Ok, my vote - give them a Gadget library and or whatever THEY want - the rest of us are just paying customers that don't matter.
And "WE" are NOT PAYING CUSTOMERS? Since when? I not only paid for DX I paid for PRO, I paid for WB, OD, And a ton more, I have paid for my subscription to WC (which I believe I have uploaded MORE then I have downloaded in the past 2 years). So don’t be starting this crap about PAYING customers... that’s not the point at all.
You select few are pretty much saying that you feel you’re the only ones worthy of being in the Widget gallery and the rest of us lowly weather/clock/calendar ' skinners' should go away.
No, that’s not what I’m saying at all, I’m trying to help make and ensure a FUTURE for DX not just a rehash of the same 1 widget over and over. and VAD is right, the weather widgets code is VERY old now (in internet years), and had been proven to have problems. How will this ever be found out if no one knows how to CODE, just SKIN?
Personally I don't care if you want to make an " Elite Widget Gallery " Makes no difference to me at all. I have always said that Gadgets do not belong mixed with Widgets - some do not like Gadgets as they do not respond to the F9 or F10 hide/show option.
If I was so freaking ELITE why the hell would I take the HOURS and HOURS I have taken me to write the multiple tutorials I have posted. Hell yeah I SELL my stuff, and damn I’m raking in the $.. in the past 2 years I believe I have made about $300 for about 300 hours of work, at that rate I should be making shoes in some 3rd world country. If it was about MONEY or STATUS or some other CRAP I would not be doing these Tutorials. -- as for GADGET vs WIDGETS, that’s all about trying to not be ripped off in 10 mins by someone who wants to SKIN something that spent me MONTHS to make work. And As I have said since the first time I made a gadget, that we need a place to split them out from widgets. And I DO post when things are GADGETS not widgets, as I’m trying to reach EVERYONE not just people with DX installed.
I think that’s what DesktopGadgets.com was going to be, but it has never been done right, it takes weeks to get something uploaded, and weeks to put up a simple update. If it was re-made then this might be a moot point.
As for why MARTIN and TIGGS have left, I wish I knew, but I have a feeling it’s because like everyone else they get tired. Making a 2000+ line program is a major undertaking. And it gets tiring to put things out there only to see 100-200 downloads when the next skin up is the same weather/clock widget that has been skinned 200 times. It makes you wonder what the point it.
I do recall Martin making weather - Calendar - clocks and encouraging people to use his scripts to enjoy DesktopX.
Yes he did, and I made my own versions of these, but the point has always been to use them to LEARN how things work, not just modify them and upload them back up. The simple "Chrome Dome Clock" went from a single clock with 1 skin, to one using a bunch of PNG files, to one using 2 PNG's (B/W, COLOR) and changing HUE/BRIGHTNESS, so that 1 widget allowed me to START working in DX, and GROW from there to learn HOW DX does things and build on that. And I do believe I "ENCOURAGE" people by making my tutorials, trying VERY hard to start at the level of knowing nothing, and working up.
As for Learning VBSCRIPT/JAVASCRIPT, I have only been working with DX for 3 years, before that I had been working on Real Jukebox Skins, and WMP Skins. I remember posting a WMP skin, and then making 6 more colors for it, same skin, just different colors. I was BLASTED buy numerous people, including TSF and others telling me I was flooding the gallery. Then they also offered to show me how to make it so I could just zip them, or even make one that changed colors. My point here is this, I have offered up my code, to anyone that wants to use it, to make a single widget with multiple colors, I have offered up STEP-BY-STEP Tutorials on how to make things in DX (and the plan WAS to make more). And I'm being put in some ELITE "Super intelligent crowd of programmers " group, that’s pure BS. There is not a person here on this site that has EVER come to me and asked for my help that did not receive it and MORE. I have created code or people, hell I have made entire gadgets for people to SKIN. That’s not the point at all.
The point is that "WE" as a community need to want DX to be a viable program for SD to sell and us to be able to continue to use and create with, but if someone comes in and sees that there are 200 weather widgets, and 180 clocks, they will go, what’s there for me to make, that’s all anyone wants. BUT if they can come in and see dozens of widget ALL with a unique look, style, and control, and function, then they might see an area where they can fit in, and expand the gallery. NEVER do I want to put people off from skinning, or DX, never.
I love the idea of widgets that match WB skins, and I think there should be more "THEMES" that have all of this together. Maybe we can start putting them together in the DX Themes? And not as separate items in the Widgets gallery.
Ok, I’m done.. I’m tired, I feel like I need to go join Martin/Tiggs and just let the "skinner" take over. I have worked so hard at trying to get people to learn DX, but I guess that just makes me some ELITE ass. Thanks.
