Another Desktopx 4 beta has been released. The standard and the professional version have both gotten the same updates This build focuses the feedback that has been recieved after the initial release last week.Post anything that looks odd. Make sure to give us system information like your OS (including 32 or 64 bit), and if it's hard to explain (or even if it isn't) a screenshot.
I reverted to 3.5. I am done with DX betas. I need my DX to work, so I'll do other betas, but no more DX. I'll wait for the releases.
EDIT: I will try out DX betas on my other rig, but not the one on which I skin. ( Suggestion by Wizard1956)
Oups, i won't give a try to update
Today is a good day for me. I finally found a way to work with DLL libraries in DX 3.5. This allow me not only to measure temperature and speed of CPU (for each core) and HDD in the real time but to make the Audio Spectrum Analyzer and display all of this data in DX objects. The test scripts works with 0% of CPU usage!
So the update to DX 4.X is not interesting for me anymore. I don't need it to begin my work on a new desktop for Win-7 right now. You will see the screen shots as soon as it will be possible.
QUESTIONS: Why SD couldn't make the similar plugins for DX till now? Why DX meters still use the Windows Performance Monitor (perfmon.exe) which takes a lot of CPU and RAM instead of WMI? What do you think?
Vad,
Would love to see how your doing the dll call.
Hi Dave, It's really easy! 1. You need to create in Visual Studio 8.0 (or find with Google) the necessary ActiveX DLL (!!!) which you need add to DX package. 2. Then register it in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (the dll path must be: object.directory&"some.dll") 3. Use it as a usual COM Object by CreateObject("ProgID") or CreateObject("ClassName.ClassID"). That's all in a short theory. But let me to keep several details in a little secret. I've spent more than 3 months to learn this. I've never used built-in DX functions so it's totally indifferent for me what version of DX (3.5 or 4.0) I will use for uniting images and scripts to export them as a gadget. The other things are already unnecessary to me.
It's really easy! 1. You need to create in Visual Studio 8.0 (or find with Google) the necessary ActiveX DLL (!!!) which you need add to DX package. 2. Then register it in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (the dll path must be: object.directory&"some.dll") 3. Use it as a usual COM Object by CreateObject("ProgID") or CreateObject("ClassName.ClassID"). That's all in a short theory. But let me to keep several details in a little secret. I've spent more than 3 months to learn this. I've never used built-in DX functions so it's totally indifferent for me what version of DX (3.5 or 4.0) I will use for uniting images and scripts to export them as a gadget. The other things are already unnecessary to me.
It's really easy! 1. You need to create in Visual Studio 8.0 (or find with Google) the necessary ActiveX DLL (!!!) which you need add to DX package. 2. Then register it in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (the dll path must be: object.directory&"some.dll") 3. Use it as a usual COM Object by CreateObject("ProgID") or CreateObject("ClassName.ClassID").
1. You need to create in Visual Studio 8.0 (or find with Google) the necessary ActiveX DLL (!!!) which you need add to DX package.
2. Then register it in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (the dll path must be: object.directory&"some.dll")
3. Use it as a usual COM Object by CreateObject("ProgID") or CreateObject("ClassName.ClassID").
That's all in a short theory. But let me to keep several details in a little secret. I've spent more than 3 months to learn this.
I've never used built-in DX functions so it's totally indifferent for me what version of DX (3.5 or 4.0) I will use for uniting images and scripts to export them as a gadget. The other things are already unnecessary to me.
very cool,. will have to see what i can do, im not an expert on all that dll stuff at all.
Me too... But the "permanent and timely updating of DX" during these years has compelled me to learn this area. So thanks to Stardock - I've acquired new important knowledges.
Excuse me David but I really can't figure out why I find any information about VBScript, WMI, DLL, etc... in Google.com (en-us) even without understanding English but a lot of US and UK people can't do the same? What is it - a trivial laziness or inability to work with Search Engines? It's very strange... P.S. Here is very useful links that may help you: http://izfree.sourceforge.net/Tutorials/tut05.html http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa262304(VS.60).aspx
Excuse me David but I really can't figure out why I find any information about VBScript, WMI, DLL, etc... in Google.com (en-us) even without understanding English but a lot of US and UK people can't do the same? What is it - a trivial laziness or inability to work with Search Engines? It's very strange...
