• New optional and user configurable icon reflection effect on docks and shelves.
• Restored the weather feed provided by the Weather Channel.
• New customizable backgrounds for the in-shelf/dock CPU, Net and RAM meters.
• New Dock Manager to quickly manage and locate all your docks.
• Added a new 'NeXuS Common Preferences' tab to WorkShelf Preferences for settings common to both the docks and the Shelf.
• Added ability to group documents from the same program into a single task icon, bringing WorkShelf's task management abilities up to par with NextSTART.
• Menus displaying grouped tasks now highlight tasks that were 'flashed' in the mean time (e.g. Messenger windows).
• Added 'Task Flashing' support to the Tasks shelf.
• Added many other task management improvements.
• Improved the dock magnification algorithm for a much faster and smoother experience.
• Added a 'Magnification Smoothness' setting to control how smoothly docks zoom in and out.
• Added individual settings to optimize WorkShelf for either performance or memory usage.
• Enhanced the thumbnails feature by adding support for Flash movies previews.
• Added visual feedback when you click on a dock icon.
• Improved the preview of non-native NeXuS themes in the Dock Style Editor.
• Added support for dock separator bitmaps in native and non-native NeXuS themes.
• Dock tile and overlay Endcaps now have their own settings for non-strechable bitmap areas.
• Fixed many miscellaneous issues.
• ... and much, much more!

An integrated workspace environment, Winstep Xtreme is a powerful suite of applications that merge incredible usability and performance with breathtaking eye candy.

You can download the new Winstep Xtreme 8.2 version from HERE.

New Features:

• Now 100% functional in Vista: support for user and system tray notification areas, task handling and window previews work for both elevated and non-elevated applications, tasks and network connections belonging to elevated and non-elevated processes alike can be terminated with a single click, theme fonts are correctly installed when importing themes, theme wallpapers 'stick' between reboots, CPU and RAM Meter desktop modules are now able to display performance information for all processes, including services and applications running with elevated privileges, and all user data has been moved out of the read-only Program Files folder and into the Public Documents folder.
• Live window previews for NextSTART taskbar buttons in Vista.
• Improved functionality of groupped task menus which now open automatically when dragging an item over a groupped tasks button.
• 'Run As Adminstrator' (Vista) and 'Run As Another User' (NT/2K/XP) item property setting that works for documents as well as applications.
• Improved WorkShelf startup time.
• Improved overall performance.
• Fine tuned initial configuration which should now pick the correct international settings for the Clock and Weather modules, select the correct Network Interface to monitor for the Net Meter module, and set the email client used by the Email module.
• Shelf and docks icon sizes now range from 16x16 to 256x256 in 1 pixel increments.
• New 'Capture Desktop' Internal Command that takes a screenshot of the current desktop and saves it as a JPG file.
• New 'Close CDROM <drive letter> Door' Internal Commands that complement the existing 'Close CDROM Door' Internal Command when more than one CD/DVD drive exists on the system.
• Added Hotkeys for toggling Desktop Modules in and out of view.
• Redesigned Active Network Connections panel that rivals the functionality of Sysinternal's TCPView.
• Standard desktop right click menu now pops up even when desktop icons have been hidden by WorkShelf or NextSTART.
• The NeXuS tasklist now displays minimized applications as application icons instead of small window titlebars.
• New icon used for unknown/not found items.
• Added a 'Enable/Disable Time Announcement' option to the context menu of the Clock module.
• NeXuS control icon and sub-dock indicators now skinnable.
• Shelf content offset from edges is now definable by the skinner.
• Horizontal and vertical offsets for Quick Launch icons and taskbar button captions.
• New Fonts Manager in the Themes Manager Preferences tab that makes it easier to manage fonts used by the current theme.
• Icon sizes for NextSTART menus now range from 16x16 to 32x32 in 2 pixel increments.
• Provided a work around for a MS GDI+ bug that prevented themes from using newly installed fonts without restarting Winstep Xtreme.
• NextSTART menu icons are now 'lazy rendered' when browsing network folders, thus allowing menus to open nearly instantly.
• One click registration: Winstep Xtreme can now be quickly registered by simply double clicking the license key.
• Fixed many miscellaneous issues.
• ... and much, much more!

There are many other additions and fixes in the Winstep Xtreme 8.2 release. You can see a complete list of changes to the WorkShelf and NeXuS components HERE and to the NextSTART component HERE.

You can download the new Winstep Xtreme 7.11 version from HERE. 

So what is new in Winstep Xtreme 7.11? Well, we kept on listening carefully to your suggestions:

Overall performance has been greatly improved.

Desktop Module positions are now automatically remembered when switching themes.

The RAM meter module is now capable of displaying the top memory hogs. 

Added the ability to provide custom Wanda animations.

Updated the internal list of Internet Atomic Time servers to replace those not in service any longer.

Edge bumps now work when performing drag & drop operations. 

Changed the Internet communication retrial delays to prevent excessive flashing of the desktop modules when WorkShelf thinks an Internet connection is available when it actually isn't.

Included the extremely popular Winstep Atmospherica theme (over 27,000 downloads) in the default theme pack.

Fixed several miscellaneous issues.

and much, much more!

There are many other additions and fixes in this awesome new release. You can see a complete list of changes to the WorkShelf and NeXuS component of Winstep Xtreme HERE and to the NextSTART component HERE. 

You can download the new Winstep Xtreme 7.9 version from HERE. 

So what is new in Winstep Xtreme 7.9? Well, we listened carefully to your suggestions:

Faster startup times: Winstep applications now initialize much faster than previous versions!

Improved Module Performance: The display of desktop and in-shelf modules has been fully optimized to use as little CPU as possible.

New default sounds: The previous default sounds were replaced with a less intrusive and cooler set of new sounds.

CPU Module support for multi-processors: The CPU meter module now properly supports multi-processor systems. 

