I wouldn't go as far as to say it's primitive...maybe underneath code wise...but not on the surface. The current site appearance wise I think is perfect. Like I said, everything is right there at your fingertips...I wish every site was like that. The one thing I would have added was a more visible link to the software.

Not really sure what you mean by a mess. If it's regarding the code I'd have to take you at your word on that since I can't see under the hood. But appearance wise I think the site is perfect. I really hate to say it since I'm sure someone likes it and put a lot of work into it...but the new site made me cringe. It was like someone stole my home of 6 years and replaced it with a generic one.

But again....the bottom line is it's your site Brad...I was just along for the ride.

In terms of getting to "stuff" quickly, the new site is just so much quicker, easier, and faster for doing it.

Here's a video demo of me finding and looking through your dock themes:

http://www.screencast.com/t/YjAwZTIzMzI

Nice plug! 

For some reason I'm not seeing those navigation buttons or "Return to List" on IE8 when looking at individual skins.

Currently all of that functionality is available just not on the home page/drop down menu...  if you go to an actual gallery (IE Windowblinds ect) or a skin it will filter all side content to be only from that gallery.  The stuff in the other areas is more general overview stuff, if you had to apply filters to those lists then that would require as many clicks as just clicking the gallery you want information on in the first place. 

You will only see the "Return to List" button if you navigated to the skin from a list of skins (IE from browsing a bunch of skins or search results ect).  Basically you should have those buttons assuming you didn't directly link to the skin you are looking at or jump to it from a side box. 

Also of note all the login issues people have been having should (hopefully) be resolved.  Let me know if this is not the case.

What you showed there Brad works great and I appreciate the plug...except for one problem...yourself and others that have been coming here know my nic...and until you just showed me that I wouldn't have know I could do that...and I guess sooner or later people may figure out how to do that. But for those that don't my nic it will take some time for anyone new to figure that all out...some not at all...some won't even bother. Where as with the galleries listed right on the front page that would at least eliminate all confusion as to where all the galleries are.

And regarding the galleries...like I said...unless someone clicks on "Explore" rather than just mousing over it...thinking those are all the galleries...they may never see the other galleries. As far as I can tell now...the only way to find them is by clicking "Explore" and scrolling down to find the "Other" galleries. And I was surprised to see most of the DesktopX stuff buried down there rather than being in the dropdown of the "Explore" mouseover since it is a Stardock product.And even Bootskin...RightClick...and ObjectBar2 (which I know took off like a fart in a windstorm...lol) are down there.

All these galleries...BootSkins...Desktop Gadgets...DesktopX Objects...DesktopX Themes...DesktopX Widgets...Google Gadgets...Maxthon...Misc. Icons... ObjectBar2...Rainlendar...RightClick...Screen Savers...ScreenShots...Sidebar Gadgets...SysMetrix...WinAmp...WinMedia...Winstep...Xion...can only be found by clicking "Explore" as far as I can see.

Are there going to be links to a skinners personal gallery or is that going away as well? Because other than doing a site wide search which would entail someone knowing a skinners nic beforehand...the only way I was able to get to anything like my own gallery was to first find one of my dock uploads and then click on my nic. But even then I saw no way to go any further than the 6 skins shown. There's no link for anything like "More from this skinner/author" or anything else that would allow anyone to see more in my gallery. And I realize the site may not be finished so I'm just curious. As someone that submits and supports the site it's kind of discouraging when people can't see everything I've submitted. It's almost a struggle to find anything...and if I find it hard I can imagine what it will be like for the people that just visit to download skins. I don't know...maybe I'm missing something somewhere?

One thing you have to remember at the moment is that...your there building it...seeing where everything is...and how it all works...and it all makes sense to you...but the rest of us that are regulars and have been on the site constantly for years don't have that privilege and have to hunt all over for everything. And some stuff just doesn't make sense...for me at least. And I don't know how often your actually on the site or how you use it...for me personally I'm on the site every day and several times a day in fact. So having said that...as far as the ease of navigation...the current site is far more superior than the new one. And without an navigational instruction manual I suspect the casual user will just give up trying to find anything and leave. So in the months to come after the new site is up and running...I guess the downloads will tell for sure.

And speaking as a consumer...if I can't find the addons/skins to software I'm considering buying or if it's like picking a lock to find/get to them...I usually won't make the purchase.

To be honest, I find the front page of the new WC too glary and hard on the eyes... the Stardock banner ads are way too loud and distracting, not to mention that they take up almost half the page.  Which is another thing!  On a 22" monitor, I got 3" down either side of nothingness... zilch, blank, eff all.  Seems to me like one heck of a waste of screen real estate to me and, if we must have software ads, why they couldn't occupy this vacant space... providing they weren't to glary/flashy/distracting. 

There's nothing worse than trying to read something of interest when you've got this glary ad that sticks out like dogs ball in the corner of your eye... it's bloody annoying.  Besides, I know what software is available because I already bought it, so I don't need to see promotional ads for it... do I!!!!!   It may be beneficial for Stardock to advertise to visitors/non-subscribers, but for long-term customers-subscribers it is overkill and the space could be better used.

