LightTEK Software

Home of the Talisman desktop, and the Alteros viewer. Most popular, for the Talisman desktop for Windows, which replaces the Microsoft default with something slicker. The concept of replacing the traditional look of the Windows desktop and other forms of visual presentation has been tried and tested over many years, and of course Microsoft itself offers alternative themes, to a limited extent. However, it is possible to temporarily replace all the applications that make Windows look the way it does, far beyond the application of a Windows 'theme', and create entirely new functionality. There are two main competitors in this field, Talisman and WindowBlinds, and each has a different approach. Talisman, if you have the enthusiasm, can be a way to create something entirely to your own specifications and the more inclined you are to tinker, the more complex and hopefully impressive your personal version of Windows will become. WindowBlinds, at least in my experience of it, is more straightforward out of the box and there are so many themes already created for it, I have been inclined to just pick one or two favorites and not tinker around with making my own. Since there's a free demo here, I'd just give it a go and see what you think. No alterations to the Windows interface are permanent, making it easy to try something new and then switch back to the tedious default version provided by Microsoft. If you do decide that you have a use for a new way to control the way you work in Windows, the price for the Talisman software is a reasonable $25. Personally, having used Windows from 3.1 upwards I've messed around with these alternatives and ended up using the most basic of the XP themes, without all the special effects, on a basic laptop I got for $50 from a thrift store. And it works fine for me. But there's no denying that many of the functions and effects you can create with Talisman are great fun and very impressive alternatives, so if you want something cool and individual the $25 is probably a good investment.