NeXuS Tasklist icons blink: NeXuS tasklist icons now blink when the associated application needs your attention.

Weather Forecast on Desktop Weather Module: The desktop weather module is now capable of displaying the 5 day forecast on the module itself (note: this feature is theme dependent). Previously the forecast was displayed on the information tooltip only. 

Improved Windows Vista support: the new versions fix some issues on Windows Vista 32 bit.

and much, much more!

There are many other additions and fixes in this awesome new release. You can see a complete list of changes to the WorkShelf and NeXuS component of Winstep Xtreme HERE and to the NextSTART component HERE. 

You can download the new Winstep Xtreme 7.4 version from HERE. 

So what is new in Winstep Xtreme 7.4? There are too many new features to list here, but the following is an highlight of some of the most important:

Weather Forecast: the weather module now covers over 39,000 cities all around the world, and provides useful 5 day weather forecast based on Weather.com's data.

Improved time-zone and location selection for cities within the US: the time zone information used by the weather module to decide when to display a moon or a sun icon is now more granular for US cities since it is now based on US State rather than shared by the whole country. Selecting a US city has also been made much easier by allowing you to specify the State to narrow the search.

Improved localization for non-western countries: NextSTART tooltips previously had trouble displaying non-western text (Cyrillic, Japanese, Chinese, etc...) . The issue has been fixed in this release.

One-click install theme packs: Winstep themes are now packed in the new .xtreme format. New themes can be automatically installed and applied simply by double-clicking on the downloaded theme file or immediately upon downloading from the Internet if you select 'Open' instead of 'Save' in your browser.

Complete full screen game cooperation: Winstep Xtreme applications are now able to automatically detect when a full screen game or application is running and enter a special 'cooperation' mode where CPU usage is kept strictly at a minimum and any activity that might interfere with your game playing is avoided. 

Show running applications on docks: NeXuS docks can now display running tasks as thumbnails of the actual windows (or simply as icons, if you prefer). Tasks in docks can be re-ordered by simple drag & drop.

In-dock Start Menu button: this is not exactly a new feature since it could be accomplished before, but, to make things easier, the default dock now comes with a Start Button item that opens the main NextSTART menu when clicked on.

Improved Sound Scheme handling: WorkShelf now reverts to the default sound scheme when applying a theme that doesn't supply its own sound effect pack.

New Internal Commands: added a 'Show/Hide Desktop Modules' to NextSTART so WorkShelf desktop modules can be quickly toggled into and from view through a NextSTART hotspot, 'Exit Winstep Xtreme' and 'Quick Exit Winstep Xtreme' internal commands that exit all currently running Winstep applications and a 'More Themes' internal command that opens the Winstep Themes page on your browser.

Modern 'Glass' look: WorkShelf balloon tooltips and the small 'busy' dialog now pop up using an attractive and modern 'glass' style that blends in perfectly with the new Windows Vista.

and, for the skinners among you:

Bitmapped clock hands with shadow: the desktop clock module can now display the time using 'real to life' clock hands.

Analog Gauges: the CPU, Net and RAM meters can now display data using an analog gauge format. The gauge needles can be either bitmaps (with optional shadow) or drawn by WorkShelf itself.

Desktop Module Overlays: added the ability to specify an overlay bitmap to the CPU, Net and RAM meter desktop modules.

New 24x24 icon size for menus: NextSTART menus can now display 24x24 icons, in addition to the previously available 16x16 and 32x32 sizes.

and much, much more!

There are literally hundreds of other additions and fixes in this awesome new release. You can see a complete list of changes to the WorkShelf and NeXuS component of Winstep Xtreme HERE and to the NextSTART component HERE. 

You can download the full version (16 MB) from

http://www.winstep.net/xtreme.zip

or the update version (5 MB) from

http://www.winstep.net/xtreme-exe.zip

The update version can ONLY be installed by users of the previous Winstep Xtreme version (6.11). If you are installing the update, you should NOT un-install the previous version and you should make sure the installation folders match.

You can see a complete list of changes and additions to the WorkShelf and NeXuS component of Winstep Xtreme HERE and to the NextSTART component HERE. 

Winstep Xtreme is a complete integrated Desktop Environment featuring the next generation of award winning Winstep user interface enhancements.

Winstep Xtreme is a change in the direction of the Winstep 2000 Project, one where focus is more on the desktop environment as a whole rather than on individual applications. Although NextSTART and WorkShelf are - and will continue to be - individual applications that can be run independently of one another, they only make perfect sense when run together. The user experience provided by running NextSTART and WorkShelf together proves, without a doubt, that 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.

Winstep Xtreme is a brand new product, with a different philosophy, that starts off where the old Winstep 2000 project ended. Unlike Winstep Full Pak, which was just a bundle of our existing products, Winstep Xtreme is the product. Winstep Xtreme is a complete and unified Desktop Environment, composed by the next generation of our NextSTART, WorkShelf and FontBrowser products and by the brand new addition of NeXuS, the advanced docking system. Although Xtreme won't force you to run NextSTART and WorkShelf together, it will certainly encourage you to do so!