I also have to agree with Mirsguy aqbout the much less personal feel and 'homliness' to the new site.  At least with the current site, up in the top right corner, I have my own personal area with my avatar and personal links to my resources, home page, etc.  Like Mirsguy said, that little area made one feel like they belong... whereas that piddling bit of text on the nex site makes one feel like a mere visitor.

Another aspect to the disappearance of one's avatar is the greater incidence of accidental logins of persons who sometimes may have to share the same PC.  Even with our (more noticable) avatars, mrs starkers and I have mistakenly thought we were the last one logged in, and thus have accidentally logged in as one other when we had to share a PC for a while.  So yeah, with just that piddling little bit of identifying text at the top to determine who's who, accidental logins on shared computers will become more frequent.... the conequences of which, comments and skin uploads being attributed to the wrong person.

My $2.00 worth.

Theres an echo....reply #6. Glad to see our ideas jive yet again, Cap'n.

Where's the screenshot gallery? This new site is geared to sell sell sell. That's what you want to do Brad. Good for you but this isn't what I come here for. This is like some kind of giant IMPULSE thing. It's as subtle as a flying hammer. Forget it. I'll still come here because that's what I do but in reality from what I see it sucks. Couldn't you have made it a little less on the buy buy buy side? The whole front page is about the product. It was a lot better to see what people do with the product. Like Night Train said a while back: The Walmart of skins.

we were told this was coming a long time ago...

Didn't Brad say those product ads were placeholders? That site-centric content (articles, whatever) would replace them eventually?

Also, I have 3 inches of space on either side on this old site as well. I assume the space is there to accomodate people who have smaller monitors?

Click on "Explore"...ignoring the dropdown list...then scroll to the bottom of the page and it's listed in "Other." That is the only way I was able to find it and the rest of the galleries.

Yeah, it was supposedly coming "later this month..." ...in March 2009.

Yeah- they aren't going to be ads.

 I certainly hope so or it may change some peoples opinion(mine included) as to whether it will be worth 29.95 to subscribe to the site or not.

30 bucks seems somewhat pricey to support what I'm currently seeing on the new site. It's clumsy,cramped and over commercialized.

They may be Stardock advertising but ads are ads.

I tried to suggest (diplomatically) in reply #6 that subscriber status should determine customizability.

No one bothered to lend that much support. Thanks.

Either you're all so churned up that you don't read preceeding replies, or my thoughts don't count for much. Either way, I see the goal of this site has only become about money.

Has anyone noticed the ad bubbles that Impulse generates? How many times did you count "Download Software"?

I don't much like feeling as I do at the moment. $30 is $30 and way too much to pay unless I can replace the ads with content I'm paying for.

As it stands, WinCustomize has become AdCustomize....without the Customize.

Oh wow. It took me this long to realize that you can click on explore and get different options than hovering over it. Nice.

Placeholders or not, the new site looks a lot better with Firefox's Ad Block Plus plug in enabled.

I think it works...it just takes getting used too.

It is nice having bigger thumb nails, but the ones on the new site are a little too big. Everythings too close together; it's like everything was running together.

It took me several minutes to locate the skin galleries and I almost quit before I found them. I don't know. The site confused me--maybe because I'm not a skinner, I guess. 

It also lacks that personal feel. I couldn't find my "place" in it.

On the other hand, I do like the colors on the new site.

Are you sure we're not related... as in twins, one knows what the other is thinking? 

From what I'm reading, here and in other threads, the new format is not being well received and that long-term customers are not liking the commercial overtones to the new site... and given I dislike advertising at the best of times, I can understand that. We (long-term customers/subscribers) already have/know about the products, so their constant reminder (via ads) is unnecessary.

In my experience (probably many others, too), blatant, persistent advertising if off-putting and a damned annoyance, so much so, that I will purchase a 'less conspicuous' competitor's product rather than give in to the 'force it down my throat' approach.  And that applies to 'in your face' TV, internet, newspaper and letterbox advertising... it ALL pisses me off.  So yeah, the new site needs to be more user friendly for subscribers/owners of the software.  Moreover, we are aware of Impulse and can go there if we have queries or an interest in a product (mentioned in forums, etc) that we don't already have.

In my opinion, the soft-sell approach works better, even for new customers, as well as old.  Stick a glary banner in somebody's face and it can be confronting and/or intimidating.  Not that hard-sell intimidates me... I just think "fuck off" and go about my business.  However, I digress. No, what captures my interest more than a 'in-your-face' banner is a few, wisely chosen words that describe a product and its abilities... and if my interest is aroused, I like to see how it works.  In other words, a well constructed textual ad with a link to further information (an instructional video, as Brad has used in the past) is more likely to result in a purchase than a glary/loud banner that's just gonna piss me off.

My opinion, yes, but I'll bet my 'lefty' I'm not the only one who thinks it.