Object Desktop FAQ

Learn more about the world's most advanced desktop environment that is
available for OS/2!

Winter 1997


Q:  What is Object Desktop?

A:  Object Desktop is an advanced desktop environment designed to be the best
productivity enhancement for OS/2 ever developed.  It provides a set of new
functions to the operating system and new interfaces for getting to your
objects faster.  Once installed , you can expect to make your system faster,
easier, more powerful, and well, just plain nicer to work with.  In essence, it
adds the features OS/2 users have been asking for to the base OS.


Q:  Does it replace the Workplace Shell?

A:  No.  It inherits from the Workplace Shell and adds new functionality to it.


Q:  So how much memory does it take?

A:  Very little.  A total of about 1 megabyte is allocated (with very little of
that actually resident).  This is the true power that OS/2 brings to the table.
OS/2 applications that inherit functions from the operating system can be small
and fast.  This sor t of benefit gives users a "sneak preview" of what OpenDoc
could do.  Fat bloated programs could be greatly reduced!


Q:  How much does it cost then?

A:  The Current list price is only $89.95.  Better yet, you can find it at
almost any place that sells OS/2 software for considerably less.
A new OEM version of Object Desktop is available for only $60 from Stardock.


Q:  I have version 1.0, how do I get the NEW version?

A:  Contact Stardock directly.  It costs $37 to upgrade plus $5 shipping and
handling. (http://www.stardock.com) or directly by phone (1-800-672-2338 or
313-453-0328).


Q:  So what REAL functionality am I getting for my money?

A:  Stardock has a history of providing software at extremely aggressive
prices.  Take the best-selling OS/2 Essentials.  You get a full utility suite
for under $40.  Stardock continues this with Object Desktop.  To even approach
the features you get in Object Desktop, you'd have to pay many hundreds of
dollars on other platforms.  Below are some bread and butter features that we
believe will convince you that Object Desktop is not only reasonably priced but
very inexpensive.


Specific features users have asked for are answered here.  Examples:


1) I want OS/2 faster!  There should be a way to cache the Workplace Shell.

Object Desktop adds this capability.  You can now HyperCache your often-used
folders and eliminate virtually all disk access when accessing these folders.
HyperCache is the only third party caching software available for OS/2 so we
cannot price compare but caching software on other platforms (such as DOS) cost
as much as Object Desktop!

2) OS/2 users want disk compression features to save valuable drive space but
are generally wary of adding device drivers or suffering a performance hit.
They also want more control over what they compress and what they don't.
Finally, they want to be abl e to take their compressed data to other systems
that don't necessarily have a device driver based disk compression.  With hard
drives becoming so inexpensive, users have loudly and clearly said that what
they usually do is simply Zip up their big files an d data and then unzip them.
Or all the files they download or transfer from co-workers stay compressed
until needed.

Imagine if "Zipped" files suddenly become like folders where you could
treat your zipped up data as if it were just in a regular uncompressed folder?
What if we went further and even allowed you to RUN many of your programs RIGHT
FROM THE ZIP file!  No trick here, the power of OS/2 shows forth again through
Object Desktop!

Object Desktop provides Object Archives (Object Zip, Object Arc,etc.).  Why
re-invent the wheel when everyone already uses ZIP, LZH, etc?  Object Desktop
takes these files and turns them into Folder objects!  You can now access your
data and run many of your programs directly from the archive!  This is the
power of OS/2 at work!  Virtually anything you can do with a regular folder you
can now do with your archive files.

3) OS/2 users really do want a file manager but EVERY major file manager made
for OS/2 was blind to things OS/2's special objects and capabilities, such as
Shadow objects, long file names on FAT disks, program objects, etc.

Object Desktop provides the Object Navigator, the first true Workplace Shell
file manager.  It can do all of the above and more.  Because it is integrated
into the Workplace Shell it uses your existing associations and other
extensions you may have added to your system.

4) Corporations and end users both have asked for OS/2 to be more keyboard
friendly.  The crash protection and multitasking power of OS/2 won a lot of
converts from DOS but not everyone was crazy about having to use a GUI.  Mobile
users have long requested for OS/2 to make it easier to do things with the
keyboard.

