Desktop customization

Desktop customization is a term that describes the customization of a personal computer desktop environment. Customization can be carried out on different desktop environment in different ways. Popular desktop environments are Windows XP, GTK, Gnome and KDE. GTK, Gnome and KDE are environments found on the Linux Operating system. Customization can include wallpapers, window styles, widgets, gadgets, icons and skinned applications.

Desktop Window Manager (DWM, previously Desktop Compositing Engine or DCE) is a compositing window manager, introduced with Windows Vista, that enables the Windows Aero graphical user interface and visual theme. The Desktop Window Manager requires graphics cards supporting DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 2.0. DWM is not included with Windows Vista Starter edition. It is included with Windows Vista Home Basic edition, but with some aspects of the Windows Aero interface (such as Glass and Flip 3D) disabled. It is also included with Windows Server 2008, but requires the "Desktop Experience" feature and compatible graphics drivers to be installed.

With the Desktop Window Manager, applications do not draw directly to the video memory; instead, they draw their contents to off-screen buffers in system memory that are then composited together by DWM to render the final screen, a number of times per second. In that sense, it is similar to the Quartz compositor in Mac OS X. Because the compositor has access to the graphics of all applications, it easily allows visual effects that string together visuals from multiple applications, such as transparency. The DWM uses DirectX 9 to perform the function of compositing and rendering in the GPU, freeing the CPU of the task of managing the rendering from the off-screen buffers to the display. However, it does not affect applications painting to the off-screen buffers; depending on the technologies used for that, it might still be CPU-bound. DWM-agnostic rendering techniques like GDI are redirected to the buffers by rendering the UI as bitmaps. DWM-aware rendering technologies like WPF-directly make the internal data structures available in a DWM-compatible format. The window contents in the buffers are then converted to DirectX textures.

The desktop itself is a full-screen Direct3D surface, with windows being represented as a mesh consisting of two adjacent (and mutually-inverted) triangles, which are transformed to represent a 2D rectangle. The texture, representing the UI chrome, is then mapped onto these rectangles. Window transitions are implemented as transformations of the meshes, using shader programs. With Windows Vista, the transitions are limited to the set of built-in shaders that implement the transformations. Greg Schecter, a developer at Microsoft has suggested that it might be opened up for developers and users to plug in their own effects in a future release. The DWM only maps the primary desktop object as a 3D surface; other desktop objects, including virtual desktops as well as the secure desktop used by User Account Control are not.

Desktop Customization | Facebook

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Lowyat.NET -> Desktop Customization

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Google Directory - Computers > Software > Desktop Customization

BlueMountain - http://www.bluemountain.com/downloads/downloads.pd Offers screen savers and wallpaper, in original designs including landscapes, cartoons and artwork.

Open Directory - Computers: Software: Desktop Customization: Screen ...

Desktop Animation - Free Screen Mates characters and animals, for Windows 2000, XP and Vista. DesktopMates - Animated characters as interactive companions, capable of speech and ...

Open Directory - Computers: Software: Desktop Customization

Abstract Screensavers and Wallpaper - A collection of screensavers, including fractals and a clock, as well as flower, mushroom, landscape, insect, and gradient wallpaper. ...

Open Directory - Computers: Software: Desktop Customization: Wallpaper

Backgrounds by Dragoncreator - Personalized desktop backgrounds for a nominal fee, with examples. Forsaken Reality - Original 3D and digital images for single, widescreen and dual ...

Yahoo! Groups : Directory : Desktop Customization

Directory : Desktop Customization ... Free discussion and exchange of hints, ideas and help related to Power Pro.

Desktop customization | The Coffeehouse | Channel 9

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Open Directory - Computers: Software: Desktop Customization: Icons

AearSoft - Royalty-free stock icon collections for software developers, web page and commercial projects. Alien Entity - Offers free downloads of icons for AIM and for the computer ...

Open Directory - Computers: Software: Desktop Customization: Wallpaper ...

AllGraphix - Features scenes that include anime, sports, celebrities, and vehicles. Basehead - Images arranged by category, with ratings and comments.

Google Directory - Computers > Software > Desktop Customization ...

Widgipedia - http://www.widgipedia.com/ A Widgets resource that includes a gallery, samples, tutorials, and community. XPenguins - http://xpenguins.seul.org/

Desktop Customization: 2008-03-21

Just a bit of customization I did to my desktop. Windows XP using the areao4 visual style and a customized Miranda IM on the right side of the screen for my instant messaging needs

VistaKnowledge.com » Windows Vista Desktop Customization & News

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Desktop Effects & Customization - Ubuntu Forums

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Desktop Customization ~ ID on Desktop Customization

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This past week we saw some fantastic skins come through the pipes over at WinCustomize, and I wanted to take a few minutes to share some of them.

Windows Desktop Customization

Wallpaper: This page deals with the basics of Desktop customization. Most users want their personal computer personalized.

desktop customizer Definition: TechEncyclopedia from TechWeb

desktop customizer - Software that can change the architectural appearance of the window borders, icons, title bars and menus of an operating system.

Wallpapers ~ ID on Desktop Customization

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Desktop Customization

From: Alberto Bellemo <alberto bellemo system5 it> To: desktop-devel-list gnome org; Subject: Desktop Customization; Date: 16 Jan 2003 09:25:49 +0100

Cursors ~ ID on Desktop Customization

Blue Cat Icons - Freeware IM and standard icons, and desktop wallpapers. Calle's Custom Icons - Icons include flags, folders, and theater masks.

Desktop Customization Websites

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Animated Wallpapers ~ ID on Desktop Customization

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An even better (though more expensive) facelift for your computer is Stardock's Object Desktop 2004.

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