeah, I just thought it'd be cool to do a thing were we'd share our stuff.

[Liquid Blue]

when did you get vista? do you like it? my buddy just got a laptop with it and I'll be buying a laptop in the next couple of months. I ask because all the laptops have Vista now, so~

[Dameon Angell]

I have Windows XP, sorry. I have used Vista, though. You won't really mind the differences, you won't really notice besides the aesthetic changes. At least I didn't. Video card and driver support for Vista shouldn't be a problem anymore, so yeah.

[Galleleo]

I have Yahoo widgets.

[Liquid Blue]

I have Windows XP, sorry. I have used Vista, though. You won't really mind the differences, you won't really notice besides the aesthetic changes. At least I didn't. Video card and driver support for Vista shouldn't be a problem anymore, so yeah.

oh really? that side bar you have and the lower left weather thing look like the spiffy add-ons they have for vista.

cool tho

[Dameon Angell]

Nah, just add-ons I downloaded and installed to my XP :P

[Jerome Scuggs]

@ the bottom-left of the picture:

could you just screenshot it one day when it's 90 outside but also thunderstorming at hurricane levels? i'd like to paste it on my desktop where it will sit for probably the next week or so (it's been going on for two weeks now... must stop soon.. .must)

[Galleleo]

It's part of the Yahoo widgets lb.

[Liquid Blue]

it seems I'm clueless about widgets and their didgets

and gadgets and caboodles

[D1st0rt]

i'm very greedy about my clock cycles

[Holydude]

Hey Dameon,
Thanks for sharing. Cool gadgets.

[Denon]

RocketDock + Rainlendar + KlipFolio. Yes yes!

[Superted]

What's the point in desktop widgets... do any of you actually see your desktop long enough because I sure don't.

[Dameon Angell]

Well, I do. The only thing missing from my screen shot is the "Alt+Tab" Continuum window. The dock menu is my 'quick launcher' that I can access from wherever I'm at. And if my computer is effing up, I check the clocker on the upper left.

[Ewan]

when did you get vista? do you like it? my buddy just got a laptop with it and I'll be buying a laptop in the next couple of months. I ask because all the laptops have Vista now, so~

I've been using Vista for the last couple of months or so. I like it. Instead of setting it to "windows classic" and not learning anything new, I've left on the (semi)-default interface. It's quite intuitive, the inline search they added to the start menu is great (You can simply press windows key, type in "soul", press return and Soulseek will load). It also doubles up as a start -> run equivalent.

You'll find a lot of hate on the UAC which is the new security feature. Whenever something requiring an administrator account happens (installing, moving system files etc) it elevates to a secure desktop with admin privelidges. Some people find this incredibly annoying, personally I don't think it's too bad. It's probably best to turn it off for the first few days when you'll be installing a lot of stuff, but once you're through the initial set up, you may as well turn it back on, you'll see it less than once a day and you just get used to the one extra mouse-click.