"Windows Vista has finally arrived! Many people have been asking us what are Stardock's plans? What can we do to take an excellent new OS like Windows Vista and make it better? There have been a lot of articles on how users of Windows XP can get a lot of the visual benefits of Windows Vista using Stardock Object Desktop. And while that may be true, Windows Vista provides us a whole new canvas of cool things we can do."
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Member since:2007-01-22
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-11-06
http://virt-dimension.sourceforge.net/
I'm using it on every XP machine I work on. The last version is from July 2005, but I know development is still active.
This only gives you virtual desktops though, not themes, desktop enhancments, etc. like Object Desktop.
Member since:2006-04-18
- Snarky Comment Mode On -
2) Introduced live desktop objects (commonly called widgets except much more light weight, 1999, 2000)
xclock, xload, etc.?
7) Replace the right-click desktop menu with one that is totally user configurable (including support for incorporating widgets into it)
twm, well maybe not adding xclock to the twm menu. 
Just kidding around, most of the items in the list are pretty impressive.
Edited 2007-01-31 15:18
Member since:2006-07-01
'1) treating ZIP files like native folders in the shell (OS/2 version 1994, Windows version 1998).'
- RISC OS 1987 (ArcFS)
'3) First product to do GUI skinning'
- RISC OS 1987 - Built in. Just copy the image files for the WIMP sprites and edit them.
Edited 2007-01-31 16:57
Member since:2005-11-11
Member since:
2006-05-20
People get fixated on eye candy but consider this:
Object Desktop has had either first or made done particularly well:
1) treating ZIP files like native folders in the shell (OS/2 version 1994, Windows version 1998).
2) Introduced live desktop objects (commonly called widgets except much more light weight, 1999, 2000).
3) First product to do GUI skinning and make it easy for users to add roll-up buttons, always-on top buttons, and control what right clicking on the title bar does (1999)
4) Real-time scaleable windows (2001)
5) Export desktop objects as standard Windows programs (2003)
6) Extend the file dialog to support user configuration (2000)
7) Replace the right-click desktop menu with one that is totally user configurable (including support for incorporating widgets into it)
8) Fastest virtual desktop program out there and one of the first virtual desktop programs (1993 on OS/2, 1997 on Windows)
9) Allowed users to build desktops with drag and drop including support for ActiveX controls and Javascript right on the desktop (2001)
10) Universal hot key support for storing clipboard, program shortcuts/shadows, etc. (1994 on OS/2, 2000 on Windows)
Every time there's a news item on OS News about this stuff, you always get a handful of people who don't seem to grasp that Object Desktop is software, NOT THEMES. If you don't like the skins people make, my question is, what the heck does that have to do with Object Desktop? It's like people saying Windows is crummy because people make ugly wallpapers for it.
From a screenshot perspective, certainly things like WindowBlinds have the most visual impact. But that's hardly what the bulk of what Object Desktop does is.
(Brad from Stardock)