P.S. Here is very useful links that may help you:
http://izfree.sourceforge.net/Tutorials/tut05.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa262304(VS.60).aspx
I recently started trying to learn more about Visual Studio, DLLs also. It seemed to me that many of the basic widgets (weather, etc, etc) would be more useful as plugins...kinda like the DXPlayer plugin makes it easy to put together a media player and all you have to do is provide the graphics.
it only works if i know what to look for, and since i have never used VB Studio its not an area i have looked into. I have googled all kinds of things, it is how i manage to make about 80% of my works.
http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/Default.aspx ??
It's great, Eve! But we didn't pay for DX to study programming so deeply. The most of us (DX users) even has no free time for this. I'm sure that SD can correct all of known DX bugs and make tons of plugins. Just they have no desire (or motivation)...
So my last goal is to finish the desktop which will include Performance Meters (with "thermometers"), Media Player (with Spectrum Analyzer and Media Library), detailed Weather, Calendar with ToDo and Events and Controls for Sound/Stereo Balance and for Monitor Brightness/Contrast. Now it's ready approximately to 80%. Then I'll stop any using of DX. I'm too busy for this now...
Excuse me again. I'm sorry for my words. I've never used Visual Studio too. And will never use it in a future. About two years I wanted to see the changing of CPU/HDD temperature on my desktop and to have the Spectrum Analyzer in my Media Player. But I had no choice after I understood that Stardock will not work on improvement of DX functionality. From this time each DX user should help to itself or remove DX and forget about it... As a result I've found how to make these both gadgets.
makes me VERY sad, you are truely the master of all DX could and should be.
Me too, Dave! But I must earn money every day to be alive. The time when I had enough $$ to work on gadgets is in the past. It was a great hobby but it couldn't show me a way to be rich. Now I finally know where and how to do this but my new business is far away from DX and even computers... I don't like it but I must do it.
May be one day I'll return back and we will drink beer...
AMEN Brother!
This I understand, i have to do the same, and its why im not here doing DX things. Keep hoping ill make a living at it, but it isnt happening, nor looks like it ever will.
Frankly, Im plain and simply pissed so far at this. I was really looking forward to DX refresh and what do we get.
It's still nothing close to being beta. The greatest things that made DX fun and fairly easy to work with in the glory days are simply gone. They're still listed in the plugins but they are nothing more than text in a list. Why bother throwing this garbage out there if you aren't even going to give it your best attempt at a rewrite?
Yes... Unfortunately this is only a hobby which can make rich everyone else but not the authors of widgets/gadgets. Even in so great country like US. Let's live with this sad knowing and remember a good days with DX...
So I think it is about time Stardock rethinks their "Oh, let the customer figure it out and make some great gadgets for advertising DesktopX" policy ASAP. Especially looking at the fact that those people payed more for the software (speak 'Pro') to be able to export gadgets. I personally didn't even purchase the later discounted Pro as I wanted to have it directly when it came.
I'm very sad that it has come as far as now and another great DesktopX 'freak' gives up.
Call me naive, but Brad said he was going to strip it down to bare bones, then rebuild it better than ever. I still have faith that will happen, given time. I am willing to wait, but then, it's all I have and some of you guys have been at DX longer than me.
I also remember reading in these forums somewhere that the skinners used to have to do all the coding themselves, so I count myself fortunate to have what I do have. I know that, if I had to do from scratch what little I do with DX, I couldn't. I realize DX isn't the number one priority on Brad's list, but I think they will fix it and add more stuff eventually. I don't blame them for concentrating on WB and Deskscapes first, they are more important.
As I said.....call me naive......but do call me...lol.
ok you are naive
you could be right ...but I doubt it
I could not agree more. The beta build that was 'launched' on unsuspecting users, recently, was quite frankly, garbage. This program is important to me and many others, just as much as Windowblinds and Iconpackager. There have been very little or no information from Stardock on this thread which I find rather discouraging
I would rather have seen them wait and produce something that would excite us. I just feel slapped in the face.
keep hoping someone from SD will at least comment
If you don't like betas, don't use them.
A lot of the challenges we face with DesktopX has to do with UAC. Simply put, Windows Vista and Windows 7 make it very hard for us to do some of the things we could do in XP and before.
But if you think the beta is "Garbage" then don't use it.
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