Skin Spy
Monday, May 3, 2004 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
I want to make a program that spies on you.
That's right. Spies.
But how?
I want us (all of us) to be able to get a list of the most popular skins by USE. No downloads. Not impressions. Not mentions. What skins are people actually using.
So this program would look at what skins and themes you're using and return that data to a central server and then those who ran it would have access to the page that lists them so we can download them. Afterall, the best skins for many are probably the ones people are actually running.
We used to have something like this built into WindowBlinds but it was a pain and some people complained that it was spying (which is was). Obviously paranoid people wouldn't want to run this and we could expand it to support as many apps as peple wanted. Most popular DesktopX theme? Most popular icon package? Most popular Winamp skin? Most popular Litestep theme, whatever.
We could even have it list most popular programs. so how popular is Samurize vs. Litestep vs. hoverdesk vs. whatever. The important thing is that people would be able to find new emerging customization programs that are getting more popular and know where to download them.
So first off, what kinds of features that those of you who might want to run something like this would want besides what I mentioned?
Secondly, obviously some people wouldn't want this kidn of program since it does return info about your computer (personally I don't care if people know what skin I'm using I make screenshots) but how many of you think this sort of thing would be neat?
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Reply #42 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 8:21 PM
But it would never change as I always use Souluna.
Reply #43 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 9:38 PM
Reply #44 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 9:50 PM
I'd also like to see as an option, a 'Send Data Now' button, and the rest of the time, it should be off...
Reply #46 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 10:15 PM
Reply #47 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 10:58 PM
Reply #48 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 11:34 PM
that would be a good incentive to encourage the use of such a program...
Reply #50 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 2:29 AM
I too wouldn''t use the ''''spy'''' name though, it gives people the wrong idea however slight or subconscious it might be.
[Message Edited]
Reply #51 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 2:55 AM
A couple of points to think about. (I know these are all pre-mature, but just some thoughts).
How often would the data be sent? Every time you logged onto the internet? Every time you vistited the web site? Would the program know to only send data once per day to avoid overcounts?
Only the top 10 or so would be calculated? As Tiggz suggested above, it would be fun to keep track of how many are actually using your skins, but not everyone will be able to produce skins capable of ranking that high. Again this will likely only go to prove my cyber ignorance but, would it be possible to place an extra statistic (number of active users, for example) next to downloads for the skins so that everyone can track theirs? It not only gives more accurate info, it makes it more interesting for everyone and gives them further incentive to be willing to use the program. If it's not feasible due to bandwith or some other technological problems, I understand.
Would my Spyware detection program catch it every time I did a sweep?
Not trying to cause problems. I think it's a great idea.
Reply #52 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 3:51 AM
As long as there is full disclosure about what it does and the info it collects and how it is used, I don't see that there's a reason for the antispyware folks to target it. And since people would have to voluntarily download the program with full knowledge of its purpose it shouldn't be classified as "spyware" in the same category as CoolWebSearch and similar "foistware" that typically is installed without the user's knowledge/consent and is often almost impossible to unistall without specialized apps and assistance from spyware experts.
I rather like the proposed name: it reflects its function.
Reply #53 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 6:16 AM
Reply #54 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 7:57 AM
| #45 How about CustomEyes or something? |
Thats a no-go.
There is already an application by that name - OK its been discontinued but has been picked up by someone else and is now better known a ShellWM.
What about:
WBSnooper
SkinStats
Reply #56 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 10:47 AM
| SkinStats |
Sounds cool
I'm still a bit .. indecisive of whether I would use it or not.
Reply #57 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 11:02 AM
I would *love* to know what people are really using. I have downloaded so many skins, but there are only a few that I actually use. This makes me believe that the "top" artists/skins are actually much more different if they are determined by usage versus downloads.
Being that you will have to willfully download, install and run this program, I can't see how anyone can say that it is bad or unethical. It's not like it comes bundled with something else and installs without your knowledge.
Reply #60 Wednesday, May 5, 2004 11:34 AM
It's a cool name Frogboy but wouldn't there be people saying you have 'ripped' the name from Xymantics ? (sorry if thats spelt incorrectly)
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Reply #41 Tuesday, May 4, 2004 8:20 PM