Here we go again.
Monday, June 3, 2002 by grayhaze | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
I go away for one weekend, and it starts again. I direct you to the ever lenient NeoWin:
http://www.neowin.net/bboard/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30057
Thanks to those people who let me know about this one.
I won't be making any dumb comments like last time, but I urge you all to have a look at the thread and post your comments.
http://www.neowin.net/bboard/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30057
Thanks to those people who let me know about this one.
I won't be making any dumb comments like last time, but I urge you all to have a look at the thread and post your comments.
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Frogboy
Reply #22 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:33 PM
Reply #22 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:33 PM
The major sites police rips pretty well. Greg at ThemeXP is a good guy too for instance. I've already contacted him regarding this MetalX port and "Unsanity" will have some difficulty getting away with rips.
Him passing some rip to his d00d friends might get it into hundreds of people's hands but that's nothing compared to being on a skin site.
Him passing some rip to his d00d friends might get it into hundreds of people's hands but that's nothing compared to being on a skin site.
grayhaze
Reply #23 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:34 PM
Reply #23 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:34 PM
As for official ports only fuelling the rippers, I'd tend to disagree.
I would actually like to see ports of my more popular skins over to MSStyles, if only to let those people who are not aware of WindowBlinds know that there is a good alternative out there. Sure, they can have metalX as an MSStyle with basic functionality, but if they want custom colors and all the other extra functionality of the WB version, they need to buy WindowBlinds to get it.
It could actually be good for WB sales.
I would actually like to see ports of my more popular skins over to MSStyles, if only to let those people who are not aware of WindowBlinds know that there is a good alternative out there. Sure, they can have metalX as an MSStyle with basic functionality, but if they want custom colors and all the other extra functionality of the WB version, they need to buy WindowBlinds to get it.
It could actually be good for WB sales.
Neil Banfield
Reply #24 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:35 PM
Reply #24 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:35 PM
Porting from a screenshot is harder than just using the original source graphics included in the skin directory.
Anything that makes it harder seems like a good thing given the number of rips that have occured over the past 6 months.
Anything that makes it harder seems like a good thing given the number of rips that have occured over the past 6 months.
grayhaze
Reply #26 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:37 PM
Reply #26 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:37 PM
Thanks for the help Brad. Once these people get started, it's difficult to cover all the bases yourself. 
treetog
Reply #27 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 5:10 PM
Reply #27 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 5:10 PM
moshi: nope, nobody contacted me with any kind of request
Frogboy
Reply #28 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 5:12 PM
Reply #28 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 5:12 PM
I agree the good ports could help WindowBlinds sales. But I'm speaking as your friend and as a fellow skinner. It's been my experience that once someone gives permission to have their stuff ported that it becomes open season on them.
In my view, the msstyle "community" needs to mature first, to have a functioning structure that polices itself. Many people forget that WindowBlinds was originally full of rippers too that just stole bits and pieces from kaleidoscope. But over time, the community formed, evolved and polices itself.
Once the msstyle people (or IF) they can mature and become a bit more sophisticated, then the benefits of porting come into play. Right now, all it does is discourage people from making original skins for msstyles. There's hardly anything original on it as is.
Most of these rippers are unsophicated teens who have no idea how powerless they really are. Without support from the major sites, a skin is not going to be used much and the people in charge of the sites, like most people who actually do real work, have a hefty respect for intellectual property rights.
WindowBlinds users have a real friend in Neobond. He's knowledgeable on intellectual property rights and is very ethical to boot. And if that's not enough, he has a real keen sense of fair play. And he tries his best to run Neowin that way. Neowin just has younger demographics (unsanity is what, 16 years old?) which is pretty common on tech sites.
And let's face it, intellectual property is not something one instantly recognizes as having value. I know I didn't have much respect for it when I was 16.
In my view, the msstyle "community" needs to mature first, to have a functioning structure that polices itself. Many people forget that WindowBlinds was originally full of rippers too that just stole bits and pieces from kaleidoscope. But over time, the community formed, evolved and polices itself.
Once the msstyle people (or IF) they can mature and become a bit more sophisticated, then the benefits of porting come into play. Right now, all it does is discourage people from making original skins for msstyles. There's hardly anything original on it as is.
Most of these rippers are unsophicated teens who have no idea how powerless they really are. Without support from the major sites, a skin is not going to be used much and the people in charge of the sites, like most people who actually do real work, have a hefty respect for intellectual property rights.
WindowBlinds users have a real friend in Neobond. He's knowledgeable on intellectual property rights and is very ethical to boot. And if that's not enough, he has a real keen sense of fair play. And he tries his best to run Neowin that way. Neowin just has younger demographics (unsanity is what, 16 years old?) which is pretty common on tech sites.
And let's face it, intellectual property is not something one instantly recognizes as having value. I know I didn't have much respect for it when I was 16.
Jafo
Reply #29 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 8:12 PM
Reply #29 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 8:12 PM
I guess 'change from within' will always be better than 'change from without'....
Perhaps it's time that the established WB skinners move over and join the styles kids and lead by example from inside their 'group'...
Perhaps it's time that the established WB skinners move over and join the styles kids and lead by example from inside their 'group'...
paxx
Reply #30 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 10:25 PM
Reply #30 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 10:25 PM
It's comparable to the problem a lot of Mac icon artists had: no matter how they constantly refused to give permission, their icons were ported to Windows anyway. A lot of them have now decided to port it to Windows themselves in order to insure good quality in the port.
I personnaly think it's a good move.
I personnaly think it's a good move.
Entilza
Reply #31 Friday, June 14, 2002 11:41 PM
Reply #31 Friday, June 14, 2002 11:41 PM
ok i have got a bbq... lets get ourselves a meal.... tastes like chicken.. 
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Reply #21 Tuesday, June 4, 2002 4:30 PM