Your argument is flawed. The problem is that you are not differentiating between the skins themselves and the separate issue of hosting them. The subscriptions go to support the site (bandwidth, hardware, maintenance), not to charge for skins.

Without resources such as subscriptions being rolled back into the site, the site will be unable to keep pace with the ever increasing number of traffic it sees and for all intensive purposes, eventually grind to a halt.

I will try to explain this mess in laimens terms.

When you purchase OD or a wincust. account, you are not buying stock in it. You are paying to use the program freely on your computer. I create skins for personal use and upload to share with the community. Period. If this site didn't exist, I would upload somewhere else.
When I first found out about skinning, I downloaded anything and everything that wasn't nailed down. Now as time and the years have gone by, I have about 4 programs that I use regularly.
I'm not a newbie and I'm not one of the people who make loads of money off the internet.
I'm just an average guy that likes to come to a good stable website and see what the community has created for my own personal use this week.
You shouldn't look at it as a get rich quick skeam, more as, stardock has a product to sell. If you don't like it don't buy it. That simple. At least they let you try it for free.
If the site is down for a spell, I'm sure other sites are screaming (Hey, nows your chance to check us out!).
Be paitient and just remember to keep it fun!!! That's what it's supposed to be.

WHAT'S EVERYONE WHINING ABOUT!! THIS IS CRAZY!! THE SIT NEEDS SOME DOWN TIME TO UPGRADE!! I dont have a subsciption to the site, but have been meaning to buy one for a while. Im willing to pay the $20 for the great skins i have downloaded. There are some wonderful atists who contribute to this site. And i think 10 bucks a year is worth it. So if it ends up that you need to subscribe to download off the sit...so be it. Ya'll hush up now. ya hear? >

I am happy to contribute through my purchase of Object Desktop and don't see what the moaners are going on about. Great site and a great product, keep up the good work.

Hehe, I can't help find it a LITTLE amusing when they complain about server usage and whatnot when they run IIS... http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=wincustomize.com

It'd save them a lot of resources to switch over to PHP on Apache.

mageguru, I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the shareware version of Objectbar doesn't allow you to make or load custom themes, but is limited to the ones included. At least, that's the way it used to be. So, if it's still the case, then either you bought Objectbar, or you are using a pirated version.

What does PHP or Apache have to do with SQL server which is what is the bottleneck.

When you're server millions of different people, eventually you do need to add more resources or optimize code more. In the short run, we need to optimize the SQL code more but to do that in a reasonable amount of time, we need to be able to access the parts of the site at a reasonable speed.

In the longer view, if we can afford it, we will acquire an additional server.

I got here by being in the beta for stardock's game galactic civilizations. Loved it so much i checked out their other products and bought them. If that helps them great! I've never had a problem with them on anything, and they listen to their users. But they can't do it for free. I know how much a t1 line costs and it ain't pennies per day. So give them a break

I don't understand the demanding GIMME! I'm a banker. Talkin money here folks! If some of my staff calls in sick and everyone else there is working their tail off to service the customers, I never, ever hear any grumbles. Most are customers who have been with us a long time and they know we're doing the best we can and they appreciate it!!!!!! SAME THING HERE. Some of you, who are newer to the site and complaining absolutely have no clue what the site is about. It's not all about downloads. A little patience and you will see that. Then again, maybe you won't and miss the whole experience. Some of you sound like demanding little children. Guess you'll grow up some day, hopefully.

This isn't a "2.7 cent a day" issue. This is out 20 bucks as soon as a CC number is entered. Sure, if they only charged it as 2.7 cents a day, everyone would be on. I don't have 20 bucks sittin around so i can go download something. 2.7 cents, i do have. I had heard this site was good. Seems i was wrong, charging people to download a little file is crap. The program - okay, i can understand. But OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK?!? I think not.

Purchased my second year subscription to Object Desktop. Happy as Scooby with a snack, and can't wait to see all the new skins for this year. Wish I had an extra couple bux for the wincustomize sub too. Maybe after Uncle Sam gives me my birthday present? Ooh and very excited to see wb4! sounds like heaven to this poor WME user! escape from the boring!!!!!

I come here more than once a day to download many things to enhance my computer. I haven't become a registered user yet but definitely plan on it. The wait is worth it. I appreciate all the fun that you guys (WC & SD) bring to the world of skinning and desktop change. Keep up the good work. I don't expect everything to be free. Thanks for doing all you can to continue to let so many of us have a great time on-line and on our computers. . . . one other thought: thank you for a morally clean site. I appreciate being able to come here and not have to worry about viewing stuff that I don't care for, morally speaking. Keep up the great work!

Can't we all just get along?

I bought OD this year but enjoyed 3 years of downloading prior to that.The price I paid for OD was well worth the enjoyment I have received from being able to come here so many times and getting files that make my computing experience so much fun. It truly amazes me that someone would actually complain about having to wait for a couple of days to get something for nothing!!

