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WinCustomize 2010 Beta Feedback Forum [Read Before Posting!]

WinCustomize 2010 Beta Feedback Forum [Read Before Posting!]

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the WC 2010 Beta.  We are excited to be getting near the release of the new WinCustomize, but we still have many things to be worked out, and your help in finding issues and other feedback will be appreciated.  Remember, this is a beta and problems can be expected.

You can access the beta site at:

www.wincustomizetest.com

This forum will serve as the place to give your feedback whether it's a site issue, or general feedback about the site.  To make this organized and efficient, there are a few guidelines to follow in this area.

Tag posts with the titles.  Example: [Bug] Page Not Working

[Bug] Use this if you find a site bug.

[Feature] Obviously, if you want to give feedback on a specific feature.

[Request] If you are requesting something.

[Question] If you have a general question not pertaining to other tags.

If your post is something other than those examples, just tag the post appropriately so we can view them with some type of order.

The forums are not part of this beta, with the possible exception of a new theme.  Feedback for the forums doesn't need to be posted here.  If you run across a forum issue, please use the existing thread here.

Thanks for your help!

-Spencer

458,241 views 218 replies
Reply #177 Top

yea the forums stuff is taken care of by someone else, I've told him of the problem but he's busy atm, should get changed soon hopefully

I know you're not handling the forums, but I'll post this here just in case the one responsible will see it. :-"

When not logged in, one will see this message on the forums:

Reply #178 Top

Quoting PurrBall, reply 169
Is it me, or is it no longer possible to get to the wallpapers gallery?

 

oopsie, my bad...  I'm working on something sweet and accidentally broke that in the process :)  note there are different (more) things in the menu now and the names have changed.

Reply #179 Top

Awesome, wallpapers is back but the menu doesn't seem to be sorted by name any more.

Reply #180 Top

Quoting PurrBall, reply 180
Awesome, wallpapers is back but the menu doesn't seem to be sorted by name any more.

unfortunately the alphabetizing was a necessary loss (for the time being at least) in order to add the new sweet feature people have been clamoring for :)   It's possible I could get it back in there, however, I'm trying to make this stuff run as quickly as possible and that would add some more computing.

 

anyways I finished the feature I was talking about...   if you are a subscriber you should now have a customize option in the explore menu.  This will allow users to pick which libraries they want showing up on in their personal menu.   This is saved on an account level so once you change it it will be that way any time you login until you change it again.  Again this is for subscribers only so I made a video for those who aren't subscribers but would like to see what it looks like, you can find that here

 

sorry for having no narration, I don't have a mic.   Basically I just turn on and off some libraries a couple times and then show what the default view is for non-subscribers/people not logged in. 

 

If people have any technical issues with it let me know.

 

Reply #181 Top

[Request] Regarding the Articles section, will we have the option to view all articles (instead of just featured ones) like we have now?

Reply #182 Top

Quoting Bebi, reply 182
[Request] Regarding the Articles section, will we have the option to view all articles (instead of just featured ones) like we have now?

 

hmmm well I just looked over at current WinCustomize and I think the "Newest Articles" section is really just the forums in a different format (same info as the recent posts on the new site, If you hover over the forums link on the main page I just added the top 10 new posts in there actually).  I don't think there are plans to have that stuff in another spot on the site currently, it will just be in the drop down/main page and forums themselves.

Reply #183 Top

[Question]   Will the WinCustomize toolbar work with the new WC site?

Reply #184 Top

[Request] "Report this submission" for skins in the galleries that will send a PM to the moderators of that section. Should cut down on all the "omg look at this rip!" posts in the forums and since we have no actual list of who mods what, it's near impossible to track down the right person to pm in the first place.

Reply #185 Top

My apologies, but where is the Winstep gallery?

Reply #186 Top

Quoting JcRabbit, reply 186
My apologies, but where is the Winstep gallery?

I believe they made a "no-3rdpartysoftware"-policy (seems like Microsoft isn't considered 3rdparty)  when they didn't get enough cash out of the visitors.

Reply #187 Top

Click Explore, Winstep is in the bottom section.

Reply #188 Top

That's as buried as buried can be, and a very strong statement without going as far as actually removing it from the site. Not only that, if I click on Explore All, I don't get 'all galleries in Wincustomize' as it says, but a list of last updated skins. Nobody will click on the Explore title if 'Explore' opens as a drop down menu.

Am I to understand from this that Stardock is now renegading on its initial promise to fully support 3rd party galleries on Wincustomize (old timers will know what I am talking about)? That promise is the only thing that made skinners fully embrace Wincustomize after the demise of Skinz.org.

Reply #189 Top

Jorge... if you mouse over Explore there's an option to customize the Gallery list. Check Winstep...and it'll appear on the drop down list each time.

[bug]

Although there's an option to customize and add Winstep to the drop down Gallery menu, it won't save that even though I'm logged on. (latest FireFox).

