New Free Skin from Stardock Design: Solarion
WindowBlinds 6 and Vista Optimized
Thursday, October 4, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
To go along with the launch of WindowBlinds 6, Stardock Design has been hard at work putting together some fantastic professional-quality skins for everyone here. The best part is they're free! You've already seen Adamant by Alexandrie. Today we've got a new one from MikeB314!
Are you looking for a new skin that has a bit of a retro feel while showing off some of the new, fancy features of WindowBlinds 6 and Windows Vista? Well, to fill that need, MikeB314 put together Solarion, a retro skin with a new feel. It's completely free to all users. Enjoy!
 |
|
Page 1 of 3 | |
|
|---|
bobbyhundreds
Reply #2 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:30 AM
Reply #2 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:30 AM
Fantastic skin,I really like this a lot,reminds me a little of Intrastate by Essorant from wayback. 
Browny49
Reply #3 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:56 AM
Reply #3 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:56 AM
This one is fantastic/great, thanks Stardock for its a free one, for now they are the two graetest with the Adament one, keep up the good work.
I.R. Brainiac
Reply #8 Thursday, October 4, 2007 1:38 PM
Reply #8 Thursday, October 4, 2007 1:38 PM
Mikey rocks! 
Loaded the skin a few times but have yet to see any animations .
(cept for the start button)
Loaded the skin a few times but have yet to see any animations .
(cept for the start button)
Merryvale
Reply #9 Thursday, October 4, 2007 2:15 PM
Reply #9 Thursday, October 4, 2007 2:15 PM
I love this one a lot! However, any Office 2007 window with the 'orb' is an issue as the orb covers the close box on the left side...any workaround to this?
ZubaZ
Reply #10 Thursday, October 4, 2007 2:46 PM Niel said he was looking into that skin (and Adrenaline)
Reply #10 Thursday, October 4, 2007 2:46 PM
I love this one a lot! However, any Office 2007 window with the 'orb' is an issue as the orb covers the close box on the left side...any workaround to this?
It's been reported. Niel said he was looking into that skin (and Adrenaline)
Jeffrey Bombard
Reply #13 Thursday, October 4, 2007 9:49 PM
Reply #13 Thursday, October 4, 2007 9:49 PM
I was always afraid of what Master skins would do to the quality of free stuff and here's a great example. Mike's Optix master skin is fricken awesome, yet when it comes to time for the free stuff we get something that looks like a transparent version of an OS from the 80s. Yeah I know it's supposed to be retro, but the difference in quality here is obvious.
How about the free Molten skin they included with 6.0, great ideas poor execution. It probably serves as a good technical example but the textures used are ugly, the skin has a similar feeling to J.Js Xaphire (which is fricken awesome), only the difference in quality between the 2 is like light and day.
Welcome to the new Stardock model, find all the skinners with skill grab em up make people pay for their hard earned work and take a slice out of their pie. Leave lower quality stuff for free, but if anyone wants the high quality stuff they have to pay for it.(and Stardock gets their slice too of course) Of course high quality stuff will come out of the community too, but you bet if a skinner starts making consistently high quality stuff Stardock will snatch them up too.
Way back when I first bought my OD subscription, people made skins because they enjoyed doing it and enjoyed sharing with others. For the measly sum of the subscription I could have my pick of the latest and greatest skins. Stardock's master skins program is designed to ensure that if we want to have a high quality skin on our desktop we are going to have to pay for it, so now if I want to have the latest and greatest on my Desktop at all times you can easily end up spending as much if not more than your subscription fee on the skins alone.
How about the free Molten skin they included with 6.0, great ideas poor execution. It probably serves as a good technical example but the textures used are ugly, the skin has a similar feeling to J.Js Xaphire (which is fricken awesome), only the difference in quality between the 2 is like light and day.
Welcome to the new Stardock model, find all the skinners with skill grab em up make people pay for their hard earned work and take a slice out of their pie. Leave lower quality stuff for free, but if anyone wants the high quality stuff they have to pay for it.(and Stardock gets their slice too of course) Of course high quality stuff will come out of the community too, but you bet if a skinner starts making consistently high quality stuff Stardock will snatch them up too.
