An enterprising software engineer, Kenneth Brandon, has written software that allows DeskSpace to be controlled by a Nintendo Wii Remote control. You can check out a video of it in action below (skip to 1:05 to see DeskSpace):

After seeing the DeskSpace Wikipedia page languish for most of 2009 with numerous inaccuracies (e.g. it does *not* require DirectX 9, it’ll run just fine on DirectX 8.1 thank you very much, and it is *not* usually distributed as a .ZIP file), I decided to take matters into my own hands and update the page myself.

Big. Mistake.

One of the Wikipedia Powers-That-Be, Wikipedia administrator Orange Mike, came down on me like a ton of bricks and blocked me from editing the page (and any other page on Wikipedia). Now, I understand that the founder of Otaku Software editing the DeskSpace Wikipedia page is seen by Orange Mike as a conflict of interest (ironic, given his history), and if that’s how he wants to police the DeskSpace Wikipedia page then that’s fine.

I also have no intention of getting involved in a long, drawn-out fight over something as silly as a web page, and I’d much rather spend my time spent helping the Otaku Software team cook up new versions of DeskSpace and TopDesk for our fantastic users, so I’m not going to appeal the block.

However, it worries me is that there’s inaccurate information on the DeskSpace Wikipedia page and I have no way to correct the mistakes. As an example, the DeskSpace Wikipedia page stated that DeskSpace requires DirectX 9. Despite it clearly stating that DeskSpace requires DirectX 8.1 on our system requirements page, and despite my *cited* changes to the DeskSpace Wikipedia page to reflect this, the page has since been changed back to state that DeskSpace requires DirectX 9.

I know I’m nitpicking, but what’s the point of having DeskSpace on Wikipedia if the information isn’t accurate, and what’s the point Wikipedia administrators policing edits if they’re not going to ensure the correctness of an article? Wikipedia is a great tool, but it’s all too easy for a topic to suffer because editors either can’t be bothered or simply don’t care enough to verify its accuracy.

At the moment I’m at a complete loss as to how I can fix this sad state of affairs, so if anyone has any advice on the best way to ensure the DeskSpace Wikipedia page is up-to-date and accurate then I’d really like to hear from you.

DeskSpace 1.5.6.3 has been released. It contains the following additions and improvements:

• Bug Fix – Fixed a bug where DeskSpace would sometimes crash on activation after the computer was unlocked or returned from standby, or after a screen saver was canceled.

You can visit the DeskSpace page to find out more about DeskSpace, and visit the Online Store to buy DeskSpace 1.5.6.3.

DeskSpace 1.5.6.2 has been released. The main new feature in this version is one that many users have been asking for for a long time – the ability to maintain the order of windows in the taskbar when you switch between desktops.

DeskSpace 1.5.6.2 includes the following minor bug fixes and compatibility improvements:

• New Feature – The order of windows in the taskbar is now maintained (as much as possible) when switching between desktops.
• New Feature – DeskSpace now includes an Italian localization.
• New Feature – When first run, DeskSpace now automatically detects the operating system language.
• New Feature – Improved desktop cube activation speed.
• New Feature – Improved desktop switching speed when switching to a desktop with the same wallpaper.
• New Feature – DeskSpace now handles hung and crashed applications better than before.
• New Feature – Improved compatibility with MailWasher Pro, Propellerhead Reason, Steam, Tencent Traveler, and XemiCo Desktop Calendar.
• New Feature – The DeskSpace system tray menu has been tweaked to make the desktop names and pictures more visible.
• Bug Fix – Reduced desktop icon flashing when switching to a desktop.
• Bug Fix – Fixed a bug where an incorrect string was displayed in file selection dialogs.
• Bug Fix – Under Windows 7 is is now possible to drag windows to another desktop using the bottom edge of the screen.
• Bug Fix – Due to new mouse behavior in Windows 7 the middle mouse button did not always work.
• Bug Fix – Fixed a bug where the desktop selector combo box background was displayed incorrectly on computers using the Silver Windows XP theme.
• Bug Fix – Fixed a bug where some applications could not be clicked on in the Manage Desktop Windows applications list.
• Bug Fix – Fixed a bug where pressing the activation hot key plus an arrow key very quickly caused DeskSpace to stay in the desktop cube view until the space bar/escape/middle mouse button was pressed/clicked.
• Bug Fix – Fixed a bug where the default DeskSpace settings were sometimes corrupted when DeskSpace was first run.

