With the Windows Vista ship date still in question, software developer Stardock released Object Desktop 2007. Object Desktop s a program that adds a host of new features to Windows that enables users to completely control their Windows experience.
The programs that make up Object Desktop have become increasingly popular in the past year. WindowBlinds, for instance, has been able to deliver Vista-like glass effects on the desktop at performance levels that rival or exceed that of Windows Vista thanks to Object Desktop's full use of video hardware acceleration.
Stardock has insisted that Object Desktop is not designed to steal any thunder from Windows Vista and adds that it has multiple Windows Vista specific programs in development to be added to Object Desktop in the next year.
Still, Object Desktop's tendancy to have features that make their way into Windows has been consistent. Object Desktop '99 introduced seamless ZIP folder integration, the Control Center "side bar", and of course the GUI skinning that many users take for granted today (Windows XP's "Luna" msstyle system is implemented virtually identically to WindowBlinds 2).
Object Desktop 2007 has features such as WindowFX's taskbar previews, a user-configurable enhanced file dialog, hardware accelerated virtual desktops, shell-integrated hot key support for launching programs and saved clipboards, and of course the already well known eye candy that tend to overwhelm the productivity features.
Critics of Object Desktop say that Object Desktop may look nice but can slow down the system and use up a lot of memory. Stardock insists that the programs of Object Desktop 2007 should have little to no impact on performance on any remotely modern system and that few if any of the components of Object Desktop use as much memory as even a single Internet Explorer window.
What Microsoft's reaction to Object Desktop 2007 will be remains to be seen. While Stardock says it has no intention to take away any momentum from Windows Vista, the video demo of Object Desktop -- running on Windows XP, shows that Microsoft will need to make sure the visual elements of Windows Vista take full advantage of the new graphics infrastructure.
Neowin has recently reported that long-time Microsoft backers such as Longhorn Blog's Robert McLaws have argued that Windows Vista needs to be pushed back. With pressure from Apple's upcoming Leopard and Object Desktop 2007, combined with pressure from beta testers, the Vista release date becomes a question.
After all, if Stardock can make Windows XP do the things Object Desktop makes it do, then the expectations on Windows Vista are just that much higher.
View: Object Desktop Home Page
View: Neowin: Vista Needs More Time
Video: Object Desktop 2007 video demo
The programs that make up Object Desktop have become increasingly popular in the past year. WindowBlinds, for instance, has been able to deliver Vista-like glass effects on the desktop at performance levels that rival or exceed that of Windows Vista thanks to Object Desktop's full use of video hardware acceleration.
Stardock has insisted that Object Desktop is not designed to steal any thunder from Windows Vista and adds that it has multiple Windows Vista specific programs in development to be added to Object Desktop in the next year.
Still, Object Desktop's tendancy to have features that make their way into Windows has been consistent. Object Desktop '99 introduced seamless ZIP folder integration, the Control Center "side bar", and of course the GUI skinning that many users take for granted today (Windows XP's "Luna" msstyle system is implemented virtually identically to WindowBlinds 2).
Object Desktop 2007 has features such as WindowFX's taskbar previews, a user-configurable enhanced file dialog, hardware accelerated virtual desktops, shell-integrated hot key support for launching programs and saved clipboards, and of course the already well known eye candy that tend to overwhelm the productivity features.
Critics of Object Desktop say that Object Desktop may look nice but can slow down the system and use up a lot of memory. Stardock insists that the programs of Object Desktop 2007 should have little to no impact on performance on any remotely modern system and that few if any of the components of Object Desktop use as much memory as even a single Internet Explorer window.
What Microsoft's reaction to Object Desktop 2007 will be remains to be seen. While Stardock says it has no intention to take away any momentum from Windows Vista, the video demo of Object Desktop -- running on Windows XP, shows that Microsoft will need to make sure the visual elements of Windows Vista take full advantage of the new graphics infrastructure.
Neowin has recently reported that long-time Microsoft backers such as Longhorn Blog's Robert McLaws have argued that Windows Vista needs to be pushed back. With pressure from Apple's upcoming Leopard and Object Desktop 2007, combined with pressure from beta testers, the Vista release date becomes a question.
After all, if Stardock can make Windows XP do the things Object Desktop makes it do, then the expectations on Windows Vista are just that much higher.
View: Object Desktop Home Page View: Neowin: Vista Needs More Time Video: Object Desktop 2007 video demo
Right now, we all assume that Vista's new DWM with a 3D surface should absolutely blow away Windows XP in terms of user-experience. But someone loading up Object Desktop 2007 could essentially replicate much of the *superficial* look of Vista and still have very good performance.
Vista is a lot more than the visual aspects but let's face it, that's what people see and experience first. Same is true on Object Desktop, most of the programs are non-cosmetic in nature but people get fixated on the eye candy. Vista not only needs to be fast and solid but it's experience needs to be agile and fluid.
Consider this: Windows Vista's DWM uses around 100 megs of memory. Windows XP has no DWM so that's 0 megs. Microsoft is going to have a lot of questions if the DWM doesn't deliver vastly superior performance to what XP is capable of to justify that memory use. A user with a modern XP system can currently get Vista-like performance.
That's why there's a lot of people saying Microsoft needs to make sure Vist areally is ready to go. Vista has FAR more potential than Windows XP or any Windows XP-based software. But it's not yet meeting that potential.
Every time you load up Windows XP and look at that blue Luna (or other msstyle) you can see the influence of tiny Stardock on the OS.
As for Vista - it's still the same thing. WindowBlinds has over 10 million users now. If Vista ships and feels slow or bulky -- as it currently does -- in providing the Windows experience and yet users of Windows XP are able to get similar or better performance using Object Desktop, it's going to be a real problem. It will come up.
Very few users use Linux or MacOS in terms of %'s, but you can bet if Vista comes out without being ready, it's relative performance will be compared with that or MacOS.
You mean millions of dollars annually? Yes.
Depending on how you want to split hairs, more than 10 million people use WindowBlinds in one form or other. Got an ATI card? You've got WindowBlinds in there handling all the skinned parts of its control center. Running some program that has a skinned UI? Decent chance it's running WindowBlinds under the covers. Got an Alienware box? Same thing.
And so forth. Each week, WindowBlinds gets around 30k to 40k downloads just from Download.com. There is a free version after all that lots of people use. And yes, a substantial number of users upgrade to the enhanced, non-free version.
There really are a lot of companies, not just Stardock, making a lot of money in the Windows market that Microsoft doesn't buy.
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