Way back when I first bought my OD subscription, people made skins because they enjoyed doing it and enjoyed sharing with others. For the measly sum of the subscription I could have my pick of the latest and greatest skins. Stardock's master skins program is designed to ensure that if we want to have a high quality skin on our desktop we are going to have to pay for it, so now if I want to have the latest and greatest on my Desktop at all times you can easily end up spending as much if not more than your subscription fee on the skins alone.
vStyler
Reply #14 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:07 PM
Or spend 6 years slaving away making free skins and learning the trade and make their own.
Reply #14 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:07 PM
but if anyone wants the high quality stuff they have to pay for it
Or spend 6 years slaving away making free skins and learning the trade and make their own.
Philly0381
Reply #15 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:07 PM
Reply #15 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:07 PM
Jeffrey, one way around this it to make your own high quality skins.
Someone will correct if I'm wrong but I don't believe Stardock is making any money from the sale of Master Skins.
It is true that several of the outstanding skinners that were putting up their works in the libraries are now working for Stardock. Yes, getting paid for what they use to do for free. I don't think you would agree with me but that sounds like a pretty smart move on their part.
Someone will correct if I'm wrong but I don't believe Stardock is making any money from the sale of Master Skins.
It is true that several of the outstanding skinners that were putting up their works in the libraries are now working for Stardock. Yes, getting paid for what they use to do for free. I don't think you would agree with me but that sounds like a pretty smart move on their part.
Jeffrey Bombard
Reply #17 Friday, October 5, 2007 4:13 AM
Reply #17 Friday, October 5, 2007 4:13 AM
What I do for a living I get paid for, what I do for a hobby I do because I enjoy it, if other people get enjoyment from my hobbies then that pleases me.
Don't get me wrong if the skinners are doing this for a living then so be it. I am very thankful to all of the wonderful skinners that have GIVEN so much to the community. However when I first joined OD many years ago their were no master skiners, only artists with passion.
I am not upset with skinners because as Philly0381 said "sounds like a smart move on their part". Stardock however is a different story, by making masters skins they have taken what people did out of passion and turned it into a business. If a skinner makes a super awesome unbeatable skin in the past it would have been released to everyone for everyone to enjoy. Since everyone loves money and if releasing this unbeatable skin as a master skin =money then of course they will release it as a master skin. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, all I am saying is say goodbye to the days when skins were about the art and the passion of the artist it's a business now. And this transformation was Stardock's brainchild, for better or worse.
My personal stance is that when I bought OD it was a community with passion I was buying a product, but the community was a big part of that decision. Right now WindowBlinds 6.0 does just about everything I need it to, and since I can no longer have the latest and greatest skins without paying additional fees I think I will just stick to the skins I have and enjoy. Unless Stardock pulls an unforseen rabbit out of their hat there will be no reason to ever upgrade WindowBlinds again. Perhaps I am alone in this decision, who knows... However if there are more customers like me it starts to look like Stardock shot themselves in the foot.
Don't get me wrong if the skinners are doing this for a living then so be it. I am very thankful to all of the wonderful skinners that have GIVEN so much to the community. However when I first joined OD many years ago their were no master skiners, only artists with passion.
I am not upset with skinners because as Philly0381 said "sounds like a smart move on their part". Stardock however is a different story, by making masters skins they have taken what people did out of passion and turned it into a business. If a skinner makes a super awesome unbeatable skin in the past it would have been released to everyone for everyone to enjoy. Since everyone loves money and if releasing this unbeatable skin as a master skin =money then of course they will release it as a master skin. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, all I am saying is say goodbye to the days when skins were about the art and the passion of the artist it's a business now. And this transformation was Stardock's brainchild, for better or worse.
