WinCustomize Library: Status Report
Saturday, January 11, 2003 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
The epic of running a skin site is always about the race between three resources:
1) Bandwidth
2) CPU resouces for handling scripts
3) CPU resources for handling the database
Occasionally you'll see the notice of an upgrade to one of these three things. At the beginning of last year, WinCustomize was hosted on around 15 megabits (equivalent of ten T1 lines). Today, it requires 35 megabits of bandwidth.
But we're okay on bandwidth, we've done the upgrading there. Thanks to subscribers and Stardock customers.
But then we ran out of CPU resources for scripts. That was last Fall. We got a new mega server and things improved allowing even more people onto the site.
And that brings us to now. so now the machines that handle the SQL database stuff are stuffed.
We're working on a solution to this. But as many have noticed, the site has become incredibly slow due to the literally millions of people trying to access the site.
While we could close the libraries for everyone (which is what most sites end up doing in this situation) we have decided that we can keep the libraries open for Stardock customers (make sure you cross-reference your accounts), WinCustomize subscribers, and user swith above citizen access (i.e. skin authors and other contributors). These peopel are, after all, the ones who pay for the hardware upgrades needed to keep the site going on a day to day basis.
We expect this situation to be temporary (i.e. a couple of days). If you click on one of the sections on the left and get the library closed message, you can eitehr cross reference your account if you're already a customer or subscriber or you can become a subscriber. Alternatively, you can also gain access by buying Object Desktop and then cross referencing your account then.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
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sig101
Reply #22 Sunday, January 12, 2003 4:50 AM
Reply #22 Sunday, January 12, 2003 4:50 AM
Vann, in your case, you should make sure that your have cross referenced your WC and Stardock accounts. If you still have problems, delete all Wincustomize cookies and clear your cache and see if that works.
Vann Gevaer
Reply #23 Sunday, January 12, 2003 4:52 AM
Reply #23 Sunday, January 12, 2003 4:52 AM
I did the cross reference thingie and I'm pretty sure I deleted my cookies... but I don't know if I cleared my cache. I'll look for my cache and see if I did... hopefully I can find it. I'm using netscape 7.0 if that helps.
GFXWizard
Reply #24 Sunday, January 12, 2003 10:55 AM
Reply #24 Sunday, January 12, 2003 10:55 AM
cud be a sort of trick to get people to start paying some money?
In the early stages of this site i new some day $ would be the highest requirement.I can't blame them.As i lernt from small nothing is never really for free.Some one always pays forit.So users take ur time.I hardly d/l skins.I Hang out in the message board.You can learn a lot from these poeple
In the early stages of this site i new some day $ would be the highest requirement.I can't blame them.As i lernt from small nothing is never really for free.Some one always pays forit.So users take ur time.I hardly d/l skins.I Hang out in the message board.You can learn a lot from these poeple
deleted02
Reply #25 Sunday, January 12, 2003 11:15 AM
Reply #25 Sunday, January 12, 2003 11:15 AM
Are you people really that surprised. Did you really think stardock would continue offering something free. HAH. They offer it free, until everyone starts using it, then make you pay $50. IE windowblinds b5+, and soon-to-be ObjectDock. They know they've got a cash cow with objectdock too.. give it a few more months, to be out of "beta". Beta being stardocks term for the free era of that software.
KC
Reply #26 Sunday, January 12, 2003 11:33 AM
Reply #26 Sunday, January 12, 2003 11:33 AM
Frankly, I am stymied at the negative response to something as necessary as an upgrade to a database server. So, the site will be slow for a few days, and access to the libraries will be limited. It’s *not* a big deal people.
There is a group of great people who are working their buns off to provide a free website for you and the skinning community, and in response they get this kind of reaction when they are *improving* the site? Come on folks… where’s your appreciation?
You know… this reminds of a saying… something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Get real. Get over it. If this upgrade has got you all upset, I don’t *want* to know how you deal with the rest of your life.
Sheesh.
There is a group of great people who are working their buns off to provide a free website for you and the skinning community, and in response they get this kind of reaction when they are *improving* the site? Come on folks… where’s your appreciation?
