Mr. Paxx. I don't think you know whether they [Dmusic, eFront] had influence or not. You don't know how much influence Stardock has here or not either beyond that they ask that a small group of directly competing sections be added. This request strikes me as understandable. It says this in the about link and I quote:
"This site is supported by a monthly grant from the Stardock Corporation. Stardock makes the popular customization programs WindowBlinds, DesktopX, ObjectBar, IconPackager, WebBlinds, PocketBlinds and others. This grant does not cover all our costs and we are expected to fund the rest of the site costs through the sales of CDs, T-shirts, mugs, and other items. If you find yourself using this site a great deal, please consider purchasing something from our store. The proceeds go directly into helping pay for the bandwidth."
This implies to me, a user, that this website is a Stardock supported site and since Stardock is the only one poneying up the dough, they will have some say. The operative word being some. How much say we do not know. Unless Mr. Paxx and others have secret microphones, they do not know how much influence. But the existence of Litestep and nextstart sections alone indicate that the site is fairly independent. Winamp.com is a company website. You will not find skins for other programs there. Mr. Paxx and others have failed to provide evidence as to why a company site would list so many non-company sections. Are the litestep people secretly paying Stardock money to put up a Litestep section on their "company" skin site? If Hoverdesk or some other application developer were willing to help pay then I bet the powers that be of this site would be in a better position to offer them a section.
Just to be a contrarian on this subject let me pose something. If this website were to be called a "Stardock site", a distinction I think would be factually and ethically incorrect, then it implies that Stardock has some relationship with all of the software producers who have sections which I am under the distinct impression that they do not. It also implies that the content of this site in terms of what skins are available are the responsibility of Stardock. Does Stardock decide which Litestep themes are available? Do you know, Mr. Paxx? I think not.
As an objective and disinterested third party in this discussion, the anti-Stardock contigency for lack of a better term, want 100% their way or they want the site to be branded 100% corporate tool. Such simplistic thinking should be frowned upon IMHO. It also represents to me those people are demanding from others what they themselves are unwillig to do; that is put up their own skin website. If the so-called community, which I don't really think exists in the sense that many around here bandy the term, wants to make these demands, then perhaps the so-called community should dig deep into their pockets and start poneying up the dough. Perhaps I am the only one reading those charming figures Frogboy posts each month. But high volume websites are not cheap. It is not a localized problem. Many of my hangouts are under seige by their own popularity and the unwillingness of the noble cheapskates to offer or provide a solution to that problem.
I highly doubt that I am the only person reading this conversation that does not see the irony in people who aren't paying the bills condemning those that do pay the bills. As a lurker on many websites, I see lots of trends that are neither dastardly nor purposeful. As one such example, I visit TwoHipDudes.com. They have a bunch of skin sections. But no sections for Stardock's programs. Has Mr. Paxx and Mr. Hippy and others sent outraged email there? I think not. The guys who run that site, as hip as they are, do not want Stardock developed apps there. The people who run this site, mostly from Stardock, do not want a literal handful of programs here. Does that make this site a corporate tool? I would say no.
And finally, to end this verbose post that has eaten up some time to which I wish I could type as fast as some of the others here say they can, some of you really need to loosen up. Nothing is more of a turn off as a casual user than to see a tiny group of self annointed city elders whose only claim to fame is that they've been around for awhile to make posts of outrage and charges of anger when they have done absolutely nothing to solve it. Nothing pisses me off more than people who criticize the doers and shakers but won't step up to the plate themselves.
In conclusion, is this site a website sponsored by Stardock? I would say yes. Is it a Stardock site? I would say no. Saying yes implies a relationship with the apps listed here that doesn't exist. Saying yes implies a liability to the skins listed here. Saying yes would simply be untrue. My advice to you Frogboy is this, stick with figures you have stated. If hundreds of thousands of people are happily using this site each month. Then why would you bow to pressure from a literal handful of purist fanatics who have never run a major high volume website?
Time for lunch!