Object Desktop adds the Keyboard LaunchPad.  You can now assign a program or
whole groups of programs or projects to a single keystroke.  For example, a
mobile user could start their entire set of I-net applications by associating
their I-net applications t o a keystroke such as Ctrl-Alt-I.  What's more, you
are NOT limited to programs--folders and data files are also easily added.

5) OS/2 users have often requested a way to be able to better exploit OS/2's
multitasking.

Object Desktop provides Virtual desktops via the Control Center.  Now, you can
switch between your virtual desktops and operate much more efficiently.  How
often has a Windows program, for example, used up the entire screen making it
tedious to start other processes?  Now, you can just switch to another virtual
desktop and have a clean screen.  It even monitors all your desktops in
real-time!

6) OS/2 users have complained that accessing their program was too tedious.

The LaunchPad introduced in OS/2 Warp was a big step forward but it doesn't go
far enough for many users.  Object Desktop provides the Tab LaunchPad.  Now,
you can organize your programs into different categories separated by tabs.
Moreover, a "Tasks" tab i s also on the Tab LaunchPad that allows you to
minimize your programs to the Tab LaunchPad.  No more desktop clutter.

6) OS/2 users and IT Managers have asked for easy ways to backup their
environments, standardize on a particular desktop setup, or distribute their
desktop and objects to others.

Object Package (new in version 1.5) now allows you to do just that.  Does your
corporation want to standardize on a particular desktop?  Object Package can do
this.  Do you want to distribute particular objects in which the settings are
optimized?  Object Pa ckage does this.  Are you or your company planning to
upgrade to a new version of OS/2?  (such as OS/2 2.11 to Warp or OS/2 Warp to
Merlin?)  Object Package can package your desktop objects to a single file,
when you unpackage it, not only are your objects r eturned to the correct
settings but it will register classes your classes.  It's no longer necessary
to spend hours reinstalling your programs and resetting up your desktop.

These are just a few of Object Desktop's features!

Q: How well do Object Desktop and OS/2 Warp 4 (Merlin) get along?

A: Stardock worked very closely with IBM during the development of OS/2 Warp 4.
Features specific to Object Desktop are not in OS/2 Warp 4.  When you install
Object Desktop on OS/2 Warp 4, it improves OS/2 dratstically.  Because Object
Desktop uses OS/2's SOM technology, it inherits all the features of OS/2 and then
adds to them. 

Q:  I heard that Object Desktop makes OS/2 look like Microsoft Windows 95?

A:  No.  Windows 95 borrowed a lot from OS/2 in terms of its look.  Windows 95
has added a lot of window dressing to Windows, but it certainly doesn't have a
monopoly on making things look "slick."

The bottom line:  one of Object Desktop's features is to enhance OS/2's visual
appeal by giving OS/2 a much more modern and "slick" look.  An example of this
is making OS/2's buttons and controls more intuitive.  These feature
enhancements should not be conf used with cloning any other operating system
interface.  Moreover, our updates to the "look" of OS/2 were mainly to make
OS/2's existing controls more 3Dish.

Q:  How much benefit to my productivity does Object Desktop give me?

A:  Users on-line and directly to us have said that using OS/2 without Object
Desktop is the same as having to use Windows 3.1's Program Manager after having
used the Workplace Shell.

Q:  How does Object Desktop compare with other products?

A:  There is no single product available that matches Object Desktop feature
per feature.  Moreover, trying to get third party utilities, applications, and
other programs together not only doesn't match Object Desktop's feature set
completely, it is not nea rly as cost effective.

Q:  Does Object Desktop do anything to reduce "screen clutter"?

A:  Yes.  Browsemode is a feature that almost every new OS/2 user says "Why
didn't someone think of this before?"  It solves a fundamental headache of the
GUI that's been around since the first Macintosh.  When you start opening
folders, it doesn't take long until you suddenly have a ton of windows all over
your screen!  Browsemode changes that.  Once activated, when you open a child
folder, it updates the existing folder window and then places a handy "up"
button on the title bar to allow you to go back.


