Suggestion about Skin Location

from Stardock Forums
Can you guys please standardize on the location for the skins. I don't think the public folder location is a good place to put it at all. For one, in Vista this is a location that gets shared on a network if you set the network location preference to Private. Others can copy your skins or even corrupt/delete them accidentaly. Also, for DeskScapes you obviously are using the private user folder for storing the backgrounds/dreams.

So, you obviously changed the location for one possible reason, but I honestly don't feel like testing it to see if I'm right. Anyway, if you haven't programmed WB6 to be able to skin the Vista interface for multiple users (as in multiple logons) individually it makes perfect sense that you'd have chosen the public folder for storing the skins. After all, if the other user logs in and WB6 tries to apply a skin that the user account has no access to it, who knows how it would behave.

Anyway, if this is not the reason for the change, can you change the location on the next .xxx release to be in the private folder for the individual user, just like DeskScapes is? Either that, or think about all these various programs you guys make and standardize on ONE place to keep all these "customization" items. It get anoying trying to keep track of the "All over the place" locations when it comes times to do backups and such.
windowblinds
6,206 views 7 replies
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

We picked that location because we needed a location that could be seen by all users and common documents is such a location.  The other suitable location is the application data directory which is very well hidden on XP and Vista.

If you run an app as another user (runas) it is important that the skin can be located or you would get odd results.

Also having one skin location avoids multiple copies of skins needing to be stored on the pc.

Every user account can have its own skin setting.

Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I guess this was needed for Vista. I find it an annoyance since I'm still using XP and do not have multiple users on my machine.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
We picked that location because we needed a location that could be seen by all users and common documents is such a location. The other suitable location is the application data directory which is very well hidden on XP and Vista.
If you run an app as another user (runas) it is important that the skin can be located or you would get odd results.
End of quote


OK, that's basically what I thought and depicted in my post. However, leaving the skins in the Program File Windowblinds directory wouldn't have affected file access from multiple users even under Vista and it wouldn't post a security risk as it does by placing it in the public location. Not only that, but it would have been more consistant.

Just my thought... it worked before, there was no need to change it.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I though Microsoft would no longer certify programs which stored data in Program Files and that was the reason skins were moved.

All I ever wanted was for all Stardock apps to put skins in one location. At the moment they are spread all over my pc...    Dreams have had several locations, Object Dock at least three (I'm not sure where they are supposed to be, may just unistall, delete the folders and re-install). Gets confusing...

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I though Microsoft would no longer certify programs which stored data in Program Files and that was the reason skins were moved.
End of quote


It would be interesting if that is the case. I hadn't heard of that, but I kind of like that move from MS. In the end, I don't care how it's done, but I certainly don't like having my skins in a public folder like that. There has got to be a better way for you guys to do this and put them in the private folders. I have seldomly, if at all, seen anyone run various programs under different user accounts on a PC. I'd wager to say that would probably happen less then someone having to run a command prompt and not have that skinned... Sometimes I feel like the "priority logic" at SD is a bit weird...
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
It's great that you guys moved it there but... I am one of those users that has his os install and the programs install on two different partitions. Which is cool under XP, where I have all my WB skins on a drive separate from the OS. Unfortunately I just had to reinstall Vista and as a result lost my whole WB skin folder because it was on that drive. Would be great to have the option of moving the folder elsewhere. I don't wanna have to manually back up everything ever so often "Just in case"!

Anyways, great program!!

Ryan