So, what's up with Stardock and Object Desktop?

Thursday, September 1, 2011 by gmknobl | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk

I was a longtime user of Object Desktop.  For many, many years I subscribed and enjoyed getting new skins to apply to my computer.  I still use Xav73's skins to this day.  The lack of update to some programs was an issue at times but things generally got done.  Then Impulse came out and we were told it would be wonderful and great and a new version of OD would come out and it would be world changing. 

Not so much.

Impulse did keep things updated but I never saw much change in what was available that I wanted to use.  Windowblinds still worked pretty well but the Mycolors stuff that attempted to take over for suites never worked right on Windows 7 for me and then several things started breaking that I'd been using for some time.  I'd say it was my system except this happened on all windows 7 installs I tried it on.  I found I had to do more fiddling to get things skinned properly.  Personally, I still use suites and prefer them.  It's too bad some of Xav73's objects he created for the desktop won't work under 7.

Impulse always seemed like just a way to push users to get games and advertise to us and get us to buy buy buy when nothing was really changing to make for a new GUI experience.  Desktop X can kinda sorta make a complete change to your experience but it's not any different from what I can see from it's XP incarnation.  Screensavers are sorta animated now but nothing earth shattering.

So, all this is to say, I didn't see much changing after I changed to Win 7 and installed OD.  Really, it's nice and all but it's not moving forward.  Things still take a lot of work if you want to skin your computer like the Enterprise (but why would you want to?) for example.  And if I have to do lots of work to get everything just right it's not worth the $35 to re-up every year.  Therefore, last year I let my OD subscription lapse for the first time in a long while.  Today, I went back to see if anything new had been done by Stardock only to find the latest releases of new on the website are still TWO YEARS OLD!  If the website is posting news that's that old, then I'm willing to bet the products haven't moved forward at all since I let my sub lapse.  So, it would be a total waste of my money to re-subscribe.

What I want to hear from all you guys out there is this: give me a reason, give me several reasons why I should buy OD again.  Why should I buy Stardock's stuff now?  I don't want Impulse pushed games; that's not what I'm here for.  I see Impulse is, mercifully, going away after the corporate <scam> buyout that I found rather revolting anyway.  What I want is new skins that do new things to my GUI.  What I want is the EASY ability to do wholesale changes to my GUI, not so it looks like OS/X but looks completely different, unique and fun to use and look at.  I want that new GUI to make the use of my computer easier.  That's what I want.  Is Stardock and OD going to move forward and provide this?

Anyone, Bueller, Bueller?

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Drzues
Reply #41 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:31 PM

Going to see the debt now. you kids have fun.

 

vStyler
Reply #42 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:31 PM

Drzues
I dont see a demand for anything

Repeating.. I want.. over and over.. does come across, to me at least, and apparently others as demanding.... maybe I'm missing something.

RedneckDude
Reply #43 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:32 PM

DrJBHL

Quoting JcRabbit, reply 27Hey, I resent that, my programs are PURFECT! lol

Alomst.

 

      

Drzues
Reply #44 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:33 PM

No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.

Jafo
Reply #45 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:38 PM

Drzues
No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.

To whom are you responding?

vStyler
Reply #46 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:38 PM

I'm really not, I'm giving u my (non-biased, as this has no bearing on me, no horse in this race) opinion on the OP.. that's all.

Don't take it the wrong way please... but to me, the entire post was demanding and entitled.

just calling it how i see it. Nothing more.

Drzues
Reply #47 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:39 PM

Drzues
No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.
response to #40. Don't want to be confusing.

Drzues
Reply #48 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:40 PM

Drzues
Quoting Drzues, reply 44No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.response to #40. Don't want to be confusing.
too late.

Drzues
Reply #49 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:42 PM

vStyler
I'm really not, I'm giving u my (non-biased, as this has no bearing on me, no horse in this race) opinion on the OP.. that's all.

Don't take it the wrong way please... but to me, the entire post was demanding and entitled.

just calling it how i see it. Nothing more.
Sorry. I didnt mean you. I agree with a lot you say, I just dont agree with ganging up on someone for there opinion.

Jafo
Reply #50 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:48 PM

Drzues



Quoting Drzues,
reply 47
Quoting Drzues, reply 44No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.response to #40. Don't want to be confusing.too late.

Yep.

vStyler
Reply #51 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:57 PM

JcRabbit
Hey, I resent that, my programs are PURFECT! lol

Now now Jorge, you know to attain PURFECT, your going to have to work twice as hard as u do now, for twice as long, every day, as long as you live.

and knowing you, you will, and.. you'll love it.

Besides.. wheres that builder mister???

DrJBHL
Reply #52 Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:58 PM

Drzues
Quoting Drzues, reply 44No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.response to #40. Don't want to be confusing.

Drzues
Quoting Drzues, reply 47Quoting Drzues, reply 44No your not. Your trying to be clever and insulting.response to #40. Don't want to be confusing.too late.


What in the world are you trying to say, and to whom? Try whole sentences for the sake of clarity. 

vStyler
Reply #53 Thursday, September 1, 2011 10:02 PM

Drzues
Sorry. I didnt mean you.