Q: Does Object Desktop have "Window-rollups"?

A: Yes.

Q:  What are some things Object Desktop does to improve OS/2's general
behavior?

A:  It does quite a few things that you won't notice right away but you'll
learn to appreciate quickly.  Here are a few examples:

1) Ever open a folder and have objects scattered all over the place and have to
use the scroll bar to find your objects?  Object Desktop gives you the option
to make all your objects default to being listed in sort ordered with a single
click.

2) Ever want to change the default icons for your data files and folders?
Object Desktop allows you to do this.  Simply drag and

drop a new icon for a folder and then press the new "set as default" button --
one action time, for all objects.

3) Ever wish that OS/2 implemented "full drag"?  This is the ability of having
the entire window move instead of just the outline which can make it easier to
place your windows properly.  Object Desktop does this.

4) Ever wanted to have all your folders open up in Details view by default
instead of by icon view?  Object Desktop lets you do this easily.

Probably the single most powerful thing about Object Desktop is that it allows
you to do things with OS/2 that neither IBM nor Stardock would have thought of.
It truly unleashes the power of OS/2 for you.  There is an Object Desktop
screenshot contest on S tardock's WWW site.  On it, you'll see that users have
found ways of taking OS/2 and Object Desktop to the next level of power, ease
of use, and flexibility.  And doing so in ways no one had ever thought of
(including the developers of Object Desktop) befor e.

Q:  Where will I be able to find Object Desktop?

A:  A list of places to buy our
software is available on our WWW site, http://www.stardock.com.  You can also
buy it directly from Stardock.


Q:  Give me a "cool" example of Object Archives in action?

A:  There is an OS/2 arcade game called Havoc (on OS/2 Essentials).  With
Object Desktop, you can drag and drop a Zip object template to your desktop,
drag and drop your Havoc folder onto the Zip object and now run Havoc directly
from the ZIP.  On another sy stem, a user could have a video file in a ZIP that
they can play right from the ZIP file.  This saves them about 2 megs of disk
space.


Q:  What else is cool about Object Desktop?  Give me a couple "neato" things
that it does.

A:  For one thing, it hooks into OS/2 to replace the Alt+Tab functionality to
work similarly to what is provided in Microsoft Windows 3.1.  You can type
Alt+Tab and a little window showing what you are about to switch to shows up.
It also places them in rec ently accessed order!


Object Desktop also replaces the window list with a new and improved task list
that shows the icons of what you are running.  It also has a button bar that
makes it much easier to manipulate your tasks.  In short, the window list
finally becomes a REAL task manager.

Another feature that rarely gets discussed is the Workplace Shell text editor.
One of the most common features used in any operating system (whether DOS,
Windows, OS/2, Unix, etc) is some sort of text editor.  OS/2 comes with EPM and
the System Editor.  Obj ect Desktop's editor is integrated into the actual
operating system, which means that it loads up almost instantly and uses
virtually no memory.  It is also considerably more powerful than the system
editor and as about as flexible as EPM.

Q:  I heard that Object Desktop contains no executables!  How is this possible?

A:  Object Desktop integrates directly into the operating system via SOM.
Because of this, the objects created by Object Desktop can easily be duplicated
and modified by customers.  For example, many users create two or three control
centers to put on the d esktop:  one Control Center only has virtual desktops
turned on, another Control Center only has resource monitoring on, and a third
one just has the clock turned on.  We aren't claiming this sort of thing can't
be done by conventional programs, but with Wo rkplace Shell objects, it is just
a natural thing to do.  In essence, Object Desktop becomes part of OS/2.  It is
not a "utility" or "application" in a sense.  It is meant as a third party
upgrade to OS/2 and because of Stardock's close relationship with IBM , future
versions of OS/2 will work seamlessly with Object Desktop as well.  Not to
mention that because Object Desktop uses SOM to work its magic, compatibility
problems are extremely rare!