So what is new in Winstep Xtreme relative to Winstep Full Pak? There are too many new features to list here, but the following is an highlight of some of the most important:

Windows Vista support: Winstep Xtreme has been tested with Windows Vista RC1 and some minor modifications were made to ensure it works properly with the next generation of the Microsoft Windows operating system.  Per pixel alpha: this new feature allows incredible eye candy effects and themes that will blow your mind! The Menus, Startbar, Desktop Modules, Shelf, Docks, all can now be semi-transparent - or have only parts of them semi-transparent - and blend smoothly with the background. You don't have to wait for Windows Vista: the next generation in User Interfaces is already here. PNG and TIF Icon support: NextSTART, WorkShelf and NeXuS now allow you to use PNG and TIF files as well as ICO to specify object images. This is true for anything that previously used only icon files, including menu items, shelf items, tasklist icons, module icons, quick launch icons, etc... Special FX: lots of new special effects, such as icons zooming in or magnifying on selection and shifting to make room for an item about to be dropped on the shelf or docks, incredible water ripple effect that makes the shelf and docks behave like a liquid surface whenever you click on them, new sound events for when you empty the recycler or drop a file into it, a mind warping 'ripple' menu animation and smoother menu animations. Individual Hotspot Button bitmaps: Hotspot buttons previously used the bitmaps for the tasklist buttons. This didn't always work very well, more often that not a bitmap would look great as a task button but terrible as an hotpot button - or vice versa. Skinners can now make themes where hotspot buttons have their own bitmaps. Systray Background bitmap: the systray can now have its own individual background when attached to the NextSTART startbar. Sub-theme support: Child menus can now have a different look from parent menus. Couple this with the ability to 'hardcode' specific themes to specific menus and/or hotspots and you have one of the most flexible and powerful skinning engines around.

Task Snapshots: the NextSTART tasklist and WorkShelf's Tasks shelf now displays snapshots of the actual windows, which are automatically refreshed to keep the contents always up-to-date. Window snapshots make it much easier to identify a specific document in a task list filled with identical icons. Tasklist Context Menus: Right clicking a task button in the NextSTART tasklist or WorkShelf's tasks shelf displays a context menu from where you can restore, maximize, minimize and close the application and/or all similar windows (i.e.; all Internet Explorer windows), size or move the window, set the application's opacity level and customize the icon displayed for that window in the tasklist. For the later, you can use either .ICO, .PNG or .TIF files. Manual task re-ordering: CTRL+Left clicking a task button in the NextSTART tasklist and dragging allows you to place the button exactly where you want it to be. Now you can group your favorite applications in the tasklist just where you want them, without having to worry about the order in which applications are opened or closed.  Full Task function Support: every mouse click combination that works on the NextSTART tasklist (e.g.; left click to restore/bring to the foreground, middle click to terminate the application, right click to minimize and CTRL+right click to open the task's context menu) now also works on Tasklist Menus, Grouped Task menus and on the WorkShelf Tasks shelf. Image and Video Thumbnails: NextSTART's context menus now allow you to visualize image and video files in menus. This is extremely useful to help you identify specific files when using NextSTART to browse through your hard drives. Send To, Open With, context menu options: NextSTART's context menus were already very powerful, but they lacked support for the important Send To and Open With sub-menus, among some others. NextSTART context menus now not only provide all the options you would expect to find on Explorer's context menus as they manage to add a few more useful functions!

Shelf-Independent Desktop Modules: previously, when you clicked on the shelf or on a desktop module, all other WorkShelf components came forward as well. Now each module is totally independent from the shelf and the other modules by default - but you can still specify the old behavior, if you prefer. 'Wallpaper' Modules: Desktop Modules can now be 'glued' to the desktop, so that they never cover other windows. Optional 'Auto Arrange' Desktop Modules function: whenever you load a new theme, WorkShelf desktop modules now neatly re-arrange themselves at the right edge of the screen, thus preventing differently sized modules from overlapping each other or even go partially off-screen as it happened before. Desktop Module Animation Support: The desktop Email Checker, Recycler and Wanda modules now support custom animations. This means that the email module can now display a rotating envelope whenever you have new mail, that the Recycler can light up like a furnace when you move items over it, and that Wanda can have a new face. Proxy Support: WorkShelf and NextSTART now provide transparent proxy support for all functions that depend on the Internet to work, like auto update, online cookie retrieval, and weather and email checking. There is no need to configure anything since proxy settings are automatically retrieved from Internet Explorer, but, in case you need it, you can also manually specify Proxy settings. WorkShelf Hotkeys:  You can now open, activate shelves and run programs using nothing but the keyboard! Each shelf can have a hot key associated to it, which, when pressed, opens that particular shelf and brings WorkShelf to the foreground, un-collapsing it in the process if necessary. Items in regular shelves can also have key combinations associated to them, which, when pressed, execute the program without the need to activate WorkShelf. All hotkeys are system wide, that is, WorkShelf does not need to have the focus for the hotkeys to work. Reorganized and simplified Preferences: the Preference screens of NextSTART and WorkShelf have been re-designed in a more logical and simplified manner, making it easier for new and previous users alike to find the options they are looking for. Increased Performance: many previously existing functions have been fine-tuned to increase performance. For instance, meters are no longer updated every second unless necessary, processes are only enumerated when new windows are created or destroyed, bitmaps are now cached in memory instead of being constantly retrieved from the file system, window snapshots are only taken when window contents change, etc... All in all, the combination of all these performance improvements give the user a smooth experience when running Xtreme.

Multi-Dock system: Create multiple docks for a variety of customized needs. Multi-Level Docks: Organize applications within collapsible groups, or 'sub-docks'. Magnification: With magnification docks take a minimum of screen space until interaction is required. Auto-Hide: Docks attached to screen edges can auto-hide and pop up on demand. Auto-Collapse: Floating docks (i.e. docks not attached to a screen edge) can collapse into a single control tile and un-collapse on demand. Multi-Monitor Support: Docks can be docked to any screen edge or left floating on any monitor. Document Thumbnails: Documents dragged to a dock show up as thumbnails for easy identification. In-Dock Modules: NeXuS supports all WorkShelf special modules, from the clock to the net meter! Reserve Screen Space: Makes sure docks attached to screen edges are not covered by maximized windows. Respect Reserved Screen Space: Makes sure docked docks do not overlap other docked items such as the taskbar. Virtual File System Objects support: Allows you to drag special Explorer objects, like Control Panel items and the My Computer icon, into docks. Powerful Dock Manipulation options: Create docks from existing WorkShelf shelves, detach sub-docks, turn docks into sub-docks, duplicate docks, delete docks - all this using simple drag-n-drop and/or context menu options. Keyboard Navigation: Docks can be brought to the foreground and dock items launched through the use of user-specified hotkeys. PNG and TIF File Support: Supports the use of .PNG and .TIF as well as .ICO files for object images. Special FX:  Lots of special effects such as icons zooming on selection and shifting to make room for items about to be dropped, icon bouncing on application launch, visual feedback for specific actions, incredible water ripple effect that makes docks behave like a liquid surface whenever you click on them plus sound events for when the dock collapses and pops up or sub-docks open. Complete Customization: Virtually every aspect of every dock is customizable: from icon size, to magnification size, to dock behavior.

