feline

Join Date 04/2001

premium skins poll - my answer

this is the second poll in a row i cannot really vote on, since none of the available answers are my answer. since this is getting to me (i like to participate, and voting is part of that) i decided to just give my answer this way instead

taking the options in turn:
* icons - i mainly see icons via powerdesk pro 5 under winXP. due to acts of Microsoft i get the standard yellow folder icons, regardless of the icon pack i have installed. so, this significantly reduces the visual impact of icon sets. also, after a while i stop noticing the icons *shrug*

so, i am quite unlikely to purchase premium icons.

* themes - i presume this means a set of matching skins across several programs.
well, on this machine (work) i have:
+ coolplayer skinned with the outstanding sputnik skin
+ IE and notepad skinned with via WB with XP Jeans UIS1
+ textpad skinned via WB with devoir
+ tera term pro skinned via WB with XPForest

these are the main programs i use on this machine, and if you know (or look up) these skins you will see this isn't exactly an integrated look

* a pack of cool skins / visual styles - this is unlikely simply because so very few WB skins really speak to me. i have certain practical requirements for my main skin on my work machine, which further limit the skins i use long term. so, i would do this, but the odds are very long, since i am unlikely to be that impressed by any premium skins

this is nothing against the premium skins. the same can (and is) said about the WB skins here. of the over 2000, there are only a handful i use at all regularly

* media player skins - i only ever use media player for viewing video clips. my experience is most skins aren't really that good for that.

* wallpaper - the wallpaper on this machine is buried under approx 14 open windows (average to below average number!), and not even 1 pixel of it is showing.

* no interest - that isn't really the answer either. i am quite happy to support the outstanding skinners, but if i am going to pay for it, it has to be something i both like and will use.

so, what is my answer? CursorXP!

since when i use my mouse (i am keyboard orientated by nature) i am very aware of where my cursor is and what it is doing, this is the area where skins have the best chance of really impressing me.

also, percentage wise, there are far more CursorXP skins i really like than in any other category at this site. that means there is at least a fighting chance of me being really impressed with premium cursors

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MadIce

Join Date 05/2001

+18

It would be simple to add a "none of the above" option to the polls. It happens too often polls cannot be answered correctly.

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Koasati

Join Date 07/2001

+21

The polls should include an additional option; "All your base are belong to us" ...........

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I answered as #6, no interest. I'm not going to pay $10 for those packs when stuff equally good is out there for free. I'm especially not going to pay for the packs when much better stuff is out there for free. (Note: not referring to the icons here, those are flat out excellent, I'm just not going to buy them at the current price)

I'm not saying that the subscriber premium suites and the suites available in the store are bad, I'm just saying that there is much much better stuff out there for free that blows the pay suites out of the water.

I do not plan on buying the pay stuff until (1) they become much more attractive and (2) the price drops. I might not be willing to pay $10 for a skin or icon suite, but it's easily worth $1 to me. I suspect you'd more than make up in volume what you lose in per-customer sales with this price drop.

Sorry if I sound too negative, but with a poll I figured you wanted feedback on this issue

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MarkMcQ

Join Date 03/2001

+18

It's nice to hear someone opposed to them who has a valid arguement.
Usually it's just 'Dude, suites should be free, nuff said', or some such shite.
I tip my hat to you, Aqua.

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kona0197

Join Date 02/2003

+86

I'm not saying that the subscriber premium suites and the suites available in the store are bad, I'm just saying that there is much much better stuff out there for free that blows the pay suites out of the water.

I could not choose a good vote either but i agree with the above quote. My life is so busy I have NO time to skin my computer. i like OD but i also like XP the way it is.

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I tip my hat to Aqua as well. Very nicely put agument and you didn't go the route of, "suite suck, free rules!"

anyway I though the questions were pretty well made out.

wouldn't Cursor XP be included in a skin suite feline? or even a cool pack of visual syles? That's how I took it to mean.

at any rate I picked the suite premium. But if I could I would make getting a set of icons or a set of skins second.

Nothin beats a mix of skins that match.

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joetheblow does some self promoting

Just look at my screenshot. I have allot of mixed up skins that match in one way or another.

I also would get premium suites to support the artists who make all those free skins for nothing. I think in fact all of those who are doing skin suites have more than 150 skins for free (and there are quite good)

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Frogboy

Join Date 03/2001

+2419

You mean something like this?

https://www.stardock.com/products/skinpacks/oranda/

This comes out next week. So this is a sneak preview. Has been in development for months.

