The issue of warez links on ThemeX is being looked at. I've said it before, and this is the last time I'll say it. Repeatedly posting about it is not going to make it go any faster. Such issues are not discussed publicly as a general rule.
That is the end of that topic. I appreciate your concern Celine for bringing it to our attention.
On the issue of whether or not we "need" to have these contests.
I'll contend that it's not a "need" for us so much as a "want." We run the GUI Championships every 2 years (this being the third competition). If we needed this, it would be more frequent, and a much larger investment of resources. If this were crucial to our bottom line, we wouldn't be able to survive going two years between events. We want to do these because the events can be a great deal of fun for the community as a whole. Skinners get to really strut their stuff, non-skinners get a lot of great content to put on their PCs, and yes, Stardock gets work that shows off our software.
But we get work that shows off our software almost every day on WinCustomize. We put out our own professionally done skins and themes. Sites like DeviantArt have their own WindowBlinds library where great work gets posted on a regular basis too. The work is always out there, people are always making great stuff that runs on our software. The GUI Champs is different only in that now we're trying to offer some very real rewards to our community for doing what they do for free all year round.
For everyone who has offered suggestions on improving the next contest, thank you. Your comments are appreciated and are being considered for next time. For those who have felt the need to "tell us how it should be done" (there is a real difference between offering suggestions and telling us you know how to do it better), we wish you all the luck in the world in organizing your own contest. Fact of the matter is, unless you've tried to run something like this, it's hard to have an appreciation for what goes into it. Before I was given this years event to run, I didn't have a real understanding of how much work was involved. Until you've tried to run an event like this, with prizes and corporate sponsors and coordinating volunteer judges who also have very busy lives, you can't say you know how it should be done. You may have ideas, but telling me or anyone else you "know better" without the experience to back it up is blowing a lot of hot air.
As Frogboy has said, this is something we LIKE to do to help celebrate the community a bit. It brings attention and some prizes to guys and gals who do this for free all year round.
And please remember that the ONLY person who is in any way paid to cover this event is me (and this is only one part of my current project list at Stardock). Do not disrespect our judges who do this on their free time and out of their own desire to help the community. Just because you disagree with their votes doesn't give you the right to trash them. Also remember that the finalists they had to choose from were a direct result of user voting.
Everyone involved in operating this contest has tried very hard to respect the contestants and the general users of the site. Issues and questions have been addressed as quickly as possible, often times on weekends and late at night. All I ask in return is the same level of respect for our judges and everyone involved (even on a volunteer basis) with this competition. Voicing disagreement is one thing, being disrespectful while doing it is something entirely different.
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