There are literally HUNDREDS of other new features, changes and fixes, far too many to list all of them here. Become part of the Xtreme experience now!

Winstep Xtreme costs $39.90, unless you are a currently registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART or WorkShelf user, in which case you should read below.

Your purchase of Winstep Xtreme entitles you to one year of free updates for all components of the suite - including new components that might be released in the mean time - with one year renewals costing only a fraction of the original price: $19.95. Anything you download and install while your update subscription is valid will be yours to keep - for life!

Remember: you "own" the software that you bought, and you don't have to upgrade if you don't want the new features.

Another advantage of the Winstep Xtreme unified approach towards the desktop is that any related applications developed by Winstep in the future, under the Winstep Xtreme name, will also become an integral part of the suite - in other words, as long as your update subscription is valid, you will be able to download, install and keep the new components for free!

If you install an update after your one-year subscription has elapsed, you will have a new 30-day trial period - after which you can renew your yearly subscription online by clicking the 'Renew' link in the Registration tab of that application's Preferences window or automatically roll back to your previous, registered, version by clicking on the 'Roll Back' link instead.

You can download Winstep Xtreme Here.

Winstep Xtreme - extreme power!

Registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART v3.x or WorkShelf v1.x users:

Winstep Xtreme features many additions which, just by themselves, justify upgrading to Winstep Xtreme right now! 

Winstep Xtreme costs $39.90, but, as a token of appreciation to the support registered users have given Winstep, we will offer you a special upgrade price of only $29.95. 

Once you've tried out Winstep Xtreme you will be able to decide for yourself if it's worth the promotional upgrade price or not. You get a free 30 day trial version, after which you will be able to automatically roll back to your previous registered version or upgrade to Winstep Xtreme, taking advantage of the $29.95 promotional price.

Stick with us and enjoy the ride!

Upgrade procedure for registered Winstep users:

1 - Download and Install Winstep Xtreme.
2 - Open WorkShelf or NextSTART Preferences.
3 - Click on the Registration tab (last tab of Preferences). Here you will find a link to the Upgrade page.

Alternatively, contact us by email at Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under).

NeXuS sits front and center, providing easy access to your most frequently used and favorite Applications. Flexible options allow it to dock or float anywhere on the screen, providing a myriad number of "On Demand" possibilities.

Totally Engineered For You, The User

Unlike many utilities that put cosmetics first, NeXuS has been carefully planned and developed to provide a streamlined and easy to use interface. From it's generous use of situational sensitive context menus to it's advanced Drag-n-Drop support, NeXuS is not only easy to use - it's a joy!

• Multi-Dock system:
  Create multiple docks for a variety of customized needs.

• Multi-Level Docks:
  Organize applications within collapsible groups, or 'sub-docks'.

• Magnification:
  With magnification docks take a minimum of screen space until interaction is required.

• Auto-Hide:
  Docks attached to screen edges can auto-hide and pop up on demand.

• Auto-Collapse:
  Floating docks (i.e. docks not attached to a screen edge) can collapse into a single control tile and un-collapse on demand.

• Multi-Monitor Support: 
  Docks can be docked to any screen edge or left floating on any monitor.

• Document Thumbnails:
  Documents dragged to a dock show up as thumbnails for easy identification.

• In-Dock Modules:
  NeXuS supports all WorkShelf special modules, from the clock to the net meter!

• Reserve Screen Space: 
  Makes sure docks attached to screen edges are not covered by maximized windows.

• Respect Reserved Screen Space: 
  Makes sure docked docks do not overlap other docked items such as the taskbar.

• Virtual File System Objects support: 
  Allows you to drag special Explorer objects, like Control Panel items and the My Computer icon, into docks.

• Powerful Dock Manipulation options: 
  Create docks from existing WorkShelf shelves, detach sub-docks, turn docks into sub-docks, duplicate docks, delete docks - all this using simple drag-n-drop and/or context menu options.

• Keyboard Navigation:
  Docks can be brought to the foreground and dock items launched through the use of user-specified hotkeys.

• PNG File Support:
  Supports the use of PNG as well as ICO files for object images.

• Special FX:  
  Lots of special effects such as icons zooming on selection and shifting to make room for items about to be dropped, icon bouncing on application launch, visual feedback for specific actions, incredible water ripple effect that makes docks behave like a liquid surface whenever you click on them plus sound events for when the dock collapses and pops up or sub-docks open.

• Complete Customization: 
  Virtually every aspect of every dock is customizable: from icon size, to magnification size, to dock behavior.

• And Much More!

An Aesthetic Quality That Inspires Individuality 

Just because a tool is primarily designed for productivity and work, doesn't mean it only caters to the dull boy. Thanks to a state-of-the-art appearance features and gorgeous built-in animations, NeXuS is ready to play! Coupled with the right theme, it will bring fun and beauty to your desktop.

Download or create themes custom tailored to your taste, from slick and professional to Feng-Shui minimalism to skins that match the seasons and holidays:

Become part of the Winstep Xtreme experience today! Download Winstep Xtreme beta 4 (14 MB) from:

http://www.winstep.net/xtreme.zip

You can download the full version (14 MB) from

http://www.winstep.net/xtreme.zip

and the update version (7 MB) from

http://www.winstep.net/xtreme-exe.zip

The update version can be installed by previous Winstep Xtreme and Winstep Full Pak users alike. If you are installing the update, you should NOT un-install the previous version and you should make sure the installation folders match.

