http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/windows/reviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229100393

Top Features Absent From Windows 7

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20013672-261.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

Suit alleges Disney, other top sites spied on users
A lawsuit filed in federal court last week alleges that a group of well-known Web sites, including those owned by Disney, Warner Bros. Records, and Demand Media, broke the law by secretly tracking the Web movements of their users, including children.
"Flash cookies on (affiliate site) users' computers...online tracking device(s) which would allow access to and disclosure of Internet users' online activities."

Does anyone still use Wirechanger? I ended up buying the program because I love the ability to add stuff to the decktop; plus the wallpapaer generator that uses kaleidoscope and fractal generators, which use any image as a seed.

There has been an update to the program for those that decided to buy it.

Though if you are using Vista, most of the things that Wirechanger adds are already there in Vista.

Hi Keilaron and BuBBy,

Thank you very much indeed for the links, I am off to have some fun now. I really appreciate the effort you both put into this forum, you are top guys!

(There is more discussion of wallpaper links in the aston shell thread)

Here #

Well, if you're talking about wallpapers...
http://www.desktopography.net/ various sizes.

Hi Whiterabbit-uk,

I am intrigued by you "not forgetting your promise". Are you 'talking' to the right person, or did you answer my email sent before your op, which, if you did, I never got? I am going to send you an email over the next couple of days, this time, bear with me, we have had some hideous weather, and often I can't get on the net and when I do, I get kicked off again within a few minutes. The joys of living out in the backblocks! So, I will use a different email address this time, in case you did reply before.

Anyway, a couple of the links to good wallpaper sites:

http://www.emmir.mylivepage.ru/tags/wallpapers?page=0
(the russian(?) site I mentioned. To give you an idea, I am up to page 139 in my downloading, and I'm still going. Admittedly, I am only going for the nature/landscape wallpapers, so there are a few pages where I didn't download anything, but there are some really beautiful wallpapers on this site and it is ideal to use with Wirechanger)

http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/others/picture_of_the_day.htm
(you probably already know this one, there is a picture of the day and one of the week)

http://www.wallpaperstock.net/
(you can sign up for a weekend newsletter, listing the new wallpapers for the week, you just click on them)

http://www.1280x1024desktopwallpapers.com/index.php
(high quality images)

http://www.bestqualitywallpapers.com/
(more high quality images)

http://www.vombashots.com/collections.html
(You have to download their 'wallpaper manager', but once you have then you can just use Wirechanger to download the wallpapers.)

http://2photo.ru/2006/09/01/pejjzazhi_kak_fjentezi_fotograf_poljakov_dmitrijj.html
(another russian site with some beautiful 'designed' wallpapers, some simply stunning)

That should keep you going for a while! Hope you have as much enjoyment from downloading them as I have done (and still am doing, they keep putting new wallpapers up all the time, I will never catch up!)

I will give the widgets some thought, I get a huge amount of pleasure at looking at beautiful landscape wallpapers though, but if I am prepared to read your posts on the games before I download them, I should be taking your advice on the widgets (lol).

All the best

Thanks Nola, the links would be marvellous. you should try some of the widgets though, especially the kaliedoscope (probably spelled wrong, lol) engine. I have some of the most beautiful patterns generated. I'll post some links when I have time. I could also upload some to my filefront page for you to download I've not forgotten my promise either. I just do things really slowly.... :) so eventually all my promises will be fulfilled. Please bear with me.

Hi Whiterabbit,

I too, think WireChanger is the best thing since sliced bread, but I have found a bug that I cope with and work around, but that is annoying. I download a lot of images from the net, and find that what I have already downloaded, is often written over and therefore, gone forever. I now know to make a backup of my WireChanger wallpapers as soon as I have downloaded them, or as soon as WireChanger downloads one on its own. Although, I notice now, that with 2000 wallpapers in my wallpaper file, WireChanger obviously thinks I have got enough images, and doesn't download any on its own. Instead, I get daily reminders about swapping images with their online database (Outer Station).

I don't use all the widgets though, like you do, I like to see a clean desktop with a beautiful landscape on it being changed regularly, often while I listen to music or play windowed games.

If you are interested in a Russian(?) site with thousands of beautiful images free for downloading, let me know and I will paste the url in this thread. I googled "high quality free wallpapers" and was amazed how many I came up with. I also have a British site that I check daily for images.

Have you tried Vombashots? They have some beautiful images too, and I download them into Wirechanger. I am also a member of Webshots (nearly NZ$50 per year) but their images have to be downloaded into their own program on your desk. I have about 7000 photos from there.

While I am talking to you Whiterabbit, thank you heaps for the detailed information you provide on the games, I don't download until I have read what you think of the program, and I really appreciate your input.

All the best

This has got to be one of my favorite downloads from the giveaway project. I decided to purchase it because it's given me pleasure every day since getting it. The features enable you to put the zest back into your desk top, with a controllable interface that allows you to specify how often your desk top changes. Many add-on’s and widgets that include note lets, RSS feeds, calendars a selection of hundreds (nearly) of clock styles plus many more things. You can add a kaleidoscope engine that produces some of the most fantastic patterns as well as a fractal generator and other special effects. You have access to thousands of images from an online database. i've downloaded many images from the Hubble site, which when adjusted using the many widget, creates some outstanding wallpapers. (yeah, there's a wallpaper generator too)

When I purchased ‘wirechanger’ I accidentally ordered ‘wirekeys’ instead. When I discovered my mistake I emailed the support address and received a reply within the day, with a new activation key for ‘wirechanger’ and a note to say keep the ‘wirekeys’ program as well.

It's not an application that I would have ever thought of buying until having the opportunity to get the full version free. It doesn't have important uses such as many of the computer health and tweaking programs, or the many converters that have been offered. But it has been the most used and enjoyed by me program after downloading 100's of programs since late November 06.

I look forwards to seeing future upgrades, (one of the reasons I decided to buy it) especially new widgets and more beautiful free images.

It was mentioned in the forums that this application is offered free (that is a registration code is given away), when you complete the game Amulet of Tricolor which was given away on the 11th August. I don't know whether this is true, but if I finish the game I will definitely let you know via this thread.

Check the comments section for additional information by following the link:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/wirechanger/#comments

or check out Bladed Thoth's 15 minute review:

http://www.bladedthoth.com/reviews/15mrs/wirechanger-v3-6-5/

I would say some of his 'cons' are a little pernickety. Although the twin monitor problems are a valid point, but I don't use a dual monitor, so it's not important. With respect to the bugs he mentions. I've not had any bugs (that I’ve been aware of since running this application (over 10 weeks. The only negative thing I would say about the program is the save facility for generated wallpapers. I’ve often been playing a game or working on something when the ‘save screen’ has appeared; which is sometimes at the most inopportune moments, usually disturbing me from my concentration, or destroying a critical moment in a game.

It would be nice to see the developer adding an auto save function. The newly generated wallpapers can always be deleted at a later time. Also, when the wallpaper has been generated and the save screen pops up; you don't actually have a choice unless you close the application down totally. This aspect of the program also needs to be fixed. Perhaps have a settable option, so that the save screen pops up at a set time/s.

Still even with those imperfections, this software is well worth the $20 asking price