I looked at the "www.xpthemes.com" and I have to say . It looks crappy. The posts do not have descriptions or anything. I am glad the ratings are not there but where are the comments?

The site basically, just looks like it is a test site. I can see it being more XP like in the future using some scripts and stuff (like a start menu dropdown and a start bar of sorts).

It seems though, that the site is not too offensive and plain enough that someone would not be too mad if their work would be on it. (it is not p0rn or selling stuff out of the ordinary) The work does get more exposure and explains why people get high downloads or downloads days after uploading.

The site is also much faster and doesn't have all the add ons like message boards, upload areas, account junk, you know the stuff we love and can't do without here; But there it would be a burden.

Well, I think it is a good idea, though I wonder why that could not be impleneted here. Then again names are important and xpthemes probably goes over better than wincustomize.

You know I always thought Micro$oft owned that site.

Is it the same site, that was having a lot of rips from WinCustomize authors???

Is it the same site, that Jafo has e-mail them, some time ago, about the rips???

I am confused about it, I don't understand what is really going on with this case!

Is it a secret, that the people and the authors doesn't have to know about it?

I am wondering why we don't have any official answer about it...

Adni...it is NOT the one I sent emails to, etc.
This is specifically the same database as Wincusto...but will be aimed at XP-centric users, rather than the skinners who frequent Wincusto...

Yes, I KNOW Paul , I have all ready said to ignore my first post.

But, I still don't get it, what means "XP-centric" users, the majority of the people are XP-centric, if the leave from here, WinCustomize will be a very small site. I just don't get the intentions behind this.

I understand that Paul, but do you think that those new people don't belong here in WinCustomize and they must go to another site?

By the way, I didn't saw any difference in the upload contents of xptheme site and WinCustomize.

If there isn't enough notification, perhaps WinCusomize/XPThemes should refer to Deviantart's submission agreement ( http://www.deviantart.com/policy/submission/ ), which has gone to great lengths to prepare the uploader for many, many unforseen options. Here is part of one section of their upload agreement, I have added line breaks for easier reading *cough*:



3. License to Use Artist Materials.

Artist hereby grants to deviantART a worldwide, royalty-free non-exclusive license to do the following things during the Term:

a) to prepare and encode Artist Materials, or any portion thereof for digital transmission, manipulation and exhibition in any format and by any means now known or hereafter devised;

( to display, copy, reproduce, exhibit, publicly perform, broadcast, rebroadcast, transmit, retransmit, distribute through any electronic means (including analog and digital), and electronically publish any or all of the Artist Materials, including any portion thereof, and to include them in compilations for such purposes, by any and all means and media now known or hereafter devised (for avoidance of doubt, the rights granted to deviantART hereunder include the rights to make Artist Materials available on deviantART Site(s) and/or third-party websites);

(c) to modify, adapt, change or otherwise alter the Artist Materials (e.g., change the size); and

(d) the right to sublicense to any third party the Artist Materials or any part or element thereof subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Artist hereby disclaims any and all right, title, or interest in any and all material with which Artist Materials may be combined or into which all or any portion of Artist Materials may be incorporated. As used in this Agreement, the term "Artist Materials" means Artist's name(s) (including professional names), trademarks, trade names, likenesses, photographs, biographical materials, artwork, liner notes, and other graphical or textual materials that Artist uploads to deviantART, and any and all "skins," computer-generated images or other artwork or images that Artist submits to deviantART.


Perhaps Wincustomize has failed a bit in the notification, bur Devart has reserved the right to do the same thing (and perhaps much, much more...). Deskmod has similar statements as well. As skin sites spin-off derivative, more overtly for-profit sites, this will become a larger issue. I had to ponder really, really hard before I uploaded to Devart based upon both the text above and under the 'names and likenesses' section. Anyone who hasn't read the upload agreements on *all* sites, should.


P.S.
Regardless, I am cool with both sites, or I wouldn't have uploaded to either of them. I have to say, though, I am almost more comfortable with sites that allow me the luxury of legal recourse, than those who build their submission agreement so dense and exhaustive that there is no hope for the average person (much less the average 14 year old) to comprehend what rights remain.

From a skin author's point of view the key is control (I think). If a skin author deletes their skin here, it automatically is deleted on xpthemes.com because, as I said, they are the same thing, same database. same files, same computer. etc.

I trust Jark and deviantART. But I must say, given the grief that people like Kenray and Shoggot gave us during the GUI Olympics, one has to wonder why they singled us out when our distribution requests are so much more restricted.

I really couldnt careless, but all in all I think it's a bad idea frogboy. It's just a huge lacey invitation asking for trouble from ppl who are a little too competitive and take things too seriously ::shrug::

The site has never been finished. Hence it's not announced. The site IS WinCustomize. I realize not everyone is technical enough to understand that but that doesn't change that fact.

Like I said, a skin author can delete their skin here and it will automatically disappear there because IT IS THE SAME STUFF.

I see what the site is for and fully understand that it is the same site to the point that it is coming from the same database, the same server (domain names can lead to the same server) and has the same skins. I think when people say different sites they mean the front end and not the back end.(At least that is what I am saying)

xpthemes is just what it is, a site (front end) that helps people who just are looking to touch the different looks of XP. They don't know what a "skin" is. They don't know what this does or why, they just are looking around. XPthemes is a very simplified version of WinCusto.

The only point it let uploaders know it will be shown there too. It doesn't have to be a big announcement because most poeple don't care (I know I don't but I would like to know the policies before I upload; at least given the chance to say "So what! Who cares if its possibly on a mirror site?")


I am sure when XP and changing the look of it become more popular, the newbies will go to xptheme because it is called XPthemes. Later on they might come to Wincustomize or not.

At that point of popularity I hope they would be able to read and leave comments or at least read comments.

XPThemes.com is about keeping it simple

WinCusto is about a more detailed approach to those who know the deal with skins and to a community of skinners who make stuff. Comments are made, people sign in, get skin browser and stuff, upload stuff, make stuff, hang out on the message board, even design new programs to be skinned!


See, xpthemes is not made to have that stuff and I see it as just a mirror site that is for people who have no idea what a skin is let alone if they would be offening someone if they said "I like your skins"

Like I said before, it's just a store front. Once you open the door to download anything, it come back here. So your stuff is atill only uploaded to this site, but it can be accessed by 2 doors, thats all.

and now, for my next trick, a rabbit will appear from.... "Hey, where the bloody (bleep) is my rabbit!?"