To The People Who Run Wincustomize.com
Friday, August 23, 2002 by Pete Constanteas | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Dear Sirs,
I tried to download a skin from your excellent site and I was informed that I had already downloaded over 100 MB. Then, I was asked to register and become a member in order to help you run the site and everything.
Well, I wasn’t actually asked. I was TOLD. And since I have no intention to pay for services that never had a price tag to begin with, I prefer not to visit your site again. Me and some 30 others who are facing the same problem. Perhaps hundreds or even thousands more I don’t even know.
Of course, you realize there are many ways I could have overcome this little problem. I could use another name, for instance. Or another computer. I don’t want to stoop to such methods. But you know something? I thought neither would you.
We are all enthusiastic users. It’s an honor visiting a site as wonderful as yours, but it’s also an honor for you, to have people visit and upload skins that, after all, make your trade. More or less, I’m asked to pay for downloading skins (one of them could be mine, if I decided to make one) that were uploaded without any fee. Is this fair? Is this right? Is this contrary to the spirit of sharing and enjoying or not?
So, I will wait to see if your decision will be upturned. I am sure you will see the injustice and change course. Let people who want to subscribe do so. Offer more incentives. Offer a lower price. But let the rest use a site that, after all, promotes the spirit of free art and co-operation.
I remain confident in you and your concept
Pete, Citizen to you who lately was the victim of a coup d’ etat…
I tried to download a skin from your excellent site and I was informed that I had already downloaded over 100 MB. Then, I was asked to register and become a member in order to help you run the site and everything.
Well, I wasn’t actually asked. I was TOLD. And since I have no intention to pay for services that never had a price tag to begin with, I prefer not to visit your site again. Me and some 30 others who are facing the same problem. Perhaps hundreds or even thousands more I don’t even know.
Of course, you realize there are many ways I could have overcome this little problem. I could use another name, for instance. Or another computer. I don’t want to stoop to such methods. But you know something? I thought neither would you.
We are all enthusiastic users. It’s an honor visiting a site as wonderful as yours, but it’s also an honor for you, to have people visit and upload skins that, after all, make your trade. More or less, I’m asked to pay for downloading skins (one of them could be mine, if I decided to make one) that were uploaded without any fee. Is this fair? Is this right? Is this contrary to the spirit of sharing and enjoying or not?
So, I will wait to see if your decision will be upturned. I am sure you will see the injustice and change course. Let people who want to subscribe do so. Offer more incentives. Offer a lower price. But let the rest use a site that, after all, promotes the spirit of free art and co-operation.
I remain confident in you and your concept
Pete, Citizen to you who lately was the victim of a coup d’ etat…
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bmetelsky
Reply #22 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:18 PM
Reply #22 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:18 PM
The idiot started the post 5 hours ago. Let it die. 
craeonics
Reply #23 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:40 PM
Reply #23 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:40 PM
craeonics looks at the corpse lying on the ground
craeonics pokes with foot
Guys and gals, I think you just killed Pete. And he was so polite...
craeonics pokes with foot
Guys and gals, I think you just killed Pete. And he was so polite...
joetheblow
Reply #24 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:46 PM
Reply #24 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:46 PM
hmmm once again the person who leave a message never responds... no wait I take it back, so repond. I wonder if this person is still here? Or are they downloading 100MB of stuffs somewhere else? And not comenting on work, or helping on the message board, or responding to or making news reports, or posting skins of there own.
yada yada yada....
yada yada yada....
joetheblow
Reply #25 Friday, August 23, 2002 8:16 PM
Reply #25 Friday, August 23, 2002 8:16 PM
I agree with craeonics....
joetheblow pokes him too.... and moves on to another thread..
joetheblow pokes him too.... and moves on to another thread..
Jafo
Reply #27 Saturday, August 24, 2002 3:20 AM
Reply #27 Saturday, August 24, 2002 3:20 AM
Pete...
You probably have no idea who most of the respondents are to your message, but generally they are the same 'skinners' which you appear to be concerned about being charged to DL their own work.
Simple matter is that 'IF' you HAD created a skin of your own you would have circumvented the DL cap, by becoming a 'contributing member' of this site.
Our methods of 'anonymous DL' restriction/limitation are amongst the most democratic on the web.
It's all about 'give and take'.
I know you 'could' be merely DL'ing wallpapers only [therefore not necessarily needing a Reg'd Stardock application, etc], but I know many of the wall artists here and can assure you that they, too, would prefer that you contributed to this site's running for the privilege of using band-width that others who DO 'pay'will subsequently be slowed by.
You probably have no idea who most of the respondents are to your message, but generally they are the same 'skinners' which you appear to be concerned about being charged to DL their own work.
Simple matter is that 'IF' you HAD created a skin of your own you would have circumvented the DL cap, by becoming a 'contributing member' of this site.
Our methods of 'anonymous DL' restriction/limitation are amongst the most democratic on the web.
It's all about 'give and take'.
I know you 'could' be merely DL'ing wallpapers only [therefore not necessarily needing a Reg'd Stardock application, etc], but I know many of the wall artists here and can assure you that they, too, would prefer that you contributed to this site's running for the privilege of using band-width that others who DO 'pay'will subsequently be slowed by.
MarkMcQ
Reply #29 Saturday, August 24, 2002 8:09 AM
Reply #29 Saturday, August 24, 2002 8:09 AM
I love when people decide that they're so important, that when they decide not to frequent a website anymore, they make a big song and dance about it.
I'm sure Stardock are crying themselves to sleep over the thousands *NOT* of *NOT* dollars *NOT* that *NOT* Pete *NOT* would *NOT* have given *NOT* to *NOT* them, had he not been so injustly wronged.