Q:  So who is the target audience for Object Desktop?

A:  All OS/2 users.  Our goal is nothing short of migrating every OS/2 user to
Object Desktop.  Any person using OS/2 should have Object Desktop.  This is why
we have priced Object Desktop so low (compare Object Desktop's plethora of
features to stand alone p roducts or other products on other platforms that
have similar features and Object Desktop shows itself as a real bargain).
Stardock has also created extremely (or as one IS manager put it --
unbelievably) low priced site licensing guides.  Moreover, Stard ock has very
low priced OEM pricing to encourage OEMs to pre-load Object Desktop on their
machines.  Admittedly, our marketing strategy is aimed at corporations who have
been looking for the features found in Object Desktop for a long time.  For
this reason , we also have great site licensing available.  Many large IT shops
have already standardized on Object Desktop to manage their desktops and act as
their defacto environment.  Most OEMs that pre-load OS/2 pre-load Object
Desktop with it.


Q: How does Object Package help me?

A: It allows you to "package" Workplace Shell objects into a single container so that you
can move them from one PC to another or as a simple way to backup those objects.
For example, anyone who has ever reinstalled OS/2 knows the pain of having to reinstall
certain OS/2 apps (or non-OS/2 apps) because there is no simple way to create a desktop
object.  Object Package can make that a thing of the past.

For example, let's say you have a Windows program working perfectly, you've tweaked it just
the way you want it.  Say you want to reinstall OS/2 or put OS/2 on a new machine.  Normally,
you would have to re-create that program object and re-tweak it.  Object Package
can save you that trouble.  You could also give that package to others in your
office so that they don't have to tweak that object either.

The same is true for your entire desktop.  Say you have your desktop just the way
you want it.  You could package your entire desktop and use this as a backup of
your desktop or standardize all your PC's on your desktop.

Object Package also can convert itself into .RC and REXX scripts. Let's say you want
to write a REXX install that create a bunch of desktop objects.  The easiest way to
do this is to create the desktop objects you want, package them and convert it to a
REXX script.  Stardock uses this feature on a professional basis, the Avarice Fixkit #1
install script was created largely with Object Package.  The power of this ability 
alone makes Object Desktop worth the cost.


Conclusions:

Whether you're an IS manager looking to increase your users productivity or
reduce training costs, a PC manufacturer looking to give your systems a
competitive edge, or an end user who wants to turbo-charge OS/2 to a new level.


As Matt Hite, a reviewer at I/O Magazine put it, "For all intent and purposes,
Object Desktop is a third party upgrade to OS/2.  It's what OS/2 users have
been asking for all these years!"


Famous Recommendations:

"I haven't been this excited about a product since OS/2 Warp itself!  It's the
first thing I put on all my systems!"

-David Barnes

"Object Desktop brings the OS/2 desktop up to its potential and, in doing so,
brings it up to date.  And it does it so well, I predict it will be an instant
hit and best-seller for OS/2 for a long time.  No one who sees it will want to
do without it.  Keep y our eye on this company--Stardock knows what OS/2 should
be and it looks as though it is single-handedly transforming the operating
system into that ideal."

-Nicholas Petreley, InfoWorld

"The developers at Stardock have answered the wishes of every OS/2 user by
providing system-level tools and objects that are tightly integrated with the
OS/2 Workplace Shell to combine the very best interface elements of major PC
operating systems today-- OS/2, Apple Macintosh, and Windows 95--for the OS/2
desktopObject Desktop contains the best set of tools and utilities I've ever
seen for the OS/2 desktop.  As a user interface consultant and author, I use
Object Desktop as an excellent example of user-cen tered design and
object-oriented technology."

- Dr.  Theo Mandel, author of "The GUI-OOUI War:  The Designer's Guide to
Human-Computer Interfaces."

You can find more out more about Object Desktop on Stardock's World Wide Web
site:  http://www.stardock.com

Email:sales@stardock.com

Stardock can be reached at 313-453-0328 or FAX 313-453-1480.


ORDERS:  1-800-672-2338


