I'm not your bro and I am going to taze you!
Frogblog: January 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
The cliche "beauty in the eye of the beholder" is so overused but is so universal. A better phrase would be that value is in the eye of the beholder.
This past week, Apple updated the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Apple is charging existing users $19.95 to get some of the new features. Thus ensued a lot of bitching and moaning about the price.
Maybe it's because I'm a sick, scummy, evil capitalist who eats babies when I'm not on here flaming web hippies but what is it with non-producers constantly asserting that other people are greedy for not working for them for free. When I bought my iPod Touch (best purchase of 2007) I knew it didn't have email or map features. The Apple is letting me have these cool and extremely useful features for 20 bucks is great. (here's my quick review of it)
So what if new users don't have to pay the $20. They had to wait longer. If the iPod Touch were a video game, it would be priced at half the price it launched at by now. You don't hear people screaming that they had to pay $50 for their favorite game a year ago and now it's available for $30 at Best Buy do you?
That's one of my biggest peeves with the Internet. We now have an entire generation of web hippies that not only expect other people to work for them to be free but have the audacity to accuse those producing stuff of greed if they refuse to behave like proper slaves.
In an age where there are fewer and fewer people making stuff (skins, software, you name it) it strikes me as extremely ironic that anyone who doesn't make stuff thinks they're in any position to be demanding others work for free for them.
I can't make an email applet for my iPod. I'm glad Apple did. And I will happily trade $20 that I earned through my labor to those who produced it. When I can't produce something for myself, I don't mind paying those who can produce a thing I want if it's of value to me. If it's not worth it, I don't purchase it.
I see the same thing with skins too. Someone makes a cool skin and you inevitably have some people come out and crap on it. Last week on our tech partner site, Neowin, a user posted about Aero Executive (a new theme). Within minutes, users came on and started crapping on it. Now, a wood-textured version of Aero may not be for you but it's a good skin from a design perspective. But in the age of entitlement, the people who don't actually produce anything not only expect an unlimited right to insult those who do make stuff but become incredulous if called out for their criticism (i.e. they recognize their right to free speech but become amazingly intolerant of the right of others to defend themselves). It got so bad I had to close the thread.
So here's the deal: If you produce stuff then good for you. If you don't produce stuff, then you are either reliant on the good will of others to produce things for you or you will have to pay evil capitalists to labor on your behalf to produce the product, good, or service you want. And while you are free to criticize what others produce, so too are other people free to criticize you in return since, after all, criticism is a form of product too. 
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Reply #82 Saturday, January 19, 2008 2:42 PM
Stardock\Wincustomize in my opinion is almost the perfect place to foster new skinners and provide support for seasoned ones. I do feel that valid critique should be encouraged more here but better lack of that than a nest of trolls anyday.
Reply #83 Saturday, January 19, 2008 3:02 PM
I've done the same for RomanDA too. The thing about these guys is that they see the value of feedback. You don't always see that with artists. The other thing is that some artists don't want criticism. You have to learn that too. And artists that don't want it should learn to say so and then ignore it when it comes. Getting pissy doesn't make the critics or criticism go away.
In the end though, I know that my criticism is just one voice and I'm OK when they say "This is my skin and I'm doing it my way because I want to." It's the same really with Brad and Stardock and Wincustomize. These are his toys and we have the opportunity to ride along. I'm cool with that even though I don't always agree with his choices. I'd rather be here than anywhere else.
Reply #84 Saturday, January 19, 2008 3:53 PM
No offense to you Bichur or any family members.
Reply #85 Sunday, January 20, 2008 3:55 PM
SD is a buisness. They produce software. Consumers make the choice to purchase said software.
You pay for software that SD makes. Beyond recieving the software you purchased.....what does SD owe you? Nothing. As long as you recieve the product you paid for, SD has fulfilled their end of the bargain.
It's nice of SD to hire a master skinner to produce high-quality skins for people to dl -FOR FREE- but do they owe it to you? As far as I can tell, all debts were settled when you recieved the software you paid for........
Reply #86 Sunday, January 20, 2008 4:26 PM
That's the thing Zubaz...feedback or "constructive" criticism is one thing I'm sure anyone that has ever created anything would welcome, but to trash, badmouth, or just leave a pointless comment on someones work just because you don't like it, like saying vStylers skin is crap just because it was done in the Aero style, especially when the person leaving any of these has never even made an attempt at creating anything...that is not constructive...that's nonconstructive and pointless. Those kind of comments are the kind of thing we can do without...and that Neowin thread was just that. But unfortunately I don't think anyone will ever be able to stop people from doing it.
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Reply #81 Saturday, January 19, 2008 12:44 PM
There were times when You could be part of it, but nowadays most criticism or valid points of trying to improve something remain unheard / are ignored or even are given shit (not to mention demotion even), if You don't submit like 2 skins an week. SD has to realize that not only skinners know how to use the programs but there are power users also. As said, I am very sad about that.
People have a right to criticism. But criticism, by definition, is a production which means others have the right to criticize back.
I would argue back is that what I see too often are people who think their right to criticize is a one-way street. That is someone expects the right to criticize things for an unlimited duration without those they are criticizing to defend themselves.
Look carefully in that thread on Neowin. Neowin users are the normal ones. WinCustomize users are the abnormal ones (I mean that).
Now look carefully: Users who insult and criticize believe their right to do so is unlimited. When others defend the skin, the ones doing the original insulting start saying "Hey, don't I have a right to my opinion?" or "Stop being so defensive!" or "Learn to take criticism!"
They see criticism as a one-way street. They think that THEY have the right to criticize but that they are immunse to any in return.
I support your right to provide valid criticism or something. But I also support the other fellow's right to defend themselves.