Winstep is currently working on adding the NeXuS component to the Winstep Xtreme suite of applications (with preview versions available to registered Winstep users). NeXuS is a multi-level dock, where focus is given to functionality as well as eye candy, and to complete integration with all the other Winstep components.

NeXuS features three possible skinning modes, ranging from the simple to the complex, with the added bonus that it  even looks great with older, non NeXus aware, Winstep themes.

Winstep Xtreme is a change in the direction of the Winstep 2000 Project, one where focus is more on the desktop environment as a whole rather than on individual applications. Although NextSTART and WorkShelf are - and will continue to be - individual applications that can be run independently of one another, they only make perfect sense when run together. The user experience provided by running NextSTART and WorkShelf together proves, without a doubt, that 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.

Winstep Xtreme is a brand new product, with a different philosophy, that starts off where the old Winstep 2000 project ended. Unlike Winstep Full Pak, which was just a bundle of our existing products, Winstep Xtreme is the product. Winstep Xtreme is a complete and unified Desktop Environment, composed initially by the next generation of our NextSTART, WorkShelf and FontBrowser products. Although Xtreme won't force you to run NextSTART and WorkShelf together, it will certainly encourage you to do so!

So what is new in Winstep Xtreme relative to Winstep Full Pak? There are too many new features to list here, but the following is an highlight of some of the most important:

Per pixel alpha: this new feature allows incredible eye candy effects and themes that will blow your mind! The Menus, Startbar, Desktop Modules and even WorkShelf itself can now be semi-transparent - or have only parts of them semi-transparent - and blend smoothly with the background. You don't have to wait for Windows Vista: the next generation in User Interfaces is already here.

PNG Icon support: Both NextSTART and WorkShelf now allow you to use PNG files as well as ICO to specify object images. This is true for anything that previously used only icon files, including menu items, shelf items, tasklist icons, module icons, quick launch icons, etc...

Special FX: lots of new special effects, such as icons zooming in on selection and shifting to make room for an item about to be dropped on the shelf, incredible water ripple effect that makes the shelf behave like a liquid surface whenever you click on it, new sound events for when you empty the recycler or drop a file into it, a mind warping 'ripple' menu animation and smoother menu animations.

Individual Hotspot Button bitmaps: Hotspot buttons previously used the bitmaps for the tasklist buttons. This didn't always work very well, more often that not a bitmap would look great as a task button but terrible as an hotpot button - or vice versa. Skinners can now make themes where hotspot buttons have their own bitmaps.

Systray Background bitmap: the systray can now have its own individual background when attached to the NextSTART startbar.

Sub-theme support: Child menus can now have a different look from parent menus. Couple this with the ability to 'hardcode' specific themes to specific menus and/or hotspots and you have one of the most flexible and powerful skinning engines around. 

Tasklist Context Menus: CTRL+Right clicking a task button in the NextSTART tasklist displays a context menu from where you can restore, maximize, minimize and close the application and/or all similar windows (i.e.; all Internet Explorer windows), size or move the window, set the application's opacity level and customize the icon displayed for that window in the tasklist. For the later, you can use either .ICO or .PNG files.

Manual task re-ordering: CTRL+Left clicking a task button in the NextSTART tasklist and dragging allows you to place the button exactly where you want it to be. Now you can group your favorite applications in the tasklist just where you want them, without having to worry about the order in which applications are opened or closed. 

Full Task function Support: every mouse click combination that works on the NextSTART tasklist (e.g.; left click to restore/bring to the foreground, middle click to terminate the application, right click to minimize and CTRL+right click to open the task's context menu) now also works on Tasklist Menus, Grouped Task menus and on the WorkShelf Tasks shelf.

Image and Video Thumbnails: NextSTART's context menus now allow you to visualize image and video files in menus. This is extremely useful to help you identify specific files when using NextSTART to browse through your hard drives.

Send To, Open With, context menu options: NextSTART's context menus were already very powerful, but they lacked support for the important Send To and Open With sub-menus, among some others. NextSTART context menus now not only provide all the options you would expect to find on Explorer's context menus as it still manages to add a few more!

Shelf-Independent Desktop Modules: previously, when you clicked on the shelf or on a desktop module, all other WorkShelf components came forward as well. Now each module is totally independent from the shelf and the other modules by default - but you can still specify the old behavior, if you prefer.

'Wallpaper' Modules: Desktop Modules can now be 'glued' to the desktop, so that they never cover other windows.

Optional 'Auto Arrange' Desktop Modules function: whenever you load a new theme, WorkShelf desktop modules now neatly re-arrange themselves at the right edge of the screen, thus preventing differently sized modules from overlapping each other or even go partially off-screen as it happened before.

Desktop Module Animation Support: The desktop Email Checker, Recycler and Wanda modules now support custom animations. This means that the email module can now display a rotating envelope whenever you have new mail, that the Recycler can light up like a furnace when you move items over it, and that Wanda can have a new face.

Proxy Support: WorkShelf and NextSTART now provide transparent proxy support for all functions that depend on the Internet to work, like auto update, online cookie retrieval, and weather and email checking. There is no need to configure anything since proxy settings are automatically retrieved from Internet Explorer, but, in case you need it, you can also manually specify Proxy settings.

WorkShelf Hotkeys:  You can now open, activate shelves and run programs using nothing but the keyboard! Each shelf can have a hot key associated to it, which, when pressed, opens that particular shelf and brings WorkShelf to the foreground, un-collapsing it in the process if necessary. Items in regular shelves can also have key combinations associated to them, which, when pressed, execute the program without the need to activate WorkShelf. All hotkeys are system wide, that is, WorkShelf does not need to have the focus for the hotkeys to work.

Reorganized and simplified Preferences: the Preference screens of NextSTART and WorkShelf have been re-designed in a more logical and simplified manner, making it easier for new and previous users alike to find the options they are looking for.