I will now voice my opinion for what it is worth given that I have boughgt all of Stardock's products for the past two years. This company has lost all of its quality and in my opinion all of the integrity over the years. Prior to this any support querestion I had was handled professiionwally quickly and in a way thatr I could understand. It was a quality company and has now degenerated to the level a street vendor with no communication skills or busin=ess acumen whatspoever. OI do not write this lightly and am sure that I will get a lot of defensiveresponnse.

I have encountered the problem in this string for weeks . I have written to Styardeock about 5 times and ultimatesly literally had to embarass customer service into responding to me. The response asked me for major detail as to my problem although I quoted the SQserver and OBDC error messagfes I was receoiving not to mention the corrupted zip files. The response acted likt they never heard of this problem and I had no idea this striung was going on.

How couyld customer service not knowq? Why did they put me through the mill of providing major documention when they should have known the problem was on Stardock's end .They cou;ld have sent me to this string and maybe appologized. BBut in effect they mmade me look awfully stuypid, It has now been an additional 3 days since I sent the detail to that person and I've had zero response.


At least now I know it is not myu machines or XP group permissions that is causing. I have spennt hours trying to figure it out to the ppoint of reformatting my machine, and now I find this out!

Stardock, I took this public because you did not care to respond privately. Are you sure you haven't been acquired by AOL, you certainly act it.

What should you do? you decide, At the very least you should extend all subscriptions an equivalent amnount of time that we are not allowed to use a service we p[aid for. As for your being overwhelmed, I have no sympathy,. You didn;t just flal off a turnip truck, You've been in business a long time and certainly longenough to guage youir market with your weyes closed. You blew it big time,You really are in a service business where the first ru;le of thumb must always be, if you can't provide the service don't sell it. If you lose your reputation, you have nothing. After all in the end, wiothout being known as selling a quality product and taking care of your customers., what is your reputation built on?

How could you not know you werer running out of space and your servers weregoing to get clogged up? No one even projected the hit rate you could handle or made any long term plans. This is a classic e commerce debacle, and it's not so much that I am angry, but I am seriously disappointed , and truly sorry to see a quality company deterioate. Hopefully you'll do the right thing by your customers.lCedrtainly your revenues should be enough to hire a good business manager or Chief Financial Officer and let them handle the overall gameplan while the rest of you go to the beach.

You had a banner year last ytear and maybe you need to stop and take a breath, and somehow find a way to thank the people that put you in youer current position of having too much business. I for one hope you straighten up and fly right. It would be a shame to see you disappear into that great stardock in the sky where the stacks have overflowed, everyone's zip's are crrupted and there are no OBDC's to be found!

Thank God I only reformatted one of my machines. Yes this is a long public diatribe and one that you can poke as many hole through as you like, but in the end A customers perception is reality.

I have never before felt taken buy Stardock and have felt that the product was worth every penny I paid for them until now. I will think long and hard before I buy another thing from you and will advise my customers as to why I have made that decision.

Now that I have chastisaed every fiber of your being and had my pound of flesh, could you please get the damn thing fixed and extend my subscription for the time I couldn't use your service.

All that fuss about some maintenance on an SQL server... Some people really need to get a life.

Perhaps T-man et al should look into caching the less frequently updates pages. Should cut the SQL server some slack.

Joseph: since you have purchased a Stardock product, this does not affect you. It even seems like you actually bought a Wincuto subscription since you are a level 4. You still have full access like before. This does not affect you.

DeLorean: "..., charging people to download a little file is crap. The program - okay, i can understand. But OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK?!? I think not."
First, Stardock charges for the programs, and if you do buy any of them, then you have unlimited access to this site. Second, if you don't want to buy any Stardock product, the 20$ subscription you can get is good for two years. 20 dollars for 730 days comes down to 2.7 cents per day.
Finally, Wincustomize does not charge for to skins, but asks people to help pay for the cost of hosting them. It's like when a company sends you a free CD, but charges you $2.00 for shipping.

Ay Dios Mio!!!

Good grief.

Joseph K Saad....looking at your member number and access level, you MUST have been involved/around Stardock and here at Wincustomize long enough to know they/we are not horrid creatures worthy of that diatribe of yours.
If you were having problems downloading or uploading/whatever, why do you assume it is a fault of the site? I can upload and download, therefore the problem is at your end.

With the current 'restrictions' limiting access, your access level is just the same as mine, neither of us are affected, BECAUSE BOTH OF US HAVE FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED THIS SITE.
In fact, I think things are slightly 'faster' at the moment.

What bugs me is this preference for public airing of alleged 'failing' with regards to a Company's management of a problem/concern.
There is an interesting land-mark Australian Supreme Court ruling relating to web-site-hosted slander and libel....a US statement made on a US-hosted site in the US about an Australian Businessman wasdeemed an indictable offence in Australia...in other words, even National boundaries are no escape/limitation on the 'long arm of the law'.
What that all means is I'd think twice before defaming a person or entity publicly...