New DX Categories needed B A D

from WinCustomize Forums
I know we have had discussions on new Gallery's but I really think we need these 2.

1. DX Gadgets - this would be for gadgets only, so people without DX could load these and know they would work, and people with DX would know that everything in the WIDGET Gallery is a widget that can be imported.

2. DX Weather/Clock - yes yes yes, anyone that has ever been in the DX Widgets gallery know that there and have done a "search" for "weather" will return you 7 pages of 32 widgets, or MORE. This is just weather, not to mention clocks. The problem is, these are almost all (not all Vad_M/Martin/Richard) the SAME widget, just with different "skins". Its getting old. you post something that you have spent a great deal of time working on, and in 2 days, its on page 3, behind 200 more of the SAME weather widgets.

If you agree, or disagree, please let us know. I think these could easily be added and would make things so much better. If DX is going to EVER evolve beyond a weather/clock widget maker, it has to be able to SHOW what is out there that ISNT one of these.

PLEASE PLEASE HEAR US!!!
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Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sounds good, though I only use DX for a weather widget anyway and always use the same one, heh. Having its own category would be easier to search through and not push all the other stuff to the side.
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You got it RomanDA! It's been said before. Widgets need to be a tree library where you click on widgets and you have a choice of four categories 1) General purpose, 2) Weather, 3) Clock, and 4) MP3 Players. And, of course, possibly more as the library grew. This should be implemented so not to add clutter to the main library list on the right side.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I hear ya. As a consumer, not an artist or coder, I look for the newest widgets/objects that do something beside display weather or time only. I'm partial to the designs that test the medium of DX and gadgetry as opposed to weather and clocks. Not to say that there's not some great clocks and weather displays being uploaded, just that DX can do so much more, and it's exciting to see people pushing the envelope and offering options I haven't seen before. It's all good. I love Desktop X and the Gadgets, Widgets and Objects. I wholeheartedly agree with this idea and will be glad to see it implemented so I don't miss the new uploads any more. Thanks, Daavid. An excellent article and an idea whose time has come.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I agree 1000% ...As a user only it gets quite trying to wade through looking for a great gadget...And when I look I am not looking for a particular item..so I can not use the search panel.
I also wonder about the *new potential skinner of DX..When all they see produced are the weather & clcok widgets...what do you expect them to make?...Seeing gadgets prominently displayed may *open their minds to new possibility's.

And I agree with you BigDogFeet

It's My Secret
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm with you RomanDA
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Im all for that tooo.  
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yep, sounds good.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
yup yup... good idea...   
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Without question it should be done.
Ya know, weather gadgets/widgets are nice, but it seems that since the advent of DX3 that this is the predominant thing that people make. I myself don't use them because I have a window in my room...  

No offense intended here (because the weather objects are very very nice), but what is deperately needed are fresh ideas and less of the same.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I was just thinking the other day about how many of those clocks/weather widgets there are.I do not really use the clock widgets because of the one in the lower right corner on my pc, but the weather i use on a regular basis.Heck i live in Minnesota for pete's sake!  that's my 2 cents.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I Agree with RomanDA but this problem is more deeply...

Are you remember how we loved DX Galleries when Tiggs, Martin, Will Ross and other Great People uploaded their new creations here? How we waited for each new addition? Were these people?

What we can see now? Hundreds of weathers...

DesktopX is not Sysmetrix, Rainlendar or Winamp. This is a Power Software for developers but not a simple program which apply new skins to old widgets! And I think that Skinning and Widgets Development are a different things.

How much time we need to create complicated code? From one week to one month and more.
How much time we need to draw a several boxes and buttons and apply scripts here? 2 - 3 hours.

Is these both works are equal? And how these works may have the equal ratings? I become sad when I thinks about...

So it would be great if we will have Galleries for Gadgets, Widgets, Objects etc... with new creations and a special Gallery like Skins for Widgets to upload "remakes".
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You got my vote!

I also wonder about the *new potential skinner of DX..When all they see produced are the weather & clcok widgets...what do you expect them to make?...


I agree. We need to showcase the possibilites of DX. Let people know how much can be done with it. Inspire more dynamic creations. Show them all the cool ideas and get the creativity flowing!
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Are you remember how we loved DX Galleries when Tiggs, Martin, Will Ross and other Great People uploaded their new creations here? How we waited for each new addition? Were these people?


YES.. I miss them all. but VAD -- YOU are the one I wait for now to see not just a WIDGET or GADGET but an amazing PROGRAM, when it gets over 1000 lines of code its no longer a WIDGET. Your stuff is the things i dream of being able to do. As for the others, I think most of them have gotten tired of their work being lost in a sea of Skinned weather widgets.

So it would be great if we will have Galleries for Gadgets, Widgets, Objects etc... with new creations and a special Gallery like Skins for Widgets to upload "remakes".


The problem would be that people might be confused about what is where.

DX Widgets - This is still the place to find NEW Widgets not widgets that have been MADE BEFORE with new images.
DX Objects - why do we need this? Objects are just like widgets? you can just import them. -- Most of these end up being "Zoomers" or something that is an ICON, not an object. But in DX an OBJECT is ANYTHING.... That makes it so much harder to know what should be in there.
DX Gadgets - this is a MUST it shows everyone that DX makes GADGETS too!!
DX Weather/Clock - These 2 are the most popular styles of DX Widgets
DX Themes - There are so many issues with Themes, most people have no idea how to make these work for THEM. I have tried to make several Widgets that allow customization without anyone having to know how to use DX, VAD_M's work is the perfect example of this, Look at the LAUNCH BAR it allows ANYONE to use it without ever opening up DX in "BUILDER" mode. Somehow we need to get THEMES to this level so that everyone can use them!!

