I'm seeing/hearing this more often than I like... with people moving on and the forums getting quieter and quieter... 'tis almost like a graveyard at times.  So many old timers and forum regulars have departed, and quite a few of the newbies don't seem to hang around long anymore, so yeah, activity levels are on the decline and that's sad.  Eventually people will find no need or encouragement to purchase or renew subscriptions and the site will just fold... which may be the plan, given that games development is/has become so lucrative.

I hope that's not the case and that Stardock will continue to support Wincustomize and the customisation community.  After all, customisation was its bread and butter prior to its foray into gaming, and there are millions of customers who have remained loyal no matter what, so I sincerely hope that Stardock believes it has a commitment to those people... myself included.

While I've not experienced too many problems myself, either with the site or the software, I do believe C242 has made some valid points, particularly with regard to ObjectDock 2.  I purchased OD2 with the belief that development was ongoing and that features missing from OD1 would be added in the very near future, but that has not been the case.  In fact, I have reverted back to OD1 Plus to retain the features I need/enjoy using: eg, flyout menus. 

Now while it is not imperative that I have these features, I do notice that others have complained about the lack of updates to Rightclick and other apps as well as OD2, so yes, there is a need for Stardock to prioritise these apps and take them off the back burner, not necessarily for myself, but for all those customers who invested their money based on assurances of updates and ongoing development.

The other thing that would be nice... a fully functional site with a bit of speed.  While there have been some cosmetic changes, there have been few improvements under the hood with regard to reliability and slow page changes.  I don't experience these issues very often, but they are annoying when I do... so I can imagine the frustration and anger of those who experience them regularly... all the time.  So please, Stardock, how about popping the hood a doing a few fixes there... after all, WC is your showcase as well as our meeting place.

Its a run down building with broken windows, graffiti and a lot of the good ppl are gone. Time to move on I guess.

And whats with the fuckin popups for a game I own while posting. Man-o-man I can't believe I am still here.

I hate to say it but the site is starting to remind me of time wasting pc games...it just seems pointless to even try and post anything anymore. If whatever I'm trying to post doesn't take the first time I just don't bother trying a second time anymore. And if this post actually works I'll be amazed. None the less I'm losing interest in coming here since nothing seems to work anymore like you would expect it to or once did. So...I can take a hint...and soon so will everyone else.

Very curious if I get demoted again. But some things have to be said by someone. I have been watching this long enough now.

Honestly, I think you could have left the Porshe out, but you told the truth as you see it, and although the honesty was probably not welcome...it was still your right to express yourself and your feelings and I can't disagree.

Someone said to me that he feels like we're being treated like the whiney kids in a room at the end of the hall...and I have to agree that I don't feel honesty or honest criticism is at all welcome. Unfortunately, false praise is just that and won't help the site improve. I feel like we've been ditched for the game market. If that's the decision, so be it. Just be honest and say so.

WC/Customization seems to have become the ugly redheaded stepchild of Stardock.

You are so funny Syd!   You're killing me!!

Or some abandoned project formulated in the Mad Professor's lab.

Or maybe its Stardock siblings have outgrown it and now its the runt of the litter?

I have a solution. Identify all those guilty of sedition and exile them. Once they are gone there will be no more complaints, and if there are no complaints, then the site must be functioning correctly. Problem solved.

Then we can be just one big happy family

Fuzzy, that is the most logical idea I have heard in a very long time.

unfortunately the exiles would be most if not all the current users other than staff.

harpo

Thing is, what if that's what's intended?

There'd be no need for staff on a defunct website, though... but there'd be no showcase, either.

With the advent of Impulse (were the customisation forums in Impulse a precursor to WC's demise) and Stardock's increased foray into gaming, Impulse may be considered enough advertising and/or exposure, and a specialised customisation showcase may be deemed unnecessary.  If so, that would be a mistake...  but who am I (as a lowly pensioner) to advise/comment on corporate matters!!!

In any event, it would be nice to know what is happening/will happen to this community.... being kept in the dark does not inspire customer/skinner confidence... or loyalty if the indications allude to an abandonment (withdrawal of TLC) of WC.

It makes me sad but, I think you's all pinned the tail on the donkey on this one.....

While I'm not completely happy with WC in it's current state, I hold on to hope that it will get better. I may be a bit naive here but I just don't think SD would spend all the time , effort and money on rebuilding and updating the site just to abandon it.

My personal opinion is that they could have gotten it firing on all cylinders and with all the old sites functionality before letting it hit the road, avoiding most of these constant breakdowns. It's almost like WC is still a beta and beta's,  imo, are for software. A website should just work. 

Unfortunately I was unable to take a look at it yesterday, and our database guy has taken this week off for vacation.  T-Man and I will be looking at it later today and see if we can resolve anything.  We have an idea as to what may be causing the problem, but we need to run some tests to verify before trying any solutions.  I'll keep you all informed of any updates.

In the meantime, please stay patient with us.  I understand that it may get frustrating, but we're trying our best here.  We are only a few programmers with many projects on our plates. 

As an FYI, the issue is not related to the forums or it's code.  The issue is related to database or server load.  Using a different forum software would not resolve this issue (although it may do a better job of keeping the load down for a longer period of time, it will eventually hit the same problem).  Unfortunately, I'm not a database guru, so it is not easy for me to understand what's happening in the back-end to try and resolve this.  Once we have a clear understanding of the issue at hand we will resolve it as best we can.

Bara

Wizard, that's so true.

And Bara, [if I may be so bold] thanks for the update.  I believe.

I'm hoping like hell we haven't... but we've been given no official indication to the contrary.  My father used to say (of government):  "We're like mushrooms... fed bullshit and kept in the dark."  Let's just say, after 6 - 7 years as a WC subscriber, I'd be pretty hurt and disappointed if that's true here.  Sure hope it isn't.  While WC is primarily a skinning site (and originally a showcase for Stardock to show off its wares/their potential) it has become much, much more than that... almost as if it took on a life of its own.  Sadly, though, that life (in its current state) needs a transusion or it will expire.

I'd like to believe this, too, but in the absence of something official, what's to say that it's not the underlying infrastructure for something else... that under the hood has been prepared and it's just a matter of wiping off the cosmetics before applying the new???

There was a time when site updates were more regular and reliable... when we, the subscribers were informed of important decisions and etcetera, but in this deafening silence it seems sadly that those times have passed.  So yes, feelings of insecurity among the loyal will abound.

Edit:

Bara... many thanks for the update. Things sound more promising now.

thanks for the update... 

Hey syd, you got the insomnia bug as well???

coming up for 3hrs past midnight...  and I NEED ALL the beauty sleep I can get.

Yes, yes, but, have you got a solution yet to Starkers' excessive farting?

A few SBD's are enough to bring down any database...

No, no... not excessive... just constant and regular.

 I smell a rat......

told you they just had to throw more hardware at the problem and it was related to server load... hence why it didn't operate well immediately after Elemental Beta was released.

bara, it sounds like BOTH a server upgrade AND an additional database monkey are needed.

best of luck with the problem.

harpo