DesktopX was a

shareware Shareware is a type of proprietary software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer ...

desktop enhancement program that allowed users to build their own custom desktops. Amongst its features was a complete

widget engine A software widget is a relatively simple and easy-to-use software application or component made for one or more different software platforms. A desk accessory or applet is an example of a simple, stand-alone user interface, in contrast with a ...

for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

as well as a desktop object system. User creations could be exported as .desktop files or as widgets. The program was distributed with

Object Desktop Object Desktop (OD; previously the Object Desktop Network or ODNT) is an online software subscription service created by Stardock for OS/2 and relaunched for Windows in 1997. Object Desktop includes most graphical user interface customization and ...

as well as stand-alone. DesktopX was released by Alberto Riccio in 1999 as VDE (

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Desktop Enhancer), and bought in 2000 by

Stardock Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Microsoft Windows due to the collapse of the OS/ ...

. Mini-applications created with it were called "object packs" but later rebranded as "widgets" to standardize the term. Most users used DesktopX to build alternative desktop environments. The mini-application creation ability was there from the start but did not gain widespread use until the release of ''DesktopX 2'' in 2003. Current versions run on

Windows 2000 Windows 2000 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft and oriented towards businesses. It was the direct successor to Windows NT 4.0, and was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), releas ...

and above. DesktopX is no longer for sale by its author and is not actively supported.

Overview

DesktopX supports the creation of three different types of widgets: *''objects''; loaded into a running DesktopX environment. *''widgets''; groups of objects packaged into executables that require DesktopX (equivalent to Yahoo! Widget Engine widgets). *''gadgets''; totally standalone widgets provided as applications. Objects may be controlled by

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

s written in either

VBScript VBScript (''"Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition"'') is an Active Scripting language developed by Microsoft that is modeled on Visual Basic. It allows Microsoft Windows system administrators to generate powerful tools for managing computers w ...

JScript JScript is Microsoft's legacy dialect of the ECMAScript standard that is used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 11 and older. JScript is implemented as an Active Scripting engine. This means that it can be "plugged in" to OLE Automation applicati ...

, although they are not always required. Many common actions are provided for as in-built object functions, such as: * running a

program Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Progra ...

. * displaying a

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containing the contents of a folder. * emptying the ''Recycle Bin''. Similarly, animation, sound and variation depending on the object's state (for example, mouseover or clicking) can be modified without scripting. DesktopX plugins also avoid the need for scripting common tasks, by offering extra functionality such as media player displays and controls (currently available for

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

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, CoolPlayer, an internal version of

Windows Media Player Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on ...

and Stardock's own ''ObjectMedia'') and access to

Windows Management Instrumentation Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) consists of a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components provide information and notification. WMI is Microsoft's impl ...

. As users often wish to have a uniform desktop style, a common practice is to create several widgets as a coherent ''theme''. A few popular artists sell themes in the

WinCustomize WinCustomize is a website that provides content for users to customize Microsoft Windows. The site hosts thousands of skins, themes, icons, wallpapers, and other graphical content to modify the Windows graphical user interface. There is some p ...

br>store
As of 2010 there are three main standalone divisions of DesktopX: *DesktopX Client, which allows the use of desktops, widgets and objects. *DesktopX Standard, which includes the ''DesktopX Builder'' that creates objects and widgets as well as desktops. *DesktopX Pro, which allows the creation of gadgets that may be sold as separate applications or used to promote a website. DesktopX Standard may also be obtained as part of an

subscription. Corporations may purchase DesktopX Enterprise, allowing the creation of secure desktops.

Gadgets

In 2003, Stardock released DesktopX 2 Pro, which allowed developers to export their creations as stand-alone programs called "gadgets". This feature was enhanced with DesktopX 3 and the price on DesktopX Pro lowered to make it more mainstream.

Version history

An (incomplete) list of releases: *August 2000: First beta versions released to

subscribers. *June 2001: DesktopX 1.0 released. *April 2002: DesktopX 1.1 released - adds scripting support. *October 2003: DesktopX 2.0 released - includes IconX. *March 2005: DesktopX 3.0 released - better support for gadgets,

internationalization In economics, internationalization or internationalisation is the process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization. Internationalization is a crucial strateg ...

. *July 2005: DesktopX 3.1 released - new APIs for developers, new UI for users. *July 2008: DesktopX 3.5 released - full

Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, which was released five years before, at the time being the longest time span between successive releases of ...

support with the ability to export to

Windows Desktop Gadgets Windows Desktop Gadgets (called Windows Sidebar in Windows Vista) is a discontinued widget engine for Microsoft Gadgets. Desktop Gadgets have been replaced by Windows 10 Taskbar Widgets. It was introduced with Windows Vista, in which it features ...

External links

DesktopX official website
*
History of DesktopX
'
DesktopX script development wiki

Libraries

*Desktop
objectthemes
an
widget
libraries on

DesktopX Themes at Customize.org
{{Stardock Shareware Utilities for Windows Windows-only software Widget engines Stardock software