If I ever see Pete in the street, I will be laughing at him.........
I'm sure Stardock are crying themselves to sleep over the thousands *NOT* of *NOT* dollars *NOT* that *NOT* Pete *NOT* would *NOT* have given *NOT* to *NOT* them, had he not been so injustly wronged.
If I ever see Pete in the street, I will be laughing at him.........
wombat_1
Reply #30 Saturday, August 24, 2002 8:34 AM
Reply #30 Saturday, August 24, 2002 8:34 AM
Another 'Doh!' post.... 
Nothing is 'free', US$20.00 for 2 years is A$40.00 and still not at all expensive!
Kudos to the people at Stardock,I managed to screw up my subscription and decised I was happy enough (more or less!) to pay up for a 'second' subscription ...... and on my c/c statement the following month I found a 'credit' from Stardock!
Hardly expected and certainly not the sort of gesture from a "money grubbing-big bucks-screw the customer" company!!!!
If I ever see 'Pete' in the street Hippy I'll just give him a good slapping with a wet fish!
Hey Stardock!
If you make the fee US$21.00 then us Australians would be paying A$42.00 ..... 'the answer is 42'...Wombat's brain hits meltdown ...
Nothing is 'free', US$20.00 for 2 years is A$40.00 and still not at all expensive!
Kudos to the people at Stardock,I managed to screw up my subscription and decised I was happy enough (more or less!) to pay up for a 'second' subscription ...... and on my c/c statement the following month I found a 'credit' from Stardock!
Hardly expected and certainly not the sort of gesture from a "money grubbing-big bucks-screw the customer" company!!!!
If I ever see 'Pete' in the street Hippy I'll just give him a good slapping with a wet fish!
Hey Stardock!
If you make the fee US$21.00 then us Australians would be paying A$42.00 ..... 'the answer is 42'...Wombat's brain hits meltdown ...
jcg
Reply #31 Saturday, August 24, 2002 10:12 AM
Reply #31 Saturday, August 24, 2002 10:12 AM
People, people, he's gone. None of these clowns ever sticks around to defend or debate their opinion. Its because they are freeloaders and they know it. I say good riddens to bad rubbish, unless his decision is "upturned". 
Andy Bialek
Reply #32 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:05 PM
Reply #32 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:05 PM
As you well know,every GravyTrain will reach the buffers.The sooner this one does,the better.If you accept a free lunch,be grateful for what the cook serves up.
Andy Bialek
Reply #33 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:05 PM
Reply #33 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:05 PM
As you well know,every GravyTrain will reach the buffers.The sooner this one does,the better.If you accept a free lunch,be grateful for what the cook serves up. 
mgorbach
Reply #34 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:13 PM
Reply #34 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:13 PM
Skinning was always free, skinning should remain free, thats what I say. Who will pay for the site, first of all, stardock, this site is a big add for the company, not that i mind or anything i love stardock and i own ObjectDesktop and yes i have contributed skins. Look at all the hobby sites out there, take neowin.net for example, it runs fin and the poeple who work their asses of coding it do not expect money in return, neither should the people coding wincustomize. Skinning is a hobby not a buisness. Skinning sites should always remain free, i dont care that it costs so little, skinning has been free since the concpet was invented, i dont see why stardock has to commercialize it, do they not already make enough money from their (wonderful!) software?
My two cents
My two cents
kith
Reply #35 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:26 PM
Reply #35 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:26 PM
Do you want to host it and pay for the hardware, coding, upkeep, and bandwidth? Thought not. Who among us could even afford to host this site for one day...
mgorbach
Reply #37 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:32 PM
Reply #37 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:32 PM
I couldent afford to host it, but i would damn sure be donating to wincustomize if they didn't force people to pay, i think a good many others who really love skinning would be to. And neowin will be back up, im proud of that site because it doesent force people to pay, even though the people who run it put almost all their time into it, their server is free and they get donations. I think wincustomize can survive with donations and help from companies who really love skinning (like stardock) who will help them with servers, i would even be happy if they had to remove sections, as long as skinning remains forever FREE like it should be and always has been.
Chris
Reply #38 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:37 PM
Reply #38 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:37 PM
Hmm. Yes let's take a look at Neonwin and the fact that its up and then its down. And when its up, many times the forums are down due to the load, or they throttle the capacity down...
I don't buy the sweeping argument at that argument that skinning should be and has to be a non-profit hobby and all skinning sites must always be free. Why? (Other than the fact it'd be nice, but then so would free cars, houses, CDs, DVDS...)
And as has been pointed out many times, Wincustomize does not require payment.
I don't buy the sweeping argument at that argument that skinning should be and has to be a non-profit hobby and all skinning sites must always be free. Why? (Other than the fact it'd be nice, but then so would free cars, houses, CDs, DVDS...)
And as has been pointed out many times, Wincustomize does not require payment.
kith
Reply #39 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:39 PM
Reply #39 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:39 PM
Skinning will always be free as it always has been. It's the hosting that costs! There are completely free sites for skins, this one due to popularity is limited. That is all there is to it.
UBoB
Reply #40 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:49 PM
Reply #40 Saturday, August 24, 2002 4:49 PM
When I pay for my subscription to WinCustomize I don't even think of it as paying for skinning. I think of it as paying to not have popup ad after popup ad bombarding my screen.
Of the few other sites that I do frequent I would be more than willing to pay for the same service there...unfortunately, those sites don't give me that option.
I'm glad WinCustomize does.
Of the few other sites that I do frequent I would be more than willing to pay for the same service there...unfortunately, those sites don't give me that option.
I'm glad WinCustomize does.
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Reply #21 Friday, August 23, 2002 7:16 PM