You know… this reminds of a saying… something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Get real. Get over it. If this upgrade has got you all upset, I don’t *want* to know how you deal with the rest of your life.
Sheesh.
Dan Shield
Reply #27 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:03 PM
Reply #27 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:03 PM
For all the people whinning about paying less than $50 (or even $20) a year for something it seems you can't do without, run Linux. You'll get all the free window managers, themes, and other stuff you could ever want.
If you don't want to do that, then shut up and wait a couple of days until the site improvements are finished (no thanks to you), and enjoy what other people are providing for you bottom-feeders.
If you don't want to do that, then shut up and wait a couple of days until the site improvements are finished (no thanks to you), and enjoy what other people are providing for you bottom-feeders.
wombat_1
Reply #28 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:04 PM
Reply #28 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:04 PM
deleted02 .... nice to see you remain a waste of space! 
As for the 'gimme crew', tough.
There are more people here who are only too happy to pay a small price for access to the creative products from Stardock and the creative designs of the skinning and artistic members of this group. >
As for the 'gimme crew', tough.
There are more people here who are only too happy to pay a small price for access to the creative products from Stardock and the creative designs of the skinning and artistic members of this group. >
Big Doug
Reply #29 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:19 PM
Reply #29 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:19 PM
I bought the whole thing. and I'm happy I did. For those of you who LIKE using warez'ed software, this whole thread seems to apply to YOU more than it does us people who actually BOUGHT the product. It's very simple -- if you BUY the product, and synchronize your account with stardock, then there's NO problem with going anywhere on the site you like. If you didn't, then you're cut off. So stop sniveling due to your access getting restricted just because you're too cheap to buy Object Desktop and support Stardock & WinCustomize.
>
>
stark23x
Reply #30 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:19 PM
Reply #30 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:19 PM
All I know is, I get more than my fair share of use out of this site, out of Stardock's apps, out of other people's work...so I'm thankful I get unrestricted access, and I would expect that anyone else who wants unrestricted access can find a way to get it...it's not like Stardock locked the place down, they simply need to limit the hogging of resources that goes on.
I'd like to know the email addresses and serial numbers of those who complained...with the last 4 digits X'd out, of course. I'm assuming that the loudest complaints are coming from people who haven;t spent a penny with this company.
Total sidebar: has anyone noticed that among Stardock aficionados, we tend to be a little evangelical, almost like Mac addicts?
I'd like to know the email addresses and serial numbers of those who complained...with the last 4 digits X'd out, of course. I'm assuming that the loudest complaints are coming from people who haven;t spent a penny with this company.
Total sidebar: has anyone noticed that among Stardock aficionados, we tend to be a little evangelical, almost like Mac addicts?
mageguru
Reply #32 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:56 PM
Reply #32 Sunday, January 12, 2003 12:56 PM
Well I think its really lame...
I just uploaded my first objectbar theme yesterday...
and I cannot even see the posting, or see what people may have said about it.
I refuse to pay for subscription, and I have no plans to get a stardock account. If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have uploaded my theme, and instead posted it on other skin sites.
I just uploaded my first objectbar theme yesterday...
and I cannot even see the posting, or see what people may have said about it.
I refuse to pay for subscription, and I have no plans to get a stardock account. If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have uploaded my theme, and instead posted it on other skin sites.
mageguru
Reply #33 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:00 PM
Reply #33 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:00 PM
Side note: since there its looks like there will be a fee involved, shouldn't artists then get a royalty? If your going to crack open this pandora's box, might as well open it all the way...
Dan Shield
Reply #34 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:08 PM
Reply #34 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:08 PM
mageguru - here is the one comment on your theme..
Sorry bit in this theme there is only one Bar...
Fix it
by WebMerlin - 1/12/2003 4:20:14 AM
You must be using either a shareware or prirated version of OB. If you had bought OB, you could link your WinCustomize account to the stardock account you have from purchasing OB, and download freely at WinCustomize.
If you feel so strongly about this, you should be able to get to your skins removed. If you can't do it, send an email to someone at the site, and ask them to do it for you.
Sorry bit in this theme there is only one Bar...
