Talisman Desktop
Encyclopedia
Talisman Desktop is a configurable Windows shell replacement introduced in 1997 by Lighttek Software. It is available in a number of languages including English, French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian. Talisman Desktop is shareware
, available as a free trial download that expires in 30 days. The registration fee for continued use is $25.
The Talisman interface is freeform skinnable
, and uses downloadable themes. Several themes are included with the download and more are available from the manufacturer's website and various other websites. Users can also create and edit their own themes. Customizing the Talisman interface is somewhat easier than most other shell replacements, as it uses a paged configuration dialog rather than forcing the user to edit hidden scripts. Talisman is unique in that it can also be configured as a shell extension within Windows Explorer
(much like a highly configurable launcher) or as a GUI
replacement within Explorer (similar to WinStep or HoverDesk), although it is much more powerful as a shell replacement.
Lighttek's flagship application has always remained out of the limelight occupied by better known rivals like the free and open source
shells LiteStep
and Blackbox
. However, the freeware status of those products will always promote greater distribution over commercial shells like Talisman and rival Aston Shell. Despite this obstacle, Talisman has maintained a userbase adequate to support continuous development since the software's introduction. Its limitation to the Windows OS
is sometimes seen as another obstacle, but it is the only Windows shell replacement that is fully compatible with all versions of Windows from Windows 95
onward.
had 425,306 http://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3000-2341_4-10475971.html?tag=lst-0-1 unique downloads and had the software listed as 'Popular'. Numerous positive reviews have also been written about the software.http://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3003-2341_4-10475971.html?tag=tab_revhttp://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3640-2341_4-10475971.html?v=1&tag=tab_urhttp://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3640-2341_4-10475971.html?pn=2&sb=0&v=1http://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3640-2341_4-10475971.html?pn=3&sb=0&v=1
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
, available as a free trial download that expires in 30 days. The registration fee for continued use is $25.
The Talisman interface is freeform skinnable
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
, and uses downloadable themes. Several themes are included with the download and more are available from the manufacturer's website and various other websites. Users can also create and edit their own themes. Customizing the Talisman interface is somewhat easier than most other shell replacements, as it uses a paged configuration dialog rather than forcing the user to edit hidden scripts. Talisman is unique in that it can also be configured as a shell extension within Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer
This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
(much like a highly configurable launcher) or as a GUI
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
replacement within Explorer (similar to WinStep or HoverDesk), although it is much more powerful as a shell replacement.
Lighttek's flagship application has always remained out of the limelight occupied by better known rivals like the free and open source
Free and open source software
Free and open-source software or free/libre/open-source software is software that is liberally licensed to grant users the right to use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code...
shells LiteStep
LiteStep
LiteStep is a Windows Shell replacement for Windows 9x and up, licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License .LiteStep may appeal to people who like their desktop to be visually appealing, people who like to configure their environment, Unix/Linux users, and people who find the Start...
and Blackbox
Blackbox
In Unix computing, Blackbox is a stacking window manager for the X Window System.Blackbox has specific design goals, and some functionality is provided only through other applications. One example is the bbkeys hotkey application....
. However, the freeware status of those products will always promote greater distribution over commercial shells like Talisman and rival Aston Shell. Despite this obstacle, Talisman has maintained a userbase adequate to support continuous development since the software's introduction. Its limitation to the Windows OS
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
is sometimes seen as another obstacle, but it is the only Windows shell replacement that is fully compatible with all versions of Windows from Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
onward.
Reception
As of 1-23-2006, Download.comDownload.com
Download.com is an Internet download directory website, launched in 1996 as a part of CNET. Originally, the domain was download.com.com. The domain download.com attracted at least 113 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com study....
had 425,306 http://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3000-2341_4-10475971.html?tag=lst-0-1 unique downloads and had the software listed as 'Popular'. Numerous positive reviews have also been written about the software.http://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3003-2341_4-10475971.html?tag=tab_revhttp://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3640-2341_4-10475971.html?v=1&tag=tab_urhttp://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3640-2341_4-10475971.html?pn=2&sb=0&v=1http://www.download.com/Talisman-Desktop/3640-2341_4-10475971.html?pn=3&sb=0&v=1