Reply #190 Top

Quoting JcRabbit, reply 189
Am I to understand from this that Stardock is now renegading on its initial promise to fully support 3rd party galleries on Wincustomize (old timers will know what I am talking about)? That promise is the only thing that made skinners fully embrace Wincustomize after the demise of Skinz.org.

That was already said during the subscription drive last year.

Reply #191 Top

Quoting mickeko, reply 191

I believe they made a "no-3rdpartysoftware"-policy (seems like Microsoft isn't considered 3rdparty)  when they didn't get enough cash out of the visitors.

That was already said during the subscription drive last year.

Do you have an URL to an official source, please?

That argument doesn't make much sense, anyway: 99% - or more - of bandwidth usage here is consumed by Stardock galleries after all, not 3rd party galleries which are just a drop of water in a vast ocean.  Anonymous usage is also under heavy control through the implementation of download limits. In addition, web sites such as this cannot be supported by subscriptions alone - the subscription drive was doomed from the very begining, and that fact was probably known beforehand.

Wincustomize is critical to the skinning business side of Stardock because it's the free skins made by users that keep the skinnable applications alive. It consumes a huge amount of bandwidth, sure, but it's also the 'engine' behind sales of Stardock skinnable applications - Wincustomize is a HUGE marketing tool.  One hand feeds the other.

I just think this 'lets keep the 3rd party galleries so we can't be accused of dumping them, but at the same time lets bury them as much as possible' attitude sucks, especially after all this time and what has been previously said and promised. Almost makes Stardock look like it is afraid of even a little competition (which Brad vehemently denies on his Steam vs. Impulse article, right?). :)

Reply #192 Top

Mick...they haven't reneged on anything. The 3rd party galleries aren't prominently listed, but they are there.

Also, if the "Customize" feature were working, the drop down menu would be modifiable to include Winstep.

The question is whether anyone will ever really see them...

There's too much "You have to know how before you start" here, and it's not intuitive at all.  So in reality very few will see those Galleries and the way it is now, it's basically wasted bandwidth.

Reply #193 Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 193
There's too much "You have to know how before you start" here, and it's not intuitive at all.  So in reality very few will see those Galleries and the way it is now, it's basically wasted bandwidth.

Which is exactly what I am complaining about. :)

I'm obviously biased, but 3rd party galleries are still very important for the community as a whole, so they deserve a more prominent space in the new Wincustomize. Otherwise just rename Wincustomize to StardockCustomize and lets be done with it.

Reply #194 Top

I can't argue with you about that, my friend.

But I do want to believe that Brad cares about the Community. All of it. It wouldn't make sense not to.

I also believe that the change was a foregone conclusion long before the "Subscription Drive".

I want new folks to know what this site holds because of the work of the Devs, the sweat and love of the artists and all the hard work done at Stardock by ALL at Stardock.

So....maybe there should be a site map, and a sticky, long vid about how to navigate the site and enjoy it permanently on the home page?

Reply #195 Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 190
Jorge... if you mouse over Explore there's an option to customize the Gallery list. Check Winstep...and it'll appear on the drop down list each time.

[bug]

Although there's an option to customize and add Winstep to the drop down Gallery menu, it won't save that even though I'm logged on. (latest FireFox).

Reduced 88%Original 383 x 498

 

hmmm  have you tried this since that first post?   I was trying to look into this issue but for me in firefox it works fine adding/removing this gallery to the menu.  Maybe something was up with the server on the backend when you tried?

Reply #196 Top

[bug]

When in forums, I try to navigate back to the WC home page, and it takes me to the Forums home page. I have to click on Shop, which takes me to the old site, to which I can then hit Home, then navigate back to the beta home page. X|

Reply #197 Top

hmmm have you tried this since that first post? I was trying to look into this issue but for me in firefox it works fine adding/removing this gallery to the menu. Maybe something was up with the server on the backend when you tried?

Very odd...I went back to check and *poof ... there it was, already customized. Bet it was a "buffer" thing, or what you said, Neil. Anyway, it works.

:)

Reply #198 Top

[Bug]

On the home page under 'Newest Master' skins where it says 'View More'...when I click on it it shows what looks like ALL the newest skins. I saw my two most recent skins when I clicked on it.

That's just mean, getting my hopes up like that.  o_O :'(

 

;)

Reply #199 Top

[bug]

 

I thought I would upload a pic. I can't seem to decifer what it is that I have opened in any manner what-so-ever. I believe these are icon links to specific galleries, but as you see....they don't show well, or even all of them.

 

 

Do you need more info, or does this pic say enough for you????

 

Thankx, luvs

Reply #200 Top

I believe these are icon links to specific galleries, but as you see....they don't show well, or even all of them.

They are where they are supposed to be if you don't use the 'Dark Theme'. I think it's a bug in that theme.