Fix it
by WebMerlin - 1/12/2003 4:20:14 AM
You must be using either a shareware or prirated version of OB. If you had bought OB, you could link your WinCustomize account to the stardock account you have from purchasing OB, and download freely at WinCustomize.
If you feel so strongly about this, you should be able to get to your skins removed. If you can't do it, send an email to someone at the site, and ask them to do it for you.
Chris
Reply #35 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:27 PM
Reply #35 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:27 PM
Here we go again.
1. This site is very popular and sees lots of traffic. Everytime Stardock beefs up the site to handle the load, ineveitablly traffic catches up to it.
2. This site does not require money to acess. There is a download cap of I think 150 megs for folks who do nothing but show up and download.
3. Participating in this site (commenting of skins, participating in the message boards, news discussions) ultimately lifts the download cap. You don't have to buy or subscribe to anything.
4. Alternatively you can purchase a Stardock product. (WindowBlinds, DesktopX, so on).
5. Lastly, you can subscribe to Wincustomize ($20 for 2 years) which also gets you the full WC skin browser.
6. Money gained through Wincustomize subscriptions and Wincustomize CDs, hats, shirts and mugs gets fed back into supporting this web site (see item number 1) so that Wincustomize can keep up with the growing traffic that this place sees.
7. Because of the traffic, generated primarily by folks who have not a. participated in the website, b. bought a stardock product, c. bought a subscription) the site has to prioritize who gets access. Those who have done either a, b, or c get a higher priority. After all, it is those people who have dedicated some amount of time and money toward this place. Resources are not infinite and they do carry a cost
8. In this particular case, the database server is being upgraded. Seems to me the choices are to: a. Not do anything with it. b. bring it down for everyone whilt it is upgraded. c. Allow some access while it is upgraded. Looks like they opted for c (see point 7) which is pretty sensible to me.
Apologies if I'm wrong on these points.
1. This site is very popular and sees lots of traffic. Everytime Stardock beefs up the site to handle the load, ineveitablly traffic catches up to it.
2. This site does not require money to acess. There is a download cap of I think 150 megs for folks who do nothing but show up and download.
3. Participating in this site (commenting of skins, participating in the message boards, news discussions) ultimately lifts the download cap. You don't have to buy or subscribe to anything.
4. Alternatively you can purchase a Stardock product. (WindowBlinds, DesktopX, so on).
5. Lastly, you can subscribe to Wincustomize ($20 for 2 years) which also gets you the full WC skin browser.
6. Money gained through Wincustomize subscriptions and Wincustomize CDs, hats, shirts and mugs gets fed back into supporting this web site (see item number 1) so that Wincustomize can keep up with the growing traffic that this place sees.
7. Because of the traffic, generated primarily by folks who have not a. participated in the website, b. bought a stardock product, c. bought a subscription) the site has to prioritize who gets access. Those who have done either a, b, or c get a higher priority. After all, it is those people who have dedicated some amount of time and money toward this place. Resources are not infinite and they do carry a cost
8. In this particular case, the database server is being upgraded. Seems to me the choices are to: a. Not do anything with it. b. bring it down for everyone whilt it is upgraded. c. Allow some access while it is upgraded. Looks like they opted for c (see point 7) which is pretty sensible to me.
Apologies if I'm wrong on these points.
Keila
Reply #36 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:37 PM
Reply #36 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:37 PM
I cannot believe what I am reading here. >
You can have the fastest computer and the fastest ISP but if sites cannot afford " without help from subscribers" to keep their site up and running there will be no internet. Then I'll bet all you whiners would really pout.
This site has been great to me. I have been able to upload things I have made and watched with great satisfaction people downloading my work. I have so far only purchased CursorXP which maybe helped the site some but not as much as the site has helped me. This has become a new little home for me and I would like to see it say in great shape. So there for,I will put my money where my mouth is and I am going to pay for a subscription after I am done typing this out. To the rest of you "especially those who are not even registered users" stop complaining. It I am sure would be a lot easier for the Admins to update this site if they shut it down completely. They are already doing you a big favor and all you can do is complain.