My personal stance is that when I bought OD it was a community with passion I was buying a product, but the community was a big part of that decision. Right now WindowBlinds 6.0 does just about everything I need it to, and since I can no longer have the latest and greatest skins without paying additional fees I think I will just stick to the skins I have and enjoy. Unless Stardock pulls an unforseen rabbit out of their hat there will be no reason to ever upgrade WindowBlinds again. Perhaps I am alone in this decision, who knows... However if there are more customers like me it starts to look like Stardock shot themselves in the foot.
vStyler
Reply #18 Friday, October 5, 2007 6:21 AM
Reply #18 Friday, October 5, 2007 6:21 AM
Well, I can only speak for myself but I fully intend to keep on making free skins also of equal quality. Personally, I think quality wise Solarion is just as good a skin as Optix, Where are you seeing lack of quality, Its fully skinned and as far as I can see bugless too. I'm not sure what your objection is.
bobbyhundreds
Reply #19 Friday, October 5, 2007 6:49 AM
Reply #19 Friday, October 5, 2007 6:49 AM
Jeffrey,just because you don't like this skin as much as previous offerings doesn't mean it is of a lesser standard than them.Surely it just shows that it's down to personal taste and that we all like different styles of skins.
You're kidding right?
since I can no longer have the latest and greatest skins without paying additional fees
You're kidding right?
RomanDA
Reply #20 Friday, October 5, 2007 7:15 AM
Reply #20 Friday, October 5, 2007 7:15 AM
I really like how everyone thinks that just because a skin isnt a physical thing that they dont need to ever pay anyone for their work.
If i made wooden Ducks as a "hobby" and i stated making them for my friends, and they liked them, then i got better at making them, and they looked better and better, then i took a few of them to a flee market and sold them, would anyone say "hey you cant expect me to pay for that, its just a HOBBY, what gives you the right to ask me to PAY for that!"?
But if i spend weeks on a gadget or skin and decide it would be great to make a few $ off all my hard work, them im just an ass? Well I only have one thing to say.. If you dont like it, make your own and then you will see how HARD this stuff is. If you want o GIVE your work away thats your call, but dont ever begrudge someone trying to make some $ off of their HARD WORK.
Just because someone does something as a HOBBY doesnt mean that its not still WORK.
I love the entitlement people, I want it all, I want it for free, and if i dont get it, then ill take my toys and go.. well.. GO there isnt anyone standing in your way, there's the door.. GO.
Dissing on anyone who makes it to Master here and wants to take their YEARS of learning and growing and try to make something off that, is just lame. I will fight to the end to defend the rights of ANYONE to sell their WORKS. Hobby, no hobby, i dont give a damn, its work. And the time i spend making a gadget takes time from my family, my web design part time job, and my full time job, so i can charge whatever the hell i want for that, and if you dont see the value in it there isnt anyone forcing you to buy it.
If i made wooden Ducks as a "hobby" and i stated making them for my friends, and they liked them, then i got better at making them, and they looked better and better, then i took a few of them to a flee market and sold them, would anyone say "hey you cant expect me to pay for that, its just a HOBBY, what gives you the right to ask me to PAY for that!"?
But if i spend weeks on a gadget or skin and decide it would be great to make a few $ off all my hard work, them im just an ass? Well I only have one thing to say.. If you dont like it, make your own and then you will see how HARD this stuff is. If you want o GIVE your work away thats your call, but dont ever begrudge someone trying to make some $ off of their HARD WORK.
Just because someone does something as a HOBBY doesnt mean that its not still WORK.
I love the entitlement people, I want it all, I want it for free, and if i dont get it, then ill take my toys and go.. well.. GO there isnt anyone standing in your way, there's the door.. GO.
Dissing on anyone who makes it to Master here and wants to take their YEARS of learning and growing and try to make something off that, is just lame. I will fight to the end to defend the rights of ANYONE to sell their WORKS. Hobby, no hobby, i dont give a damn, its work. And the time i spend making a gadget takes time from my family, my web design part time job, and my full time job, so i can charge whatever the hell i want for that, and if you dont see the value in it there isnt anyone forcing you to buy it.
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
|
|
Page 1 of 3 | |
|
|---|
Reply #1 Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:17 AM
Love the start menu animation!
Got really confused looking for the window close button
Miss being able to resize in any direction from any corner (upper right the most)
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! the look of the skin. I'd buy a pack of skins in this style! Take a look at some of the skins from the time that time forgot. Brilliant stuff. And this is so reminiscent of those.