drakesteele drakesteele

Just wondering...

▼

Just wondering...

from Stardock Forums

Dear Stardock Object Desktop staff:

Now that the Windows 10 OS has finally settled in as the primary version going forward for a while, and you've finally gotten to updating WindowBlinds, and given us a few Win10-targeted customizers, I'm wondering if we might start to see some updates to some of the other classic OD apps, or new customization apps that perform some of their functions, such as:

 

  • Using Icon packagfes?
  • DesktopX widgets and ObjectBar bars?
  • An updated Soundpackager?
  • A revamped, updated ObjectDock?
  • etc...

 

I ask because I miss some of these wonderful apps that worked so well for so long across 95, 98, ME, XP, Win 7... you guys kept up for what seemed like forever, and I think we all got used to your being just always so on top of each new windows release... but you've been understandably gunshy to update some with the last couple releases, waiting until they're well and truly established before tackling them, and then not doing all of them... Now that Win 10 is supposed to be the platform going forward with everything being done as a set of evolutionary updates to this OS rather than complete revisions, will we finally see the bold OS customizations of the glory days?

- your avid fan,

 

- Drake Steele.

P.S.: Some of these, like IconPackager and SoundPackager, still work in 10 with minimal futzing if you fudge the windows version to the installer and make one or two tweaks. So honestly, some would take very minimal work to get up to date to at least be functional with win10 again.  Can we get some of them fixed up? Pretty please? - Drake.

53,311 views 39 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top

O:)

 

Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 27

I find the screens on "tablets" too small for Windows.



Just my opinion. I never had a Surface, but I have had a few 10 inch windows tablets.
End of RedneckDude's quote

My HP 2-in-1 tablet. has a 13.5" screen, which is plenty big enough for a poratable device.

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I was just as the OP says, wondering...Are there special reasons why Stardock can't/won't produce apps for Apple products ? |-)

Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Mark, Jim...that's a "delayed" spam reply by Hamiltion. 

Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting neone6, reply 10


Quoting JcRabbit,
reply 9

Windows 10 made Windows butt ugly again, but interest in skinning it will never go back to what it once was. Skinning was new at some point, now it's old news. Most software already looks 'good enough'.



I beg to differ.

-There's a whole new generation out there that for a fact never even heard of skinning or that anything CAN even be done about the looks of the Windows OS.

I am of the firm belief that a wide marketing campaign -advertising, would open up the eyes of the most part of that generation (and a lot of the ones before too that never heard about skinning either) and skinning and windowblinds would have a BIG comeback ! :sun:

End of neone6's quote

 

I agree Andy. I know that even before I started skinning using Stardock products, a friend told me about it. But I never saw a single advertisement anywhere on the Internet, TV, tech magazines, etc. for any of their products, which I really found weird.

How do you sell something if no one knows about it? Advertising is the key element for sure.

Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Last night a friend said something to me that I think sums it up exactly:

"Before, everything was ugly and gray. Gray windows, gray buttons, etc... But now, eye candy is everywhere!'

And that's the thing we 'old timer's' have a hard time realizing because the change has been so gradual: in those days, basically nobody in the world of Windows cared about aesthetics. We were mostly techies, applications had to be functional, and nobody cared how they looked!

Take the original WinAmp skin, for instance: how ugly was that compared to what came after?

Anyway, all this changed with Apple and Steve Jobs. The guy had 'taste', unlike Bill Gates. That's why skinning had it's hugest boom with Mac OSX and the will to make Windows look more like Mac OSX.

Then Vista/7 came and two things happened: Vista/7 had tons of eye candy, which in turn prompted the visual quality in most apps to rise as well. Suddenly eye candy is everywhere, as my friend said - and since things are no longer butt ugly, the need to skin everything and its dog all but disappeared.

Even Windows 10, which we like to think of as butt ugly, is an order of magnitude better than XP in the looks department. :)

Reply #32 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 30

I agree Andy. I know that even before I started skinning using Stardock products, a friend told me about it. But I never saw a single advertisement anywhere on the Internet, TV, tech magazines, etc. for any of their products, which I really found weird.
How do you sell something if no one knows about it? Advertising is the key element for sure.
End of LightStar's quote
We are def. in agreement here Tom  :thumbsup:

Reply #33 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Thinking about creating a "You tube Ad" myself in Adobe After effects for Windowblinds 10 with some nasty beats and stylish/polished screenshot anims etc... -Why not hey ? |-)

Reply #34 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting neone6, reply 33

Thinking about creating a "You tube Ad" myself in Adobe After effects for Windowblinds 10 with some nasty beats and stylish/polished screenshot anims etc... -Why not hey ? |-)
End of neone6's quote

It'd need to be approved/endorsed by Stardock....;)

Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Neil, reply 1

Please do not override the OS detection for IconPackager.

Once installed it will trash your icons on uninstall.  There is a very good reason it is blocked from working on Windows 10!
End of Neil's quote


Neil, I am running IconPackager 4 with Windows 10 64 bit.  It's not totally perfect so I have to apply the packages twice sometimes.  Version 5 would not work at all but version 4 is cruising along beautifully.  :-)

Reply #36 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 34

It'd need to be approved/endorsed by Stardock....
End of Jafo's quote
Lol, yeah Paul, guess you better moderate it when it's done then ;)

Reply #37 from Stardock Forums Top
Quoting Cameochi, reply 35
Quoting Neil Banfield,
reply 1

Please do not override the OS detection for IconPackager.

Once installed it will trash your icons on uninstall.  There is a very good reason it is blocked from working on Windows 10!



Neil, I am running IconPackager 4 with Windows 10 64 bit.  It's not totally perfect so I have to apply the packages twice sometimes.  Version 5 would not work at all but version 4 is cruising along beautifully.  :)

End of Cameochi's quote

Again do not uninstall it or it may well break your OS!

Reply #38 from JoeUser Forums Top

I'd pay attention to that guy =>  Neil

Reply #39 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I've been involved in skinning for a while.  I was fortunate enough to contribute some skins back in the day.  Yes, the GUI has changed since XP, but no matter what MS does, I will always use Winstep Extreme, WindowBlinds and Icon Packager (I hope and pray.)  I like to make my computer experience comfortable to use and to be able to change it to something completely different as the mood strikes. 

I certainly hope that Brad, Neil and company do decide to put out a new version of IP.  I miss it.

I also miss creating skins, but don't have as much time as I used to.  Hopefully, the Theme Builder Jorge is working on, can get me back in the game.  There are so many WB's begging for Winstep themes |-)