[rel] AveDesk 1.2

The third release of this desktop enhancer tool focusses on a better user experience. With a new Installer, Theme-support, Tools and much more AveDesk 1.2 is a worthy successor of the 1.1 version.

Description

AveDesk 1.2 will enhance your desktop experience by making your desktop visually more pleasing and to give the possibility to add interactive icons and tools, called desklets.

Beter Icons

Totally new in AveDesk 1.2 is support for desktop icons. 1.2 comes with a shortcut-desklet that can handle all shortcuts for you. The desklet will automatically adjust its behaviour on the type of shortcut. For example, a shortcut to a folder can animate into a second icon when you mouse it over with other files; a drive will automatically hide itself when it becomes unmounted.

Modules

Module support has improved in 1.2: the user no longer has to manually add them in some file, but can simply select them from a dialog, or, even better, modules can automatically be installed with the help of the Installer.

AveDesk 1.2 comes default with the following three modules that will focus specially on desktop-icons. For example, the auto-mounter module will automatically show new icons on your desktop when a drive is mounted.

Installer

One of the biggest sources for confusion for a user is installing files: where to put files? what other packages do I need for this to work?

AveDesk 1.2 solves this problem by providing an installer. Authors can now offer their desklets, icons, labels, skins in a special format which on double-click will automatically be installed. If a package needs a certain other file to be installed, the Installer will try to automatically download and install it.

ShowCase

Show 'm only when you need 'm. That's how ShowCase is best described. ShowCase is a seperate layer on top of your desktop that is hidden until you hit a pre-defined hotkey. When you press the hotkey, ShowCase and its desklets will be made visible. ShowCase can be configured to animate when its made visible.

Better Graphics

Text shadows now look better than ever. The user can configure the shadow to his wishes by adjusting aspects like blur-ratio and intensity.

AveDesk 1.2 also has more animation on board: desklets will fade in and out when added.

Themes

New in AveDesk 1.2 is also support for themes. The user can define multiple themes and can easily switch from them by right clicking the tray-icon.

Tools

An integrated tools menu is available now to easily perform common tasks. For example, resizing all selected desklets to the same size is now a one click operation.

Multiple Account support

AveDesk 1.2 is now compatible with pc's with multiple accounts. User specific settings and theme files are installed in the appropriate directory now

OTHER

If you are upgrading from 1.1 to 1.2, before launching the new AveDesk.exe, double-click Unregister.bat.

This one is for Wiebeest actually: If you want AveDesk to not save files in %APPDATA%/AveDesk, change the following line in settings_overrides.ini:

; if true, yes or 1 then themes and settings will not be stored in in

; %APPDATA%/AveDesk/, but in AveDesk's root folder.

;NoMultipleUserAwareness=true

Remove the ; character in front of the NoMultipleUserAwareness=true, thus it will become:

; if true, yes or 1 then themes and settings will not be stored in in

; %APPDATA%/AveDesk/, but in AveDesk's root folder.

NoMultipleUserAwareness=true

Donating

AveDesk is not freeware, but donation-ware. If you use AveDesk, please considering donating to keep its development alive: SUPPORT AVEDESK BY DONATING

Download

http://mpj.tomaatnet.nl/AveDesk12.zip (1.9 Megabytes).

http://www.louiemantia.com/AveDesk12.zip

http://www.ecocardio.com.br/avedesk/avedesk12.zip

http://koti.mbnet.fi/dropper/AveDesk12.zip

(mirrors are highly appreciated)

FUN THINGS

When you have started AveDesk 1.2, hit the F8 or F9 key on your keyboard (ShowCase)
Check out the Installable Packages folder (automounter, desktopgrabber, desktopinstaller)
Rotation your desklets!
Check out the totally renewed FTP-Desklet, it can Upload Images, it can Auto-zip files and much more.
Try the installer with a new 1.2-ready version of AveTunes, http://mpj.tomaatnet.nl/AveTunes.aveinst