Increased Performance: many previously existing functions have been fine-tuned to increase performance. For instance, meters are no longer updated every second unless necessary, processes are only enumerated when new windows are created or destroyed, bitmaps are now cached in memory instead of being constantly retrieved from the file system, window snapshots are only taken when window contents change, etc... All in all, the combination of all these performance improvements give the user a smooth experience when running Xtreme.

There are literally HUNDREDS of other new features, changes and fixes, far too many to list all of them here. But this is not all: many more mind blowing features are scheduled to be added before Winstep Xtreme goes final. Become part of the Xtreme experience now!

Winstep Xtreme costs $39.90, unless you are a currently registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART or WorkShelf user, in which case you should read below.

Your purchase of Winstep Xtreme entitles you to one year of free updates for all components of the suite - including new components that might be released in the mean time - with one year renewals costing only a fraction of the original price: $19.95. Anything you download and install while your update subscription is valid will be yours to keep - for life!

Remember: you "own" the software that you bought, and you don't have to upgrade if you don't want the new features.

Another advantage of the Winstep Xtreme unified approach towards the desktop is that any related applications developed by Winstep in the future, under the Winstep Xtreme name, will also become an integral part of the suite - in other words, as long as your update subscription is valid, you will be able to download, install and keep the new components for free!

If you install an update after your one-year subscription has elapsed, you will have a new 30-day trial period - after which you can renew your yearly subscription online by clicking the 'Renew' link in the Registration tab of that application's Preferences window or automatically roll back to your previous, registered, version by clicking on the 'Roll Back' link instead.

You can download Winstep Xtreme Here.

Winstep Xtreme - extreme power!

New Users:

From now on, anyone purchasing Winstep Full Pak will also receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme key with one year's worth of FREE updates.

Winstep is famous for releasing betas that are as solid as the final versions of many other companies products. For this reason, you can jump straight into the full release of Winstep Xtreme beta 3, bypassing Winstep Full Pak altogether. However, if you simply don't feel comfortable running a beta version, you can download Winstep Full Pak Here and run that instead, comfortable in the knowledge that, by registering Winstep Full Pak, you will also receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme license key.

Become part of the Xtreme experience!

Users who registered Winstep Full Pak after September 1st 2005:

You too are eligible to a FREE Winstep Xtreme key, with one year of free upgrades from the date you purchased Winstep Full Pak. Please email Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under) and you should receive your free Winstep Xtreme key by email within 48 hours.

Users who registered Winstep Full Pak after March 1st 2005:

You can upgrade to Winstep Xtreme for the price of a Winstep Xtreme Subscription Renewal ($19.95). Please email Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under) and you will be given the URL from where you can upgrade to Xtreme for the promotional price of $19.95. This offer is for a limited time period ONLY and will be valid until Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Other Registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART v3.x or WorkShelf v1.x users:

This third beta of Winstep Xtreme features many additions which, just by themselves, justify upgrading to Winstep Xtreme right now! Many more exciting new features will be added before Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Winstep Xtreme final will cost $39.90, but, as a token of appreciation to the support registered users have given Winstep, we will offer a temporary upgrade price of only $29.95. This offer will be valid until Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Once you've tried out beta 3 of Winstep Xtreme you will be able to decide for yourself if it's worth the promotional upgrade price or not. You get a free 30 day trial version, after which you will be able to automatically roll back to your previous registered version or upgrade to Winstep Xtreme, taking advantage of the $29.95 promotional price.

Stick with us and enjoy the ride!

Upgrade procedure for registered Winstep users:

1 - Download and Install Winstep Xtreme.
2 - Open WorkShelf or NextSTART Preferences.
3 - Click on the Registration tab (last tab of Preferences). Here you will find a link to the Upgrade page.

Alternatively, contact us by email at Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under).

System Requirements:

Winstep Xtreme will run under Win95/98/ME and NT4/2000/XP/XP 64bit/Vista.

Note: Some of the more advanced features, such as task snapshots and per pixel alpha transparency, are NOT available on Win9x and NT4 systems. This is a limitation of the Operating System itself.

Winstep Xtreme is a complete integrated Desktop Environment featuring the next generation of award winning Winstep user interface enhancements.

Winstep Xtreme is a change in the direction of the Winstep 2000 Project, one where focus is more on the desktop environment as a whole rather than on individual applications. Although NextSTART and WorkShelf are - and will continue to be - individual applications that can be run independently of one another, they only make perfect sense when run together. The user experience provided by running NextSTART and WorkShelf together proves, without a doubt, that 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.

Winstep Xtreme is a brand new product, with a different philosophy, that starts off where the old Winstep 2000 project ended. Unlike Winstep Full Pak, which was just a bundle of our existing products, Winstep Xtreme is the product. Winstep Xtreme is a complete and unified Desktop Environment, composed initially by the next generation of our NextSTART, WorkShelf and FontBrowser products. Although Xtreme won't force you to run NextSTART and WorkShelf together, it will certainly encourage you to do so!

So what is new in Winstep Xtreme relative to Winstep Full Pak? There are too many new features to list here, but the following is an highlight of some of the most important:

PNG Icon support: Both NextSTART and WorkShelf now allow you to use PNG files as well as ICO to specify object images. This is true for anything that previously used only icon files, including menu items, shelf items, tasklist icons, module icons, quick launch icons, etc...

Special FX: lots of new special effects, such as icons zooming in on selection and shifting to make room for an item about to be dropped on the shelf, incredible water ripple effect that makes the shelf behave like a liquid surface whenever you click on it, new sound events for when you empty the recycler or drop a file into it, a mind warping 'ripple' menu animation and smoother menu animations.

Individual Hotspot Button bitmaps: Hotspot buttons previously used the bitmaps for the tasklist buttons. This didn't always work very well, more often that not a bitmap would look great as a task button but terrible as an hotpot button - or vice versa. Skinners can now make themes where hotspot buttons have their own bitmaps.

