The Death of a Company, the Death of .MSStyles

from WinCustomize Forums
It has been two years now since any further software development was done by TGTSoft on its products, the last release of StyleXP was in June of 2006.  In my opinion and for all intents and purposes TGTSoft, who had its start in 2001, is gone.  No more staff, no more technical support, no more nothing.  To the best of my knowledge there is no one working at the company at all.  Emails to the owner go without being answered and telephone calls to known numbers only yield a small child’s voice saying, “Hello, you have reached Daddy.”  The last email I received said they were working on a fix for Windows XP SP3, and that was ages ago.  Nothing has been developed for designing .msstyles files for Windows Vista by TGTSoft or any company at all.  Porting of the .msstyles into SkinStudio is no longer an option in SKS 6.  With the death of TGTSoft comes the death of the .msstyles format, which forces me to make a large and decidedly sad decision.

I have developed themes for Windows XP and the .msstyles format since 2001 myself, and fully supported TGTSoft up until now, but I can no longer continue to do so without support from the company.

I also develop Windowblinds themes and have done so for almost 3 years now, and with the death of TGTSoft, I will only being developing Windowblinds themes from now on.  I will continue to offer my .msstyles on my website until such time as the format dies completely.

My first full Windowblinds theme, Shimmer, should be released sometime in July 2008.

63,518 views 30 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well.. get to work!!!!  :LOL:

Good t have you on this side full time Tom!!  :CONGRAT:  
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

With the death of TGTSoft comes the death of the .msstyles format, which forces me to make a large and decidedly sad decision.
End of quote

I wouldn't call it 'sad', not when you are left with the superior of the two 'formats'.  Skinning within Windowblinds affords the artist far more scope for innovation....but at the same time [if you must] can be as 'basic' as a typical msstyle...;)

The 'loss' of TGTSOFT just evokes a wry smile, little more....;)

Curtains - Customize Windows with additional styles
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
For those of you that would like to keep track of Shimmer, I will post progress reports on my site. :)

WWW Link
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sad that all the work and effort you have already expended will soon be to a dying format.

Still,you can use SKS5 to bring them all to WB.(I think that brings limitations of its own but maybe hmmmm?)
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Still,you can use SKS5 to bring them all to WB.
End of quote


I will try to do that over time I.R. ;)

Any requests from users?
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
We have a utility around here somewhere that does it. Lemme find it.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
We have a utility around here somewhere that does it. Lemme find it.
End of quote


Cool! Mind sending it my way when you find it Frogboy, I could definitely put it to good use! ;)

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Here it is:

 

http://draginol.stardock.net/files/MSImport.zip

Make sure you run MSImport inside.

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm one of the many that started using Visual Styles many years ago but then turned to Windowblinds and all the other Stardock programs. Why? Quite simply you could do far more with Windowblinds, Iconpackager, DX, Cursor Xp etc etc and as time has gone by the 'experience' and products have gone from strength to strength. Whilst TGT may have gone by the wayside it would appear Visual Styles applied with 'the patch' are still very popular with the masses and there are a few good artists out there whose work you have to admire even if you are a supporter of Windowblinds and all the Stardock products.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
...there are a few good artists out there whose work you have to admire...
End of quote


That is very true Leo, there are several good artists still designing .msstyles for the UXTHEME.DLL patch, but most of them use StyleBuilder or a ResEdit type hacker program to do so. There are other factors that have played into my decision, like the lack of support from TGTSoft to its users, and the fact that after a multitude of questions to the owner via email and even trying to get new product keys for their products, I received no response. I could not even use their StyleBuilder product even if I wanted to as I had to reformat and it will not work any more without a new product key.

So all in all, I think I have made a good decision, and will probably be sending my final email to them this week saying goodbye.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Frogboy! Thank you so much for the MSImport file, it works fast and easy! I really appreciate it! :D
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've never used .msstyles myself but I'll definitely be looking forward to Shimmer and what is to come after.

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
...there are a few good artists out there whose work you have to admire...That is very true Leo, there are several good artists still designing .msstyles for the UXTHEME.DLL patch, but most of them use StyleBuilder or a ResEdit type hacker program to do so. There are other factors that have played into my decision, like the lack of support from TGTSoft to its users, and the fact that after a multitude of questions to the owner via email and even trying to get new product keys for their products, I received no response. I could not even use their StyleBuilder product even if I wanted to as I had to reformat and it will not work any more without a new product key.So all in all, I think I have made a good decision, and will probably be sending my final email to them this week saying goodbye.
End of quote


Thanks for the insight. I often used to wonder how artists built those themes.

For what it's worth, Tom, I think you have made a very good decision and your work already has healthy following here. To have someone with your artistic talent - on this side of the fence - is great for all of us who enjoy Stardock products. By the way, did Johnny Boy twist your arm and put it up behind your back or did you come willingly......hehehehehehe!!!!  :LOL: 
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
...did Johnny Boy twist your arm...
End of quote


John had nothing to do with it, I surprised him! ;)
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

that link was posted a year ago.. things change in a year

 

if you have SKS 5 it imports

Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top

But if the only free visual styling dies out, isn't it necessary for stardock creating a free version of Window Blinds?

I just know WB and .msstyles for styling Windows, if .msstyles dies out, it is only possible to customize windows with money, with WB if the .msstyles aren't compatible anymore with the new windows versions. Or are there any other free posibilities?

Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

But if the only free visual styling dies out, isn't it necessary for stardock creating a free version of Window Blinds?
End of quote
Why?

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting angus1949, reply 18
But if the only free visual styling dies out, isn't it necessary for stardock creating a free version of Window Blinds?Why?
End of angus1949's quote

How in the world is Stardock obligated to do free software?

I'm pretty sure you (masHugac) don't get your rent/mortgage and get your food/clothing for free and (btw) do you work for free?

As usual, Ed...we are in agreement.

Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Necrothreads....more lives than a Vampire...;)

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I didn't suggest WB to be free software, but maybe a free version of it, like a lightweight version, i mean who wants to live with the standard skins of Windows? They are terrible, and if .msstyle dies out...

Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top

and if .msstyle dies out...
End of quote

The format was/is an unendorsed [by MS] hack of their inherent skin theme application/s within XP.  It isn't so much that they 'died out' but that they had/have no legitimate community support/development base, and typically every time MS released a new service pack, etc there was no compunction [or need] on the part of MS to worry as to whether they were breaking this hacked format or not...so it was frequently broken.

Independent [legitimate] skinning alternatives actually cost time and money to develop and maintain and thus won't be 'free'.

Typically anything 'good' is worth paying for...;)

Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I must be missing something here. People will spend hundreds of dollars on an OS or a monitor,yet will balk at spending twenty dollars (US) to make it all look great.o_O

 I don't like watching low-def TV but I can't convince my cable company to give me HD for free.;)

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The death of Tgt-soft doesn't mean death of .msstyles. Msstyle is in vista and perhaps in win7 too. At its very start I considered its style xp better than windowblinds because at that time PCs were slow and so was windowblinds. May be TGTsoft's earlier wins made them so reluctant that they felt no need for further improvement in their software. What more they guided their customers to adware companies.... www.themexp.org

No one will like an eye-candy with a virus. Can you love a girl with viral fever?

On the other hand windowblinds improved and became faster with time and so became the PCs.

I don't remember which WB version I used first because I had given my mind on rent then. lol

 

Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I don't like watching low-def TV but I can't convince my cable company to give me HD for free.
End of quote

Get Time Warner...most HD channels are free. ;)