Summer of Stardock

from JoeUser Forums

Summer is almost over and what a summer it was!

The summer started with Stardock selling its Impulse digital distribution platform to GameStop. This was the first time in Stardock’s history that it has ever sold one of its business units.

The reason Stardock sold Impulse was because Impulse’s success was starting to come at the expense of the other two parts of Stardock – the software and games groups which had seen resources being taken from them to put onto Impulse to handle its amazing growth. If Stardock’s goal was to become predominantly a digital retailer, that would have been fine, but it wasn’t. Stardock’s primary objective is to make cool stuff, not sell other people’s cool stuff.

In the near-term, our software and games will continue to be purchased, downloaded and updated exclusively through Impulse. But we expect to have a new, albeit much simpler, digital distribution system for Stardock’s own software and games up and running before the end of the year that you’ll be able to start purchasing, downloading, and updating through. We must warn you, however. It won’t be anywhere near as expansive as Impulse or even Stardock Central. It’ll just be there for making it quick to download and update your stuff. Very un-intrusive.

summerofstardock

31,739 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Unintrusive seems to be the way to go... something like the tray app for impulse that would pop up a notification for updates/store notifications.

It would be nice if it were combined with other systray icons for SD apps so everything could be done through the systray or through say, Tiles' show systray option if one chooses to hide the taskbar.

Might go well with W8.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top


But we expect to have a new, albeit much simpler, digital distribution system for Stardock’s own software and games up and running before the end of the year that you’ll be able to start purchasing, downloading, and updating through. We must warn you, however. It won’t be anywhere near as expansive as Impulse or even Stardock Central. It’ll just be there for making it quick to download and update your stuff. Very un-intrusive.
End of quote
Thank You! And un-obtrusive is nice. I can't wait to get Object Desktop and GalCiv2.

And am very happy that I can redeem my copy of E:FE! Thank You!

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

As long as auto-update can be turned off, I'm happy with whatever SD comes up with. All I need is something that allows me to check manually and decide what I want to update and when. (Like Macrovision, filehippo Update Checker, or HP update, for example,)

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

It won’t be anywhere near as expansive as Impulse or even Stardock Central. It’ll just be there for making it quick to download and update your stuff. Very un-intrusive.
End of quote

This is fine, in fact it is all that is needed.

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Will we be able to skin it?   :P

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Will we be able to skin it?
End of quote

Probably the most important question of the decade.

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting RedneckDude, reply 5
Will we be able to skin it?  
End of RedneckDude's quote

From what I have seen it looks like WB would take care of it.  To reiterate what was said, this is a very minimal application.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

WB? World builder? No, thats Civ4. What is WB?

 

I thought I was in a minority who favored minimalization. But from various threads here and elsewhere I am beginning to think that minimal is the new black. The in thing. But my exposure to the masses is limited. I like Google Chromes minimal UI. I like GOG.com's small footprint downloader and minimalized store interface. And other stuff. But now I wonder if minimal is not niche, but rather the future. 

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

I am sure WB means WindowBlinds, one of Stardock's software products.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

WB = WindowBlinds B[]

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting WhiteElk, reply 8
But now I wonder if minimal is not niche, but rather the future.
End of WhiteElk's quote

Neither one. It's what we are left with after Obama economics. :thumbsdown:

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Question/Observation: If Impulse was such a time consumer and a big money maker why not just hire more people to run it. I'm fairly sure that while the profit margin wouldn't have been as high, a profit would still exist and some more people would have jobs.

 

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Phoon, reply 12
Question/Observation: If Impulse was such a time consumer and a big money maker why not just hire more people to run it. I'm fairly sure that while the profit margin wouldn't have been as high, a profit would still exist and some more people would have jobs.

 
End of Phoon's quote

If one could wave a magic wand and "just hire" high quality employees then few businesses would ever be sold or acquired since those companies could simply have "just hired" the people they need.  

A lot of Stardock's best developers were taking off of Object Desktop and the Elemental project to work on Impulse because we couldn't hire enough people fast enough to do what needed to be done (and Impulse doesn't exist in a vacuum, it has competitors who are going as fast as they can too to add features and capabilities to their services).  

I feel confident in saying that our Object Desktop and Elemental: War of Magic customers noticed a drop in the quality and rate of software development. But that could just be my imagination... :)

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 13
I feel confident in saying that our Object Desktop and Elemental: War of Magic customers noticed a drop in the quality and rate of software development. But that could just be my imagination...
End of Frogboy's quote

Definitely not your imagination. :X

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I feel confident in saying that our Object Desktop and Elemental: War of Magic customers noticed a drop in the quality and rate of software development. But that could just be my imagination...

Dunno about quality, but quantity definitely tanked.  And there were entire product lines dumped - I actually liked ThinkDesk!

On the flip side though, Gamestop (yuck!).  After their first Terms of Service/Privacy Policy changes (very, very anti-consumer) I'm anxiously awaiting Stardock games going Impulse-free.  Would you believe Impulse itself now violates Stardock's Gamer's Bill of Rights?