Tasklist Context Menus: CTRL+Right clicking a task button in the NextSTART tasklist displays a context menu from where you can restore, maximize, minimize and close the application and/or all similar windows (i.e.; all Internet Explorer windows), size or move the window, set the application's opacity level and customize the icon displayed for that window in the tasklist. For the later, you can use either .ICO or .PNG files.

Full Task function Support: every mouse click combination that works on the NextSTART tasklist (e.g.; left click to restore/bring to the foreground, middle click to terminate the application, right click to minimize and CTRL+right click to open the task's context menu) now also works on Tasklist Menus, Grouped Task menus and on the WorkShelf Tasks shelf.

Image and Video Thumbnails: NextSTART's context menus now allow you to visualize image and video files in menus. This is extremely useful to help you identify specific files when using NextSTART to browse through your hard drives.

Send To, Open With, context menu options: NextSTART's context menus were already very powerful, but they lacked support for the important Send To and Open With sub-menus, among some others. NextSTART context menus now not only provide all the options you would expect to find on Explorer's context menus as it still manages to add a few more!

Shelf-Independent Desktop Modules: previously, when you clicked on the shelf or on a desktop module, all other WorkShelf components came forward as well. Now each module is totally independent from the shelf and the other modules by default - but you can still specify the old behavior, if you prefer.

'Wallpaper' Modules: Desktop Modules can now be 'glued' to the desktop, so that they never cover other windows.

Optional 'Auto Arrange' Desktop Modules function: whenever you load a new theme, WorkShelf desktop modules now neatly re-arrange themselves at the right edge of the screen, thus preventing differently sized modules from overlapping each other or even go partially off-screen as it happened before.

Desktop Module Animation Support: The desktop Email Checker, Recycler and Wanda modules now support custom animations. This means that the email module can now display a rotating envelope whenever you have new mail, that the Recycler can light up like a furnace when you move items over it, and that Wanda can have a new face.

Proxy Support: WorkShelf and NextSTART now provide transparent proxy support for all functions that depend on the Internet to work, like auto update, online cookie retrieval, and weather and email checking. There is no need to configure anything since proxy settings are automatically retrieved from Internet Explorer.

WorkShelf Hotkeys:  You can now open, activate shelves and run programs using nothing but the keyboard! Each shelf can have a hot key associated to it, which, when pressed, opens that particular shelf and brings WorkShelf to the foreground, un-collapsing it in the process if necessary. Items in regular shelves can also have key combinations associated to them, which, when pressed, execute the program without the need to activate WorkShelf. All hotkeys are system wide, that is, WorkShelf does not need to have the focus for the hotkeys to work.

Reorganized and simplified Preferences: the Preference screens of NextSTART and WorkShelf have been re-designed in a more logical and simplified manner, making it easier for new and previous users alike to find the options they are looking for.

Increased Performance: many previously existing functions have been fine-tuned to increase performance. For instance, meters are no longer updated every second unless necessary, processes are only enumerated when new windows are created or destroyed, bitmaps are now cached in memory instead of being constantly retrieved from the file system, window snapshots are only taken when window contents change, etc... All in all, the combination of all these performance improvements give the user a smooth experience when running Xtreme.

There are literally HUNDREDS of other new features, changes and fixes, far too many to list all of them here. But this is not all: many more mind blowing features are scheduled to be added before Winstep Xtreme goes final. Become part of the Xtreme experience now!

Winstep Xtreme costs $39.90, unless you are a currently registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART or WorkShelf user, in which case you should read below.

Your purchase of Winstep Xtreme entitles you to one year of free updates for all components of the suite - including new components that might be released in the mean time - with one year renewals costing only a fraction of the original price: $19.95. Anything you download and install while your update subscription is valid will be yours to keep - for life!

Remember: you "own" the software that you bought, and you don't have to upgrade if you don't want the new features.

Another advantage of the Winstep Xtreme unified approach towards the desktop is that any related applications developed by Winstep in the future, under the Winstep Xtreme name, will also become an integral part of the suite - in other words, as long as your update subscription is valid, you will be able to download, install and keep the new components for free!

If you install an update after your one-year subscription has elapsed, you will have a new 30-day trial period - after which you can renew your yearly subscription online by clicking the 'Renew' link in the Registration tab of that application's Preferences window or automatically roll back to your previous, registered, version by clicking on the 'Roll Back' link instead.

You can download Winstep Xtreme Here.

Winstep Xtreme - extreme power!

New Users:

From now on, anyone purchasing Winstep Full Pak will also receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme key with one year's worth of FREE updates.

Winstep is famous for releasing betas that are as solid as the final versions of many other companies products. For this reason, you can jump straight into the full release of Winstep Xtreme beta 2, bypassing Winstep Full Pak altogether. However, if you simply don't feel comfortable running a beta version, you can download Winstep Full Pak Here and run that instead, comfortable in the knowledge that, by registering Winstep Full Pak, you will also receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme license key.

Become part of the Xtreme experience!

Users who registered Winstep Full Pak after September 1st 2005:

You too are eligible to a FREE Winstep Xtreme key, with one year of free upgrades from the date you purchased Winstep Full Pak. Please email Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under) and you should receive your free Winstep Xtreme key by email within 48 hours.

Users who registered Winstep Full Pak after March 1st 2005:

You can upgrade to Winstep Xtreme for the price of a Winstep Xtreme Subscription Renewal ($19.95). Please email Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under) and you will be given the URL from where you can upgrade to Xtreme for the promotional price of $19.95. This offer is for a limited time period ONLY and will be valid until Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Other Registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART v3.x or WorkShelf v1.x users:

This second beta of Winstep Xtreme features many additions which, just by themselves, justify upgrading to Winstep Xtreme right now! Many more exciting new features will be added before Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Winstep Xtreme final will cost $39.90, but, as a token of appreciation to the support registered users have given Winstep, we will offer a temporary upgrade price of only $29.95. This offer will be valid until Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Once you've tried out beta 2 of Winstep Xtreme you will be able to decide for yourself if it's worth the promotional upgrade price or not. You get a free 30 day trial version, after which you will be able to automatically roll back to your previous registered version or upgrade to Winstep Xtreme, taking advantage of the $29.95 promotional price.