[Message Edited]

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Quoting Joe (the quote button didn't work)
"I also would get premium suites to support the artists who make all those free skins for nothing. I think in fact all of those who are doing skin suites have more than 150 skins for free (and there are quite good) "

This is exactly why I became a WinCustomize subscriber, even though there were no real tangible benefits to at the time. For those who want to support the community and individual artists by buying these suites, that's perfectly ok with me, good on em

But I don't expect to buy them myself for quite some time, I feel I've done my part by subscribing and the skins and icons aren't worth the $10 to me. (especially since I've taken about a 40% pay cut to keep my job, recession sucks bad)

As for the cursors Frogboy just posted, they're nice and all, but I think the standard Windows 3D golden cursors are both more attractive and functional. I might possibly try them for free for a day, but not pay $10 for them (though possibly $1). Of course, that's just one man's opinion.

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I would do the exact same, feline. I think they should have a special thread for posts about the polls and link to it with a link like

[comments]

under the poll

[Message Edited]

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Hmmm, it won't work, but you get the idea.

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goodmorphing

Join Date 03/2002

Oh my........... those cursors!

goodmorphing looks forward to next week already!

Someone usually starts a thread about the poll ... since it is according to their interest the threads get lots of participation. I am not sure why you would want to depersonalize that.... Some things can be OVER managed, you know?

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Premium suites are usually excellent art work but to gaudy for real work ( my own opinion), I would pay for a full pack of more conservative but excellent skins such as those from essorant.

I have and will again pay for Icons by Mormegil but once again they are always excellent work that is not gaudy...

I guess for me skins and stuff have to be lean and clean..

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An example of what I would pay for: XP Corona

Yes, I know it's "merely" a port of the windows media player skin. However, it is both highly attractive, and excellent for real work. Even though it is "just" a port, I think it is one of the best skins on the site. If it had been a pay skin, I would have bought it.

Compare XP Corona against some of the pay suites and it is easy to tell which is better.

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P.S. I agree with TasT''s statement

Premium suites are usually excellent art work but to gaudy for real work

And the other extreme: highly usable, but too ugly to want on my screen. (I measure ugly by my preferring the Windows classic look over the skin)

And there''s the third option that several of the pay skins have taken: usable, but boring. Not unattractive, not attractive, but just plain and convential. An example of this is XP Augustus, the work is very technically skilled, but the design is blah.
[Message Edited]

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I'm more interested in a Bargain, or getting the most for my dollar.
If I'm going to pay for a skin or suite, I expect to get more than one , or a packaged grouping of say ten high quality, make your friends jealous, does something special skins. ya know? like I don't ever buy just one egg, why buy just one skin? or one type of skin?
And I have to agree with Feline(wow did I say that?.. lol we're usually on the opposite side of the fence of each other) I would probably go for cursor packages , especially with a three dimensional look and feel.
In fact I plan to purchase the cursor XP program within the next month, after having tried it and enjoyed it immensely.
While I tend to type more than click, my cursor is constantly in my view somewhere on the page, a small item which allows me to show my originality.(but ya need a lefty one in there... I haven't seen many)

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goodmorphing

Join Date 03/2002

I think when you buy cursor XP you can flip them, so they all could be 'lefty'.

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ooh neat!

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I voted #6, more intrest in buying something from stardock then a skinsuite.
I have to say: the skin suites look terribly GOOD, such a level I will never reach, but I prefer to do my own stuff, so it suites to my wishes.

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c242

Join Date 03/2001

+382

I bought every single premium skin/suite out there (and I say that just to let You know, that I know what I talk about) and I must say the only ones I use on a regular base (and often return to) are Universe Metal (added the Shellstyles myself for WB) and Orion Icons because both are most complete. I like my desktop being skinned the same for every program I use and often I find there are skins missing. For example the newest Carbonix skin pack is really great, but it is difficult to find matching skins for other programs. I had the hope that other skinners would do compliment skins for some programs but until now there is nothing coming along. Ports are a good start for skinning-practice (As I still do

) and I wonder why noone does some. Also the free mini-suites 'Avenger' and 'Prometheus' would be a great start for more skins. So my vote goes to 'A premium quality suite of themes.'. Just some quick thoughts about that matter...

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wulfn1 - (but ya need a lefty one in there... I haven't seen many)

using the purchased (full) version of cursorXP 1.3
options -> preferences -> "mirror cursors"

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joetheblow - wouldn't Cursor XP be included in a skin suite feline? or even a cool pack of visual syles? That's how I took it to mean.

it is a matter of perspective and money.

cash isnt unlimited, and if the only part of a suite i am interested in is the cursors then i am not going to be keen to pay full price, knowing i have no interest in 90% of it.

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Jafo

Join Date 03/2001

+1845

I bought the latest 'Premium Pack'....installed them and admired their work,....then promptly went back to my own skins.....the value to me was my support for the community/site/skinners....not whether I'd actually 'USE' the skins...

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werewolf

Join Date 04/2001

+28

I'm with Jafo on this. I buy the premium packs (when I have the money to do so) to support the artists. pixOS is the only one I use regularly. What I want to see in a premium pack is a *LOT* more apps skinned. NextSTART/Workshelf, winamp, color pad, beatnik...all that stuff

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