The evolution of Neoplanet
Sunday, August 19, 2001 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Anyone here use Neoplanet? It is a skinnable browser that a couple of years ago was gathering quite a following.
I flew out to Arizona where they're located and visited them once. It was an amazing experience since it was so different than where I work (Stardock). They had resources. I mean REAL resources. $50 million in venture capital, incredible hardware on everyone's desk. They were at the time 4 times larger than us even though they only made the browser which is ultimately an IE control surrounded by a skinnable exterior (one might argue that Inet Tabs is better than Neoplanet).
Their website was a hip cool place to go. Very polished.
Recently though I went over there. I suggest visiting:
http://www.neoplanet.com.
Let me know what you think...
I flew out to Arizona where they're located and visited them once. It was an amazing experience since it was so different than where I work (Stardock). They had resources. I mean REAL resources. $50 million in venture capital, incredible hardware on everyone's desk. They were at the time 4 times larger than us even though they only made the browser which is ultimately an IE control surrounded by a skinnable exterior (one might argue that Inet Tabs is better than Neoplanet).
Their website was a hip cool place to go. Very polished.
Recently though I went over there. I suggest visiting:
http://www.neoplanet.com.
Let me know what you think...
Dangeruss
Reply #2 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:30 PM
Reply #2 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:30 PM
I *almost* went to work for them once as a creative director. Tom Santoriello and I had numerous coversations about it. In the end, I'm glad the discussions fizzled. I would have been stuck doing "branded" skins and target ads for their adware browser. Blah.
Also I just couldn't get excited about living in Tempe, home of Arizona State University and....dust
My biggest fear was them being able to hire some college grad from ASU for peanuts and dropping me after six months.
Also I just couldn't get excited about living in Tempe, home of Arizona State University and....dust
My biggest fear was them being able to hire some college grad from ASU for peanuts and dropping me after six months.
craeonics
Reply #3 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:35 PM
Reply #3 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:35 PM
Seems like NeoPlanet has gone to hell. I can still remember seeing their banners everywhere.
kith
Reply #4 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:38 PM
Reply #4 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:38 PM
Polished yes... But they will probably be gone in a year. Never could figure out what Neoplanet's "angle" was and can't even imagine how they are making any money. The Vissary thing maybe but there are hundreds of companies offering delivered data systems. Makes you wonder if they haven't learned anything over the past few years. You have to give them credit though that is one slick looking site....
Frogboy
Reply #5 Sunday, August 19, 2001 10:30 PM
Reply #5 Sunday, August 19, 2001 10:30 PM
Russ, yea, they wanted to hire me as a VP of development. It was tempting, it was summer of 1999, WindowBlinds was still in beta. But I couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness in having that many people making what amounted to a skinnable IE control. As you probably know, they had an entire grpahics team there in their offices. Their graphics team was bigger than our entire graphics dept at Stardock still today and we make video games too.
They've managed to hang in there through the dot-bomb. I'm glad at I stayed at Stardock though. My wife and I have talked about it on many occasions how different things would be today if we had moved to Arizona.
They've managed to hang in there through the dot-bomb. I'm glad at I stayed at Stardock though. My wife and I have talked about it on many occasions how different things would be today if we had moved to Arizona.
paxx
Reply #6 Sunday, August 19, 2001 10:41 PM
Reply #6 Sunday, August 19, 2001 10:41 PM
I don't like Neoplanet and never did. But now that you mentionned it, now that I think real hard about it, I think Neoplanet is the first form of skinning I ever was introduced to. Yes indeed...
Frogboy
Reply #7 Monday, August 20, 2001 12:46 PM
Reply #7 Monday, August 20, 2001 12:46 PM
The change in their website is pretty dramatic. That's what inspired my post. It's not a skinnable browser anymore, it's a client management system! 
Tarkus
Reply #8 Monday, August 20, 2001 2:24 PM
Reply #8 Monday, August 20, 2001 2:24 PM
They still have the skinnable browser, but oddly enough, the 'featured' skins are ancient, such as Nightshade and Titanium.
paxx
Reply #9 Monday, August 20, 2001 2:45 PM
Reply #9 Monday, August 20, 2001 2:45 PM
Hum... interesting.
I wonder if they have switched to Mozilla as their browser engine, since that was their plan (Neoplanet was the second most important contributor - after AOL/Netscape) in programmer resources in Mozilla's development.
I wonder if they have switched to Mozilla as their browser engine, since that was their plan (Neoplanet was the second most important contributor - after AOL/Netscape) in programmer resources in Mozilla's development.
Doreen
Reply #10 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 12:17 AM
Reply #10 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 12:17 AM
hmmm Neoplanet "had" its day...
judging by a quick run to the new site, they need to spruce it up a bit to get the initial attention/interest going =/
what happened?
judging by a quick run to the new site, they need to spruce it up a bit to get the initial attention/interest going =/
what happened?
Converse
Reply #11 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 12:18 AM
Reply #11 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 12:18 AM
I used to really be into Neoplanet. But as of lately, there hasn't been anything to keep me interested in using it. The only skins put out are,as Russ put it, "branded" skins. Ugh!
I get more out of using windowblinds on IE.
I get more out of using windowblinds on IE.
davad70
Reply #12 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 1:51 AM
Reply #12 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 1:51 AM
No paxx, thay never did integrat egecko into neoplanet. Released beta versions once upon a time that included a very slim gecko that never worked at all. They pulled it "for further testing and development", but it never came back.
That was my first taste of skinnable software also. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I think I d/l every skin they had for a while.
I checked out the site a few days ago and was like...ummmmm....what de hell???
Oh well, skinning has evolved so far beyond that now I don't miss it at all.
That was my first taste of skinnable software also. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I think I d/l every skin they had for a while.
I checked out the site a few days ago and was like...ummmmm....what de hell???
Oh well, skinning has evolved so far beyond that now I don't miss it at all.
Frogboy
Reply #13 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 2:04 AM
Reply #13 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 2:04 AM
I wonder if someone will ever make a Neoplanet skin (a good one) for WebBlinds. It could acutaly do a pretty good immitation of it too.
As for Neoplanet, the .com crash happened to them. Their website looks nothing likehow itused to be. It used to be very flashy and slick. Now it looks corporate generica.
As for Neoplanet, the .com crash happened to them. Their website looks nothing likehow itused to be. It used to be very flashy and slick. Now it looks corporate generica.
craeonics
Reply #14 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 9:10 AM
Reply #14 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 9:10 AM
I don't know if you want a NeoPlanet skin. Check yesterdays Daily Deviation on DevArt, that was a NeoPlanet skin for another program (Trillian I beleive).
Frogboy
Reply #15 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 10:39 AM
Reply #15 Tuesday, August 21, 2001 10:39 AM
There's a WindowBlinds skin already. The skin I'm looking for would be one with all the buttons on the right side.
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Reply #1 Sunday, August 19, 2001 9:08 PM
All the class "A" skins appear dated, as I've had them for ages now...