Stick with us and enjoy the ride!

Upgrade procedure for registered Winstep users:

1 - Download and Install Winstep Xtreme.
2 - Open WorkShelf or NextSTART Preferences.
3 - Click on the Registration tab (last tab of Preferences). Here you will find a link to the Upgrade page.

Alternatively, contact us by email at Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under).

System Requirements:

Winstep Xtreme will run under Win95/98/ME and NT4/2000/XP.

Note: Some of the more advanced features, such as task snapshots and per pixel alpha transparency, are NOT available on Win9x and NT4 systems. This is not a limitation of the software but of the Operating System itself.

Winstep Xtreme is a complete integrated Desktop Environment featuring the next generation of award winning Winstep user interface enhancements.

Winstep Xtreme is a change in the direction of the Winstep 2000 Project, one where focus is more on the desktop environment as a whole rather than on individual applications. Although NextSTART and WorkShelf are - and will continue to be - individual applications that can be run independently of one another, they only make perfect sense when run together. Running NextSTART without WorkShelf or vice-versa is like having a three legged table - it will stand on its own, but not so well as if it had four legs. In that sense, the user experience provided by running NextSTART and WorkShelf together proves, without a doubt, that 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.

The moment for this shift in direction couldn't be better either: after five years of continuous improvements and free updates, WorkShelf was finally about to reach version 2.0. Likewise, after three years, NextSTART was about to reach version 4.0. Under the current license agreement, WorkShelf v1.x and NextSTART v3.x registered users would have to pay again in order to use the newer versions.

For this reason, the timing is perfect to discontinue the old NextSTART and WorkShelf product line and introduce Winstep Xtreme! 

Winstep Xtreme is a brand new product, with a different philosophy, that starts off where the old Winstep 2000 project ended. Unlike Winstep Full Pak, which was just a bundle of our existing products, Winstep Xtreme is the product. Winstep Xtreme is a complete and unified Desktop Environment, composed initially by the next generation of our NextSTART, WorkShelf and FontBrowser products. Although Xtreme won't force you to run NextSTART and WorkShelf together, it will certainly encourage you to do so!

Another advantage of the Winstep Xtreme unified approach towards the desktop is that any related applications developed by Winstep in the future, under the Winstep Xtreme name, will also become an integral part of the suite - in other words, as long as your update subscription is valid, you will be able to download, install and keep the new components for free!

Your purchase of Winstep Xtreme will entitle you to one year of free updates for all components of the suite - including new components that might be released in the mean time, as mentioned above - with one year renewals costing only a fraction of the original price: $19.95. Anything you download and install while your update subscription is valid will be yours to keep - for life!

Remember: you "own" the software that you bought, and you don't have to upgrade if you don't want the new features.

If you install an update after your one-year subscription has elapsed, you will have a new 30-day trial period - after which you can renew your yearly subscription online by clicking the 'Renew' link in the Registration tab of that application's Preferences window or automatically roll back to your previous, registered, version by clicking on the 'Roll Back' link instead.

You can download Winstep Xtreme Here.

Winstep Xtreme - extreme power!

New Users:

From now on, anyone purchasing Winstep Full Pak will also receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme key with one year's worth of FREE updates.

Winstep is famous for releasing betas that are as solid as the final versions of many other companies products. For this reason, you can jump straight into the full release of Winstep Xtreme beta 1, bypassing Winstep Full Pak altogether. However, if you simply don't feel comfortable running a beta version, you can download Winstep Full Pak Here and run that instead, comfortable in the knowledge that, by registering Winstep Full Pak, you will also receive a FREE Winstep Xtreme license key.

Become part of the Xtreme experience!

Users who registered Winstep Full Pak after September 1st 2005:

You too are eligible to a FREE Winstep Xtreme key, with one year of free upgrades from the date you purchased Winstep Full Pak. Please email Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under) and you should receive your free Winstep Xtreme key by email within 48 hours.

Users who registered Winstep Full Pak after March 1st 2005:

You can upgrade to Winstep Xtreme for the price of a Winstep Xtreme Subscription Renewal ($19.95). Please email Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under) and you will be given the URL from where you can upgrade to Xtreme for the promotional price of $19.95. This offer is for a limited time period ONLY and will be valid until Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Other Registered Winstep Full Pak, NextSTART v3.x or WorkShelf v1.x users:

This first beta of Winstep Xtreme features many additions which, just by themselves, justify upgrading to Winstep Xtreme right now! Many more exciting new features will be added before Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Winstep Xtreme final will cost $39.90, but, as a token of appreciation to the support registered users have given Winstep, we will offer a temporary upgrade price of only $29.95. This offer will be valid until Winstep Xtreme goes final.

Once you've tried out the first beta of Winstep Xtreme you will be able to decide for yourself if it's worth the promotional upgrade price or not. You get a free 30 day trial version, after which you will be able to automatically roll back to your previous registered version or upgrade to Winstep Xtreme, taking advantage of the $29.95 promotional price.

Stick with us and enjoy the ride!

Upgrade procedure for registered Winstep users:

1 - Download and Install Winstep Xtreme.
2 - Open WorkShelf Preferences.
3 - Click on the Registration tab (last tab of Preferences). Here you will find a link to the Upgrade page.

Alternatively, contact us by email at Winstep Support with your registration details (name and email address you registered under).

System Requirements:

Winstep Xtreme will run under Win95/98/ME and NT4/2000/XP.

Note: Some of the more advanced features, such as per pixel alpha transparency, will not be available on Win9x and NT4 systems. This is a limitation of the Operating System itself.