I'm with tazgecko, it's fine with me if the community helps Stardock in the market place.   

Now what I would like to know is what does the future hold for the Customizing side of Stardock.  It's been awhile since Brad brought us up to date.  I'm always interested in hearing how the current programs might be updated and what new programs may be released in the future.

So we are here to help Stardock sell its product line? I think that on one hand that's fine but on the other Stardock needs to take a closer look at this. In recent years the selling seems to have been the main focus. That's good for Stardock. It's Brad's site so he can do what he wants with it but personally I'd like to see a little more separation between selling the product line and pure artistry. I think that this was one of the topics that came up when they redesigned the site a couple of years ago.

I didn't say that, or even mean it that way, but if our efforts do help SD, what's so bad about that? It's part of the win-win, no?

What I did mean was "Stardock maintains this site (we aren't self sufficient - we don't support our cost) but we like those products, so that's why we're here." Since we aren't economically self sufficient there has to be a commercial angle to help cover the $50,000 per year cost (I believe that was the figure quoted - if I'm mistaken, please correct me).

When the new site came into being, it was expressly stated that the emphasis would be commercial: Not exclusively so, and you are correct that it was one of the topics. You can't really separate the two since the skins have to be applied with a software program.

So, clearly SD showcases its products here. Also Winstep and Rainmeter.

Again I ask, what actual (and implementable) changes would you like to see? I'm genuinely interested, and there isn't an argument between us, here: It only makes sense to attract more artists from both the artistic and economic points of view and I, like you, am interested in win-win for all of us.

If you go to a store and lets say buy a lawnmower and tell your neighbor about the great deal you got on it, and they go buy the same lawnmower, do you really think you should profit from telling him about it?  Come on now, a business is a business and Stardock and WC are businesses. Who cares if they make a profit from word-of-mouth advertising, all businesses operate this way.



I just want to be naked.

Amen Brother!!!!!!!!

Jack, I don't care what anyone has told you, I DO NOT have a webcam.   

How many times must he say it...it's a porn cam!

because of your spelling issues I'm not sure if this is correct or if it's supposed to be "Whiners everywhere!"

I'll get the popcorn.

That's because those people haven't taken the original post seriously. Some people here tend to not question anything and just go along with the way things are done. Rather than risk looking bad they just blow it off.

Let me say this again. This site is Brads site and he can do whatever he wants with. I can't, am not, questioning that. This site is made to sell Stardock software, that's it. Knowing that I don't get too involved in the "community" because all it is me helping Brad make money. I still have to pay for the products that I help him sell. I'm not on the payroll. I don't get a free subscription for all the exposure he's gotten from what I've shown off. I am not alone in this, there's been others who have more downloads, more exposure than me. I happen to know for a fact that some people here get free stuff. Why some and not others? I'll never divulge how I know this so I can't prove it. Even if I could prove it who cares? I'd just hurt people I care about. Who trusted me.

Ya know you can do whatever you want people but if all the people who post here were abducted by aliens overnight in a week or two there would be other people taking your place and that would be fine with Stardock as long as they were still making money. So much for community.

I guess some people just need to be a part of something.

Now I will go farther into this. I only posted part of what I think.

In this country now there is a tendency to put business and banking first. This is due to the system that Ronald Reagan established in the 80's and  the Republicans have continued. This is a deception because it was business and the banks who caused the economy to tank. Then Bush and then Obama bail them out using our money! So what do these pirates in business and the banks do? The CEO's give themselves hundreds of millions of dollars in bonus money! They were supposed to start lending money to create jobs! They aren't. They cry that they are afraid to give out loans because of government regulations and taxes yet it is a fact that the richest 1% have captured America's wealth.  "Between 2002 and 2006: an astounding three-quarters of all the economy's growth was captured by the top 1%" - Robert Freeman.  Look at the first full year of the crisis when workers lost an average of 25% of their 401K.  During the same time period, the wealth of the 400 richest Americans increased by $30 billion, bringing their their total combined wealth to 1.57 trillion, which is more than the combined net worth of 50% of the US population. Just to make this point clear, 400 people have more wealth than 155 million people combined. If our income had kept pace with compensation distribution rates established in the early 1970s, we would all be making at least three times as much as we are currently making. How different would your life be if you were making $120,000 a year, instead of $40,000?, but those CEO's wouldn't have as much as they do. Even if they only had a third of what they have that would be more that most of us will ever have. What's a third of 30 billion? 10 billion right? That's not enough for them and they don't care how they get it. What they did was take our money, gamble it away on Wall Street, sucked the life out us and then demand that we bail them out or they would ruin the country totally. In the meanwhile they got richer and they continue to hold us hostage!

I am not saying that Brad is in the same league as these guys nor am i comparing him to these guys. My point is that this is serious stuff and maybe Stardock is fooling you. Stardock isn't as big as the rich bankers or the Koch Brothers but they are still a fair sized company and from what I've seen Brad is pretty conservative.

I'd like to know what Brad Wardell thinks of Climate Change? I'd like to know what Stardock thinks of the state of affairs in this country? Do they support higher taxes for the rich? Do they support the union busting polices of the Republicans? Does Stardock support the privatization of our government services?

I want to know what kind of environment I am in when I upload here. It's time the common man made a stand. It's time to question what we do, who we support.

Yeah, WC and Facebook. Only 'likes', no 'dislikes'. Clear words. Although I tend to know what comes now. Been there before... Just saying.