Philly0381 Philly0381

Wondering what folks are doing with their desktops these days?

Wondering what folks are doing with their desktops these days?

With Windows 8 and it's updates community members have probably once again been changing their desktops to suite their needs and desires.  Stardock has provided several programs to help folks get back what most thought were useful functions.  New programs such as Start8, ModernMix, Launch8 and Decor8 along with updates to existing programs have made transitioning to the new OS much easier.

So with taking the above in to consideration I was wondering just how much community members were still into customizing their desktops.  Is it just back to minor tweaking or is there still the desire to have a desktop that carries on with changing the look of everything based upon a theme?

You may wonder why ask such a question. 

The community, it seems, has gone into somewhat of a hibernation (no pun) with skinning or it may be that just folks are waiting.  I now things and interests of computer users change.  So reply and tell us what you are up to with your desktops.

Along this same line I wonder if there would be interest in a Community Skinning Project, haven't been one in awhile. 

It would also be nice to see a Skinning Contest or two.

Here is another question, are Skinning sites still alive and active.  Reply if you have one and what's going on.

Remember folks Stardock provides the programs then the community takes over and shows just what they can do with them.

:sun:

 

30,107 views 54 replies
Reply #26 Top

Quoting Uvah, reply 25
Don't do Fences because I like a clean screen without all that stuff muckin' it up.

Double click on the desktop and it's about as 'clean' as you can get...;)

Reply #27 Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 26
Double click on the desktop and it's about as 'clean' as you can get...

couldn't live without Fences for this very reason.... 

Reply #28 Top

Quoting sydneysiders, reply 27
couldn't live without Fences for this very reason....
Sure you could, WFX will also hide your icons.

Reply #29 Top

I use both Fences and WinFX, but really, how hard would it be to right click and hide/show your icons?  

Reply #30 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 29
how hard would it be to right click and hide/show your icons?

Exactly!  I have 3 Fences down the left side of my screen that are set to hide with a double right click... an easy peasy, now you see me now you don't, solution to desktop clutter.  I also have a Fence across the top of my screen with my most used apps, etc, but I have no issue with it being exempt from 'hide' because it is narrow and takes up very little screen real estate on a large screen... currently a 27" but I also have a 29" that I've not hooked up since moving my 'man cave' upstairs, though I will get around to it once I've settled on how I want things set up in the new 'man cave'... which also hasn't been decided because I have two spare rooms and I'm deliberating which best suits my IT needs and which I'll keep as a bedroom.

I'm currently working on a temporary setup in the dining area... temporary because I hurt like all buggery and need a couple of days to recuperate after moving some of Shaunna's stuff out and all of my man cave stuff upstairs.  Damned arthritis... remembering muscles I hadn't used in a while, like the ones in my bum cheeks hurting as well.  Shit yeah, my bum cheeks hurt, as do my thigh and calf muscles and... shoot, I might just as well say I hurt all over and be done with it... oh, and my legs feel like jelly [ jello for those incivilised colonials who don't know the Queen's English]

Hehe, of course she's feching English, and talks with a plum in her mouth... something I'm told some people in Boston do, which somewhat surprises me.  I mean, if they're trying to mimic the English, why did they throw all that feckin' tea in the harbour?

:-" :w00t: ;P

See how easily I'm feching distracted!  First I'm talking skinning; then I'm talking moving man caves; then I'm talking hurting like a bitch; then it's a fechin' history lesson.

So back to skinning and useful apps.  Workshelf!  Now that is the must have, goto app that answers all my needs instantly.  No matter what I have open on my desktop, I can always access Workshelf, which I have set up to give me access to everything on my PC within 2 clicks of the mouse.  And the thing I like about Workshelf and the modules that accompany it?  They're all skinnable and can often have matching skins to accompany the Windowblind you're displaying.  For those of you who do not know what Workshelf is, it is a part of Winstep Xtreme and can be found here.

Reply #31 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 29

I use both Fences and WinFX, but really, how hard would it be to right click and hide/show your icons?  


Hard =)
I have lots of unneeded stuff sitting on my desktop
Shortcuts to folders and so on but also pictures, textdocuments, word documents, projects, recently bought music and more.
Basically stuff i currently need... everything else normaly ends up in a folder somewhere on one of my drives.
I know you can hide them all but can you also hide specific Fences or files i never checked to be honest if fences can do that.
Would be pretty cool if you ask me :P

 

Reply #32 Top

Just installed Fences on Terry's machine ....added advantage...gets rid of those icon shortcut arrows too.  Next is to dig out an older sysmetrix of mine...just a single clockface ver.  Most of the 'tweaking' is functionality ... and maintaining settings as were on the old machine.