You can visit the DeskSpace page to find out more about DeskSpace, and visit the Online Store to buy DeskSpace 1.5.6.2.

DeskSpace 1.5.6.1 has been released. This version includes minor bug fixes and compatibility improvements:

• New Feature – Improved compatibility with Windows Sidebar.
• Bug Fix – All window filters are now saved correctly.
• Bug Fix – When dragging windows on multi-monitor systems, DeskSpace now correctly recognizes all screen edges.
• Bug Fix – When activating the desktop cube via middle mouse click or a mouse hot spot, the cube no longer zoom outs and then immediately zooms back in.
• Bug Fix – It is now possible to hide the desktop cube by releasing the activation hot key in the situation where, with DeskSpace configured to not show the desktop cube when the activation hot key was pressed, the activation hot key is pressed and the desktop cube is then shown by pressing an arrow key.

You can visit the DeskSpace page to find out more about DeskSpace, and visit the Online Store to buy DeskSpace 1.5.6.1.

We’ve just released DeskSpace 1.5.6. This version includes a completely revamped desktop management UI, and adds the ability to choose a name and picture for each desktop. Desktop names and pictures appear throughout DeskSpace, including the desktop cube view:

They also appear in the DeskSpace system tray menu:

and in the desktop management dialogs. You can choose a name and picture for each desktop using the new Manage Desktop Names and Pictures dialog:

We’ve updated the desktop management dialogs to reflect the new Windows Vista/7 graphical style, and we’ve worked hard to improve the usability of each dialog:

The full list of new features and bug fixes in DeskSpace 1.5.6 is as follows:

• New Feature – You can now assign a name and picture to each desktop.
• New Feature – Desktop management user interfaces have been completely revamped with improved usability and a Windows Vista/7 graphical style.
• New Feature – You can now switch to a desktop by clicking on it in the DeskSpace system tray menu.
• New Feature – Added built-in English (UK), French, German, Spanish, and Japanese language support.
• New Feature – You can now turn off recognition of Command Line and CygWin windows (improves performance).
• New Feature – Changing graphical settings (e.g. the background image or sky box) is now much faster.
• New Feature – Improved graphical performance.
• Bug Fix – The delay in displaying the desktop cube that occurred after returning from a screensaver, standby, or after unlocking the computer has been completely eliminated.
• Bug Fix – DeskSpace is now fully compatible with Windows 7 desktop wallpapers.
• Bug Fix – Improved compatibility with Yahoo! Widgets.
• Bug Fix – Improved compatibility with World of Warcraft.
• Bug Fix – DeskSpace now correctly loads all language localization files.
• Bug Fix – Switching between languages is now much faster.
• Bug Fix – Fixed graphical animation glitch that occurred when moving to the bottom of the desktop cube.
• Bug Fix – The cube reflection now fades out much sooner when moving to the bottom of the desktop cube.

You can visit the DeskSpace page to find out more about DeskSpace, and visit the Online Store to buy DeskSpace 1.5.6.

We’re busy working on DeskSpace 1.5.6 and hope to release it in the near future. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak at one of the new features in 1.5.6, named desktops:

DeskSpace 1.5.5.5 has been released. This version fixes a number of minor bugs.

DeskSpace 1.5.5.5 contains the following new features and bug fixes:

• New Feature – Improved desktop switching speed by up to 200%.
• New Feature – Improved compatibility with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, ASP.NET Development Server, Microsoft Virtual PC, Runes of Magic, SONAR, Windows Explorer, and World of Warcraft.
• Bug Fix – You can now switch to desktops using the desktop hot keys while the cube is activated.
• Bug Fix – Cygwin windows are now recognized by DeskSpace.
• Bug Fix – The first application rule in the “Manage Desktop Application Rules” dialog is no longer always reset to “Start on Desktop 1″.
• Bug Fix – Moving a window to another desktop by dragging it to the bottom of the screen now works correctly.

You can visit the DeskSpace page to find out more about DeskSpace, and visit the Online Store to buy DeskSpace 1.5.5.5.

DeskSpace was reviewed in the latest episode of the BBC News Click programme, where it was described as “too cool for school”. You can click here to view the DeskSpace segment, or the view entire programme on the BBC News Click home page.