Im not an expert on how to set this stuff up, but something needs done before we lose more DX "Programmers" and then we will only have 1 widget with 200,000,000 SKINS.

Is there ANY input from the Stardock Guys???
BRAD?? What do you think we need to do? Its your baby, we all want DX to be a popular PROGRAMMING platform, not a SKINNING one.

I would love to know what you think.

Thanks for all the input all, lets keep this issue at the forefront of things here, please. Lets not let this issue just go away.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think we all understand the purpose of desktopgadgets but, it seems to be somewhat dead amongst some of the other complaints I've heard. When there is a category for google gadgets and I imagine Vista is not far behind then why not for "the first" developer of these gadgets? It only makes sense.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks for all the input all, lets keep this issue at the forefront of things here, please. Lets not let this issue just go away.


YES.. I miss them all. but VAD -- YOU are the one I wait for now to see not just a WIDGET or GADGET but an amazing PROGRAM, when it gets over 1000 lines of code its no longer a WIDGET.


We need to showcase the possibilites of DX. Let people know how much can be done with it. Inspire more dynamic creations.


Seeing gadgets prominently displayed may *open their minds to new possibility's.


we all want DX to be a popular PROGRAMMING platform


This is a Power Software for developers but not a simple program which apply new skins to old widgets!


Seems to be a strong common thread here.   
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The widget/gadget galleries are for sure no good promotion for DesktopX (which I said before, when the 1st flood of weather objects came - remember SSGoku ?)

Well it's mostly overall 2 or 3 people that flood the galleries with those weather widgets, tried to do something against that, but 'they' didn't even notice. So I am all for putting up more different galleries for DX, maybe something like "power widgets/gadgets " or something for enhanced, professional work like RomanDAs or Vads.

Sometimes I think SD itself has given up on the matter of the underestimation of DX...

I will release my skinnable System Info shortly and that's it for me in terms of weather/calendar/systeminfo. An attempt to change something, but I have no hope that it will...
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
DX Themes - There are so many issues with Themes, most people have no idea how to make these work for THEM. I have tried to make several Widgets that allow customization without anyone having to know how to use DX, VAD_M's work is the perfect example of this, Look at the LAUNCH BAR it allows ANYONE to use it without ever opening up DX in "BUILDER" mode. Somehow we need to get THEMES to this level so that everyone can use them!!



I completely agree that themes need to be extremely customizable *outside* of DX Builder mode. It's alot to contemplate but anticipating all the customizing needs of the end-user and implimenting certain factors to make it possible will make DX themes much more accesible and appealing. There's always this 'lockout' feeling I get when using a theme on my desktop. You feel like you lose some control over your environment or you feel somewhat restricted. Not so with WindowsBlinds. Why? It's because everything is still there right where you left it- you've only changed the look. That's why I think WBs are much more popular. All you have to do is apply it and you're off. But DX can come with some really cool capabilites (e.g. mini-applications galore), and if we can combine the powerful capabilites of DX with the ease of use and simplicity of WB, I think DX themes can really shine.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I completely agree that themes need to be extremely customizable *outside* of DX Builder mode. It's alot to contemplate but anticipating all the customizing needs of the end-user and implimenting certain factors to make it possible will make DX themes much more accesible and appealing. There's always this 'lockout' feeling I get when using a theme on my desktop. You feel like you lose some control over your environment or you feel somewhat restricted. Not so with WindowsBlinds. Why? It's because everything is still there right where you left it- you've only changed the look. That's why I think WBs are much more popular. All you have to do is apply it and you're off. But DX can come with some really cool capabilities (e.g. mini-applications galore), and if we can combine the powerful capabilities of DX with the ease of use and simplicity of WB, I think DX themes can really shine.


Well said...The reason I customize is to gain more control

How much time we need to create complicated code? From one week to one month and more.
How much time we need to draw a several boxes and buttons and apply scripts here? 2 - 3 hours.


Lets make sure we are giving credit where it is due..

It's My Secret

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I am waiting to see what happens with DX 3.5 being able to export to VISTA SIDEBAR GADGETS, I pray that this new feature will not introduce a flood of crap weather/clocks into that platform next.

I am still hoping to hear from Brad or someone else at SD/WC...
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Isn't only PRO intended to be capable of exporting sidebar gadgets ? Or did I misunderstand that ?
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Isn't only PRO intended to be capable of exporting sidebar gadgets ? Or did I misunderstand that ?


That MIGHT help.

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
sViz wrote: "I think DX themes can really shine."

This is truth! We really can do any things from desktop applications to complicated GUI with DesktopX PRO and create Desktops which will be better than any you can see now... It's because these Desktops will contain non-standard functions like clock, calendar, searchbox, etc...

But look at the DesktopX EULA: "LICENSEE agrees NOT to use product to export desktops as gadgets."! So we may not create a stand alone DX Themes.

On the other hand I'm find no sense to export some of my works into standart DX Themes because I don't want see how somebody hacks my scripts which I have been working more than 2 years...

Agree with RomanDA. DX Objects is the same that DX Widgets.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
On the other hand I'm find no sense to export some of my works into standart DX Themes because I don't want see how somebody hacks my scripts which I have been working more than 2 years...


There might be away around this. There's an app called vbstoexe that I've been trying out. Just haven't figured out if it's a glorified packer or not. Certain scripts won't work which makes me think this is a little more than just a zip/unzip creator.

Protecting some scripts is also a huge concern of mine and perhaps most of the developers here. Personally I may just realease lesser versions as widgets/objects & more powerful gadgets. I plan on doing more FSO examples.