Software developer Stardock has released a significant update to DesktopX today. The world"s most popular widget enabling program has found competition growing from programs such as Konfabulator, Avedesk and others.
While those programs do not support DesktopX"s ability to build complete desktops and distribute them, they do support a robust "widget" architecture. Widgets in the desktop customization market are mini-programs that are designed to reside on your desktop. Where the desktop was once the exclusive home to icons, widgets (and DesktopX objects) allow users to extend the desktop functionality of Windows.
DesktopX widgets can be brought to the front with a function key (default is F9) or hidden entirely until needed (default is F10). But DesktopX widgets were previously not very configurable by end users. If a user wanted to change the color or tweak the shadow or even the Z-order, the user had to load DesktopX, import the widget, make the changes, and then re-export them. With version 2.4, users can go to the properties of the DesktopX widget and change them directly.
DesktopX 2.4 is a free download. Stardock provides an enhanced version that supports premium widgets as well as the ability to export content as widgets. The enhanced version is available stand alone or as part of Stardock"s overall suite of desktop enhancement utilities called Object Desktop.