New computers with preinstalled Windows XP or 7, as a rule, do not have any specially designed additional side panels. Someone may say that widgets that appear in the seven with an interference fit can be considered a side panel, in fact - this is not so. They can be placed anywhere, so nevertheless they are not that side panel, in its classical understanding. In addition, you will not be able to add something of your own there, your capabilities are limited by the content that Microsoft and third-party programmers have prepared.
And sometimes I want to have a little more control over the OS so that a convenient sound control, my own set of utilities, timers, alarms and other good content can be arranged as you want, that's why applications such as the sidebar were developed. For XP, there are several options to solve this problem. The product that will be discussed first is called the Windows Sidebar.
It seems that with the release of Vista, the Redmond Corporation realized that it was time to change the situation with additional toolbars, and released the WS application. This sidebar from Microsoft, which then migrated almost unchanged, to Windows 7, allows you to add many different gadgets that make life easier for users and help in everyday work. But it does not have the flexibility that we talked about.
Nevertheless, a large enough number of Windows 7 users like it, since with it the desktop comes to life and becomes not so strict.
This side panel is installed quite simply, in Vista and Seven, it is installed immediately with the OS, and for XP it must be downloaded from the Microsoft website. After installation, WS will ask you to restart the computer, confirm the permission for this procedure and after restarting you will see the Windows 7 sidebar in your Windows XP.
Well, for advanced users who lack the features that Windows Sidebar provides, Stardock, which became known after the release of such applications as: Object Desktop and Windows Blinds, prepared a fresh program “Tiles”.
The full version of this software costs about a hundred green presidents, but there is also a free trial version. So what can this product do if it is sold for the money?
In fact, this is a typical side panel, but with a non-standard design. The basis was the new Metro interface (the name should change soon), which Microsoft is introducing in the upcoming Windows 8. The programs in Tiles look exactly like the applications in Metro look like - colored tiles with names. And all windows of running applications are displayed there in the form of rectangles located from top to bottom.
Moving between programs displayed on the panel is convenient with the mouse wheel, it is just as easy to move, add or remove program panels, all these actions are carried out with the right mouse button.
If you want to change the “Tiles” settings, then in the configuration window, completely executed in the “Metro” style, you will have access to a huge number of various settings, the size of the windows, their relative position, and many other parameters will be available to fit the needs of an inquisitive user.
Having driven this interesting product from Stardock a bit, many experts speak very well about its capabilities. This is clearly a promising and very timely move with a great future. The main advantages of this utility is that it closes a gap in the list of software for Windows, after its release no one will say that a normal sidebar has not appeared in this OS. And secondly, important, in my opinion, is the fact that “Tiles” supports 32-bit and 64-bit architecture and works with all versions of Microsoft OS, starting with Windows XP. Thus, the distribution of this program is not limited to new computers.