Just put 8.1 on the laptop...still looks like crap....;)

Reply #33 Top

I just click the Show/Hide Desktop button in the right corner of the taskbar, a built-in feature in Windows 7 and 8. All my desktop icons, ObjectDock and everything disappear giving me a clean desktop.  That is the easiest way, no need for extra software for something that simple.

Reply #34 Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 32
Just installed Fences on Terry's machine ....added advantage...gets rid of those icon shortcut arrows too.

Also handled by WindowFX, for those who don't use Fences. Just sayin'.   ;)

Reply #35 Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 33

I just click the Show/Hide Desktop button in the right corner of the taskbar, a built-in feature in Windows 7 and 8. All my desktop icons, ObjectDock and everything disappear giving me a clean desktop.  That is the easiest way, no need for extra software for something that simple.

Yeah, Tom, but most of us don't want the widgets, gadgets, winstep modules, or whatever to go away as well, just the icons.   ;)

Reply #36 Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 32
Just put 8.1 on the laptop...still looks like crap.

Must've put it on wrong, then!  :w00t:

Has to be cos it looks alright here. :-"

When clicking to install 8.1, was the mouse in your left or right hand?  Makes all the difference, you know.

See, if you used the left and and yours is a right handed mouse, what you'll get is a mirrored image... what's on the left of the screen should be on the right and vise versa.  Hence you have a feched up screen that looks like sh!te

Same thing if yours is a left handed mouse but was held in the right hand during execution.... just the opposite way around.  And still looking like sh!te.

I had a similar thing happen this one time I was downloading centrefolds from the playboy site... or was it the Penthouse site... and was it the one time or more often than that... anyway, doesn't matter, cos I was holding the mouse in the wrong hand I got mirrored images.  It took a while to figure out why the boobies were all pointing the other way, but I got there, and conversely, how I figured out how to install Win 8 correctly.

That is probably why everybody who hates Win 8 hates 8... held the mouse in the wrong feching hand at installation. :-"

And over at Intel, the bloke responsible for naming CPUs has elected to call the next high-end batch i9s.

Why, because he's on a strict diet at home and he don't want his wife to get the wrong end of the stick. 

The other offerings will be a range of i4 and i6's.  And that's another thing!  If ikt was up to me I'd have all hardware and software with proper names, not just numbers.  I mean, there's not a lot of difference between i6 and i7, or between Windows 95 and 98... and Windows ME for fech's sake, that's just initials and just as confusing... XP for crying out loud.  There'd be much less confusion if it were all named... with proper names. Nicknackpaddywack give a dog a bone can't be confused with Longjohntiddlywacker, doctor John the kidney cracker, now can it.  Right, so proper names it is, then.

:w00t: :-" }:) :grin:

Quoting LightStar, reply 33

I just click the Show/Hide Desktop button in the right corner of the taskbar, a built-in feature in Windows 7 and 8. All my desktop icons, ObjectDock and everything disappear giving me a clean desktop.  That is the easiest way, no need for extra software for something that simple.

Now then, if we all thought like that: "Fech the 3rd party software if the OS does the job.", even if it is only half-assed, then Stardock would be out of a job, wouldn't they!!!!  Orright, so get with the programme and install Fences to show your support.  It's not like it'll cost you any extra, and just think of all the kustomization kiddies at Stardock who'll be so much better off when we all stick with the programme.  And all their kiddies at home, at school, running the streets... they'll appreciate it too.

:-" :w00t: ;P

Oh, and if anybody thinks I've got too much time on my hands, get off my feching back.  I'm feching suffering here...  suffering, I tells ya!!  Apart from the usual insomnia and restless leg syndrome, I feching hurt all over, and at 3.15am, when I should be in bed snoring off the covers, I'm wide awake and bouncing off the walls.  Well I'm not hurting quite as much as I was earlier, cos I took some quick-release Trameedo, which have made it more bearable, but me thinks that's why I'm bouncing off the walls... boing, boing, ding... 

I'm not high exactly, but every time I hit something hard, I hear all these bings, bangs, ding dings and boing boings, like I'm trapped in a pinball machine.... oi, wait a minute...

Orright, back again... 'twas the pinball ringtone on my mobile, hehe. :blush:

So, that stopped the noises in my head... now what to do about bouncing off the walls?.... thud, bang, wallop.

:-"

Reply #37 Top

Okay, I know that when a thread is posted it can go in many directions but could we get back on topic and not turn it into a like/hate Windows 8 discussion.  The OP had some very easy and simple questions, like to see more responses as I'm sure SD/WC might be interested.

Reply #38 Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 33
I just click the Show/Hide Desktop button in the right corner of the taskbar

There's a button for that?? I ain't never seed it.

