ChangeDesktop is an application that will change your Desktop picture at random from any number of folders you choose. It is written in Cocoa, completely free and the source code is available.
Requirements
Mac OS X 10.1 or higher (with the BSD subsystem installed)
Features- Changes your Desktop picture at a specified interval on up to eight monitors.
- Installs a system wide hot key so you change your Desktop picture from any application.
- Can choose a picture at random, or choose each picture in sequence. If pictures are chosen at random, ChangeDesktop can be configured to use all pictures before repeating any picture.
- Coalesces pictures from multiple folders so you don't have to move all of your pictures to one folder. Sub-folders are also searched.
- Will notice additions and removals to any folder without having to restart the application.
- iTunes integration allows desktop changes to be synced with iTunes track changes.
- If your system goes to sleep, the ChangeDesktop Server can be told to change the desktop picture when the system wakes up.
- Thumbnail pictures are automatically filtered so they will not be displayed. This is particularly useful with iPhoto.
- Web Pics feature that allows you get pictures from any webserver and automatically add them to your collection. Includes support for Rendezvous (Jaguar and later) and the capability to archive the downloaded pictures.
- Remote Access feature (Remote Access screenshot) that will allow anyone to view your current desktop picture from any web browser. Also included are the currently playing iTunes song and system statistics such as processor speed, memory usage, and uptime. Remote Access also has the ability to take screenshots of your Desktop.
- Publish Desktop feature that allows the Server to automatically upload your desktop picture to any FTP server every time the desktop is changed.
- Includes a Menu Extra that allows you to launch ChangeDesktop or change the Desktop picture.
- Supports MacOS aliases.
- Fully compatible with Panther's Fast User Switching.
- Localized for French.
User Comments
cfreger,
Versiontracker.com
Simply wonderful. And free! Turns my flat panel into an art gallery. Thank you!
MacUser-4-ever,
Versiontracker.com
This is sooooo much better than what is built into Jaguar (10.2). I thought I could go without
when I upgraded to Jaguar, but this **FREE** application is awesome. ...
I also like being able to serve the picture over the Net or FTP it. This is certainly one of the top
applications that Apple is bundling an inferior version of in Jag.
Melissa Terwilliger
When I upgraded from 10.1.5 to 10.2 I threw out my ChangeDesktop because I
figured I wouldn't need it anymore. I expected the Apple built in desktop
changer to be as good as Change Desktop, but it's not even close. The Apple
program doesn't allow you to customize the amount of time between changes,
not repeat pictures, and most important to me, go through nested folders.
Within two days I went back to get Change Desktop. The new version has a ton
of features that weren't in the older one I had been using before my
upgrade. The old version blew the Apple built in program out of the water
and the new one is even better!
Requests
I am interested in making localazations for ChangeDesktop. If you are fluent in any language and can translate English you can help. It would be really helpful if you were familiar with Apple's Interface Builder tool, but not necessary. I can't pay you anything, but you can have the satisfaction of having your name in lights! (Well, really in the ChangeDesktop About Box, but that's the same; isn't it? :) Please see the Localization.rtf file included in the distribution for instructions. Note: I already have someone doing the French localization.
Changes since version 2.5
(For a complete list of changes, see the included Changes.rtf file.)
Bug Reports
All bug reports and/or feature requests should be submitted on ChangeDesktop's SourceForge project page.
Downloads
- ChangeDesktop 2.5.1
(2141K),
MD5 (ChangeDesktop2.5.1.dmg) = 723c53532a7df1affe42d10079ade405
More pictures for your desktop.
Source code
A live version of ChangeDesktop's CVS repository is availble at SourceForge.net. If you are at all interested in helping out with code, documentation, localization, etc. please sign up for a Sourceforge account and submit your patches.
Anonymous checkouts and a Web interface to the repository are also available.
Donations
Some people have expressed an interest in making a donation to further ChangeDesktop's development. If you are interested in making a donation, please vist my Kagi Payment page. A minimum of US $10 is requested because of the fees Kagi charges. Please don't take this as a request for donations. Make a donation only if you want to, not because you feel you have to.
You can also fulfill requests from my Amazon Wishlist if you don't want to make a monetary donation.
Finally, make sure to check out The Art of Greg Martin website. It contains some excellent space fantasy images.
