Management Questions....

Looking for community advice/developer

from Stardock Forums
Hi,

I hope the community will allow me to post some commercial questions on here as a manager and not necessarily a developer....

We have developed an application that we want to use as a Windows XP embedded product. --Its a CCTV control component ( I said it was boring!).

Its all been componentised and its working but to be frank it looks boring!

I am looking to create a desktop that incorporates our logo and has some "widgets" like monitoring processor performance, disk space, etc. And can call some XP control panel elements like display manager.

I think I can use DesktopX to do this. The question is I want this to be a .exe or an element that I can incorporate in the system without allowing the end user to change it. It also needs to be loadable in the image that we copy disk to disk.

I think the corporate edition of DesktopX will allow this provided I buy the the end user runtime licences.

Now the questions are.....

Is this something that is fairly easy for our own guys (not graphic designers) to implement? Or is this something that is better to subcontract? If so are there sub contractors out there in the community?

Has anyone done this before?

Does anyone see any issues in what we want to attempt?

I really appreciate any advice that can be given.

Regards..

Polarismd

desktopx
3,011 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
*bump*
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I don't know about the legalities involved, as to which version of DesktopX you would need, (specifically DX-Professional or DX-Enterprise), but I am fairly certain you could get what you want done using DesktopX.

You can see some themed-suites of Performance Monitor and Shortcut / Launcher type objects in the DesktopX Desktop Theme gallery and the DesktopX Widgets gallery here at WC (my first coming soon!). Implementing such a thing is fairly straight-forward. For example, most of your basic performance monitor widgets have already been created, and could be easily adapted, especially if your guys are fluent in vbscript.

The hard part, in my opinion, is producing quality graphics. And, from my own experience, this isn't something you'd want to delegate to someone who has no graphic design experience or training. After all, the point is for them to look good. You'll probably want to find someone to do at least that part for you. I think there are a few companies or teams of "skinners" doing this type of work, but I hesitate to name any for fear of endorsing one while neglecting another. But they are out there.

An exported gadget would be an executable that I believe could be easily included in your disk image, and could of course be as limited or powerful as you desire. But the corporate, or Enterprise edition of DesktopX may have even more integral options for implementation.

Perhaps you've already contacted Stardock, or they you, about this, but Bichur is right, it deserves a response here also!

Hope that has been of some help,
rr
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
the Pro version allows the exportation of gadgets (stand a lones that don't require the end user to have DTX installed

widgets require DTX to be installed by the end user (but doesn't have to be running)

if you're talking an entire stand a lone desktop (ie honking huge gadget) you will need an enterprise license.

or possibly Theme Manager OEM
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Hi,

Thanks for the help so far received.

I did try and make contact with Stardock as a serious request both through the product manager and sales@ but with no luck as yet.

I will try and get a response.

CB

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Please resend your email to mikec [at] stardock.com and I'll make sure it gets looked at.