Reply #39 Top

Something else I've used in recent times is X-Widget.  No it's not Stardock's, but there are several Steampunk skins for it and I've been applying a few Steampunk desktops over the last few months.

I would of course use DesktopX if there were any Steampunk themed Widgets/Gadgets and it was compatible with Win 8.1.  There was a time when I enjoyed using DesktopX and the various themes, but the last time was on Vista x86 some years ago now, and since then it has pretty much fallen by the wayside, with little or no support for x64 OSes.

I'd like to see DX updated to comply fully with Win 8.1 x64 and Win 7 x64, but I don't see t happening any time soon, so will continue to use X-Widget and hope for a customisation miracle.

I also use Rainmeter for its Steampunk skins and would like to see more of those if anybody's interested. :)

Reply #40 Top

Quoting starkers, reply 39
I would of course use DesktopX if there were any Steampunk themed Widgets/Gadgets and it was compatible with Win 8.1.

There are and it is.

Reply #41 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 40

Quoting starkers, reply 39I would of course use DesktopX if there were any Steampunk themed Widgets/Gadgets and it was compatible with Win 8.1.

There are and it is.

A simple search will get you this.  https://www.wincustomize.com/explore/all/search/steampunk#

Icons, Cursors, Rainlender, Xion, Winstep, SysMetrix, ObjectDock I believe should work on Windows 8.1 and I think Jim has some success with DX.

Reply #42 Top

Quoting Philly0381, reply 41
I think Jim has some success with DX.

You think?    o_O     :w00t:

 

Just for reference, I build DX themes, gadgets, and widgets on Windows 8.1 with UAC turned off (as it should be on any OS anyway).

 

I have no problems at all with DX on Windows 8.1 other than bugs that exist on all OSes.

Reply #43 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 40


Quoting starkers, reply 39I would of course use DesktopX if there were any Steampunk themed Widgets/Gadgets and it was compatible with Win 8.1.

There are and it is.

Okay, I will have to try DX on Win 8.1 again.  I did try it out earlier in the piece and I got an error to say it was not compatible with my OS.  I did forget to mention in my previous post that it is Win 8.1 x64 I'm using.  Does that make a difference?  Anyway, I will give it another shot later, as I have to go out briefly to get a few grocery items.

Quoting Philly0381, reply 41
A simple search will get you this. https://www.wincustomize.com/explore/all/search/steampunk#[/quote]

Thanks, Philly, I will check those out more thoroughly when I get home.  I do recall there not being too many Steampunk skins around when I last checked on WC, but there obviously has been some made since.

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 42


Quoting Philly0381, reply 41 I think Jim has some success with DX.

You think?       

 

Just for reference, I build DX themes, gadgets, and widgets on Windows 8.1 with UAC turned off (as it should be on any OS anyway).

 

I have no problems at all with DX on Windows 8.1 other than bugs that exist on all OSes.

Okay, that's good to know!  However, we may have to talk if I hit any snags, being you're more experience with DX than I... may also have to talk about Steampunk skins, and porting some of my faves over if the original artists give the okay.

Anyhow, gotta go. |-)

Reply #44 Top

Mark, I use DesktopX Pro 4.0 beta, which is actually DesktopX Pro 3.96.  No longer available.

Reply #45 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 44
Mark, I use DesktopX Pro 4.0 beta, which is actually DesktopX Pro 3.96. No longer available.

 So what you're saying is I'm outta luck???

I mean, I can achieve the desired result using X-Wideget and Rainmeter, but I would prefer to stick with Stardock apps wherever possible.

Okay, I just installed DX successfully and it appears i have version 3.5.  I will download some skins, objects and widgets, etc and see how it all goes.

Will have to be later, though, gotta go out again to pick up/exchange a mobo.

Reply #46 Top

If it isn't 3.5 Pro, you may be OK. The Pro version of 3.5 won't run anything scripted.

 

Reply #47 Top

Mark, you have PM.  :moo:

Reply #48 Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 46
If it isn't 3.5 Pro, you may be OK. The Pro version of 3.5 won't run anything scripted.

I'm not too sure, but I don't think it's Pro... there;s nothing to say it is.  It has Desktop Builder, though, if that means anything.

Yeah, I saw 'pink' to say there's a newt PM... will investigate it shortly.  Right now I just want to relax and take a load off... it has been a busy day and I'm feeling bushed.. beat.... knackered. 

Hmmm, a good soak in a hot tub 'd be nice, but I'd worry about not being to get out again... and I don't think my niece 'd appreciate the hole in the roof  to give the crane access.

:grin:

Reply #49 Top

I don't believe I've ever heard the silence being so loud.  :(

Reply #50 Top

50 Replies is silence?  o_O