Good, because honestly, I've always thought of u as a good guy around here.

Peace. 

DaveRI
Reply #54 Thursday, September 1, 2011 10:04 PM

DaveRI

What I want to hear from all you guys out there is this: give me a reason, give me several reasons why I should buy OD again.

Not a ridiculous request.  Anybody want to take that one?

Well fine I'll have a crack at it, with the disclaimers 1) that I don't run Win7 2) I am so very frequently so very wrong and 3) I have a lousy sense of time.

Tough to tell on timing what you have (Orig Poster) and what you don't, by "last year".  WB7 was certainly a nice overhaul from WB6 with a lot of nice colorizing and minor skin tweaking options.  Tiles (I think) would be included in an OD sub and can be useful for organizing running tasks and shortcuts, particularly if you tend to have a lot of things running.  WinFX4 has a lot of window behavior modification options and is primarily geared towards Win7.  I'm thinking Deskscapes might have changed a little, not sure.  As has already been mentioned "one-click-total-skinning" isn't available right now.

JcRabbit
Reply #55 Thursday, September 1, 2011 10:48 PM

vStyler
Besides.. wheres that builder mister???

Hey! Get off my back! It will be ready when it's ready!

Man... these users. I wanna I wanna... always demanding something! Sigh. Err...

vStyler
Reply #56 Thursday, September 1, 2011 11:12 PM

JcRabbit
Man... these users.

Tron flashbacks

Leo the Lion
Reply #57 Thursday, September 1, 2011 11:40 PM

If only some people would learn.........especially some of the 'top brass' here on this site. Read JC's posts and Bebi's posts and perhaps some of you will go half way to learning something.............

Bottom line - Anyone who has worked in modern business will understand that there are many, many, many keys to running a successful business but two that really come to mind in this instance are:-

1) that 'returning' business is a big key to success. 

2) the correct way you handle an upset customer and 'turn' him or her around to be a happy customer........with the ultimate aim of keeping him or her as a 'returning customer'.........is another biggie.

Every happy customer will tell other people and hopefully you will get more happy customers...........unhappy customers tell other people who then won't use your services...............

I'm sure Stardock are absolutely thrilled with the way that some of their PR is handled by some of the senior staff on this site....NOT!!! If I was Brad I'd be pissed! Very very pissed.

In the many years that I have frequented this site and purchased Stardock software I have gained a lot of experience in my own working life of customer care and how to grow a product and a brand.............I learnt - after emigrating from the UK to the US - and going on to working for two of the biggest companies and brands in the World - and gradually working my way up the ladder to a position where I honestly feel that I have now 'over-achieved'. Some of the things I learnt..........Cherish your customers, nurture them, listen to their 'blasts', try to reconcile their problems, give sound and reasonable explanations when things go wrong or do not appear to be of their liking...........There are many more........BUT Most of all DO NOT FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.............especially in the eyes of everyone looking at a discussion board like this.

I guess I've grown up a lot...........and hopefully learnt a lot..........over the years...........but it saddens me that the attitude here - from time to time - does not encourage people to partake in our beloved pastime. There are so many talented artists around in the customization world that won't entertain this site or the products that come from Stardock simply because of some of the attitudes shown here on this site. Both Wincustomize and Stardock lose as a result.

I'm not an artist..............I'm an admirer of all the artists here...........I'm an admirer of the software that Stardock makes.......I'm a consumer......but to watch all the hard work that you guys and Stardock do, ultimately go down the drain, because - senior people who should know better - can't handle an upset customer is so disappointing.

I'm a very passionate person about the things I do and the things I care about............one of the things I care about is this place..........and time and time I see the same mistakes of how a person is 'roughly' handled............and no-one gains from these experiences..........neither the customer, WC or Stardock..........matter of fact...........everyone loses and continues to lose. 

This is a great place..................wonderful people...............but a real change of attitude and thinking is needed on this angle of approach.

SERIOUSLY!...........

  

Plop2
Reply #58 Friday, September 2, 2011 12:25 AM

WOW I came here to see about maybe a new purchase of OD but seeing how this guy (

This place needs to be renamed Stardick.

Unbelievable how a long time customer is treated. I don't purchase a lot from here but certainly will not anymore.

I will also not be purchasing any games through impulse and certainly not Gamestop. Maybe Stardock's current attitude comes from Gamestop?

Way to go folks.

I know this is just a drop in the bucket on my part but after reading all of this dropping this product and any future products from this company is the least I can do.

Drzues
Reply #59 Friday, September 2, 2011 12:40 AM

[quote who="vStyler" reply="53" id="2991251"]Quoting Drzues, reply 49Sorry. I didnt mean you.

Good, because honestly, I've always thought of u as a good guy around here.

Thankyou I feel the same way.

Drzues
Reply #60 Friday, September 2, 2011 2:25 AM

vStyler
Quoting JcRabbit, reply 55Man... these users.

Tron flashbacks
While I have this chance, is that ovation on your wall the bubinga celebrity?

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