Yes, and modules are done too! The whole of WorkShelf is now PNG and per-pixel alpha aware. Expect a alpha release announcement in the Beta Discussion forum very soon now (or get in touch with me at support@winstep.net for faster results ).

I have read your article on email, so I have sent you a message through the forum instead

Now have a look at this:

Did the modules in a just a few hours tonight - that's how easy
it is to skin WorkShelf.

Good thing I got my hands 'dirty' too, enabled me to find and fix
a couple of nasty bugs. Nothing like taking a dose of your own
medicine.

Awesome! I especially like the weather module. You can have the weather icons with their own drop shadows? That looks cool.

Absolutely beautiful! I really want this badly! How soon? Thanks.

Very soon now, I guess. Workshelf's PNG file and per-pixel alpha support is pretty much complete, so maybe I'll release an Alpha build for registered Winstep users only (check the restricted Beta forum often for news from now own). I don't think I'll be able to release a public beta until NextSTART also supports per pixel alpha transparency.

This is a transition period, and its timing is critical - something which is getting on my nerves!

Those of us who do not use Winstep get left out? I've been waiting for the per-pixel thing for..... never mind.

Maybe it is time to go with ObjectDock. Hate to but....

Heh? Not so fast, hehe! Winstep is the company name. By Winstep
registered users I mean people who registered NextSTART and/or
WorkShelf. That, as far as I know, includes YOU!

Ok, here is another screenshot (just did the shelf in the mean time).

Note that I'm not a skinner, this is for demonstration purposes only -mostly I took bits and pieces from all over the place and 'glued' them
together to make the Aero theme. I'm also not happy with the meters
and with the Email module. [EDIT] Picture has been updated, I like the email module now.

Anyway, here it is:

Where? WHERE???

I've been lucky enough to test the new features and have put this together fairly quickly (based on a theme I'm slowly putting together for my wife).



My system isn't recent enough to handle WindowBlinds' alpha features (:(), but can handle WinStep's new PNG support. I've been really pleased with the fact that my system hasn't died trying to run it . Actually, I've seen no change in the way WorkShelf runs when using the PNGs.

I really do need a new graphics card...

Hehehe. Soon, soon!

Nice theme, Jason! A bit too pink for me , but it's very nice.



Ah, you probably have no idea the difference that can make. I have a multi-monitor system and that Aero screenshot above was taken on my second monitor (the main monitor's resolution is 1920x1440, way too large for a screenshot), whose video output is provided by a VERY old Matrox Millennium II card. If you looked at the CPU meter, you might have noticed that WorkShelf was using 38% of the CPU capacity - move everything to the main monitor, however, and WorkShelf's CPU usage drops to a very low 0-3%!

This is just to show how important a video card is. The reason why WorkShelf uses so little CPU in the main monitor is because the graphics card responsible for its output is able to hardware accelerate most of the graphic functions. The poor Matrox card is just too old for the new stuff, and I suspect most graphic functions there are performed in software mode only.

Don't think that my main video card is anything extrarordinary though - it's a low end GeForce FX 5600 that is showing its age already too.

Okay, so I've been had at work (or is that hardly working?) at updating the Sputnik theme to incorporate some of Jorges latest goodies. Here's the results:

Awesome looking update! It would be great to have a lot of the classic themes updated like this.