By the way a 2 year subscription is only 20.00. That's 10.00 a year at 2.7 cents a day. I don't have much but I know that's not going to break me.
You can have the fastest computer and the fastest ISP but if sites cannot afford " without help from subscribers" to keep their site up and running there will be no internet. Then I'll bet all you whiners would really pout.
This site has been great to me. I have been able to upload things I have made and watched with great satisfaction people downloading my work. I have so far only purchased CursorXP which maybe helped the site some but not as much as the site has helped me. This has become a new little home for me and I would like to see it say in great shape. So there for,I will put my money where my mouth is and I am going to pay for a subscription after I am done typing this out. To the rest of you "especially those who are not even registered users" stop complaining. It I am sure would be a lot easier for the Admins to update this site if they shut it down completely. They are already doing you a big favor and all you can do is complain.
By the way a 2 year subscription is only 20.00. That's 10.00 a year at 2.7 cents a day. I don't have much but I know that's not going to break me.
The Rated PG
Reply #37 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:45 PM
Reply #37 Sunday, January 12, 2003 1:45 PM
you people really that surprised. Did you really think stardock would continue offering something free. HAH. They offer it free, until everyone starts using it, then make you pay $50. IE windowblinds b5+, and soon-to-be ObjectDock. They know they've got a cash cow with objectdock too.. give it a few more months, to be out of "beta". Beta being stardocks term for the free era of that software.
by Citizen deleted02 -
if someone gave you a million dollars for free you would probably gripe that you had to pay taxes which means it wasn't truly free. Sure could use a puke icon right about now for you.
by Citizen deleted02 -
if someone gave you a million dollars for free you would probably gripe that you had to pay taxes which means it wasn't truly free. Sure could use a puke icon right about now for you.
paxx
Reply #38 Sunday, January 12, 2003 2:51 PM
Reply #38 Sunday, January 12, 2003 2:51 PM
mageguru: you're most probably using a pirated version of Objectbar, so just hush up and go away. If you're not and have purchase Objectbar, then you do HAVE a Stardock account that you can cross-reference to this site and therefore have access to everything.
Deleted02: you are lame. We are just talking about a few days of downtime and there you go announcing the End of the World is near and the Apocalypse is at our door. Just go away and make somebody else's life miserable.
Deleted02: you are lame. We are just talking about a few days of downtime and there you go announcing the End of the World is near and the Apocalypse is at our door. Just go away and make somebody else's life miserable.
loopylilac
Reply #39 Sunday, January 12, 2003 2:54 PM
Reply #39 Sunday, January 12, 2003 2:54 PM
I absolutally love this site. I am a wincustomize subscriber and have always thought that my money was well spent. I think that those who complain about having to pay for this wonderful site, and the huge amount of downloads, are just a bunch of chronic whiners who want everything for free regardless of the quality of service. I have been internet cruising since 1990, and back then just about everything was free, but much to my disappointment the internet has changed. Back in the early days of internet(we're talking dinosaurs)the phone and cable companies weren't trying to get rich off of the ISP backs. So take this advice from someone who screeches everytime she has to pay to join a site...THIS SITE IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!
mageguru
Reply #40 Sunday, January 12, 2003 3:48 PM
Reply #40 Sunday, January 12, 2003 3:48 PM
Well its a mute point... so what if I use the shareware version, and refuse to pay for the full version, or buy a subscription...
I believe I have a more valid point...
If I created something, and uploaded it, and people get charged to download it. Then hell I want my cut of the pie... ie: royalties. This is a general example not saying me exactly. Now if I have to pay for a product or buy a subscription in order to also upload... then more power to this site... and I don't think the site would last with that buisness model.
See what I am getting at...
It's the princible involved...
I believe I have a more valid point...
If I created something, and uploaded it, and people get charged to download it. Then hell I want my cut of the pie... ie: royalties. This is a general example not saying me exactly. Now if I have to pay for a product or buy a subscription in order to also upload... then more power to this site... and I don't think the site would last with that buisness model.
See what I am getting at...
It's the princible involved...
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Reply #21 Sunday, January 12, 2003 4:37 AM