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.