Talisman Desktop 2.1

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: CNET Staff

Unlike Windows XP themes, Talisman Desktop lets you completely customize the Windows interface. Its power extends from adding new toolbars to designing a brand-new desktop with any combination of drop-down menus and panels. Talisman Desktop comes with several themes, which are more than enough for most users. You can switch among desktop designs with a few clicks of your mouse. The Talisman shell also can fully replace Explorer and doesn't slow down the system. However, we found the design process itself a bit tricky; even creating a simple toolbar was not straightforward. The editing interface, more a programming tool than WYSIWIG, is far from intuitive and takes a good while to master. However, we'd recommend Talisman Desktop to advanced users.

Publisher's description

From Lighttek Software :

From the developer: "Using Talisman, you can build any interface for your computer. Talisman hides the standard desktop of Windows. In the Talisman workspace, you can place any number of buttons or pictures. These objects can have any form or dimensions. All objects can run external programs or internal shell commands. The number of forms (screens) can range from 1 to 1,000. Any screen object can be set to switch from one form to another. All settings and pictures are stored in a theme file. You can even make many Talisman themes and use objects with links to go from one theme to another. You can also add HTML pages (with JavaScript, Flash movies, VRML worlds) to the desktop and add sounds to different events. New theme format, multilingual support, new animation effects, and more.

"This version adds: Optimization for WindowsXP New functions and commands New default themes (including emulations of most popular OS: WindowsXP, Aqua, QNX)."

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