Plymouth Patch Article about Stardock

Despite the success of these applications, Wardell said he doesn’t plan to make the same program for 20 years, particularly because he said Microsoft’s Windows 7 already looks pretty nice and the has shifted away from the desktop enhancements and into practical software, such as Multiplicity.

Not sure I wanted to see this.

That was a really nice article, I.D.  CG1 He could mean that theses programs are planned to evolve... also, I  believe the word "emphasis" is missing from the sentence in the article. I don't see SD giving up customization software anytime soon.

I read this today on Facebook, never thought I would ever had said that.

Without any other information about where Stardock is headed I tend to agree with CarGuy1.

Practical software as Multiplicity, is there really that much left down that road that hasn't been developed? 

I believe a critical word was omitted in the original article. I believe that word was "emphasis" although I am not certain. I added it in the above, and it makes a lot more sense, no? 

It's no big secret that SD makes more money at games than at customization software. Let's not panic just yet.

There's still plenty of attention and plans for desktop apps.  I think what the article aims to say is that as personal computing changes, you have to change with it or be left in the dirt.

Two comments and two replies with the samw thing said using the word "emphasis"  Well I hope you are correct but the statement does have to make one wonder. Last up date to any regular used programs was over 7 months ago and that was SKS. Nothing with WB, OD, and others. Someone asked about Impulse being sold and what were we going to use. The answer was something is being worked on and will be available soon. I have no problem using impulse but really we don't need anything because there aren't any updates to download so it doesn't really matter what we have does it? I just go with the flow and stay out of trouble. Lots of nice people here so I didn't say this to sound negitive or anything but just saying what is fact and happening or better not happening. All the Mods, ID, jafo, and any other people other then regular members do a great job and I have to guess we get the best answers that they are aware of and have knowledge of.

So again I don't have a problem but this place hasn't actually been flowing with knowledge of anything being worked on as far as updates or improvements to the common programs most of us use. So please don't get excited because I wrote some of my thoughts as the things I use are working fine and have no problems. Have a good night.

The article mentions only games and nothing of the apps we use. I understand what you're saying ID but you have to stop and think about why these apps, no offense intended, seem to be floundering. DX4 is still in beta and has been for some time leading some folks to think its a dead issue. I hope that one sentence in the article, the one that says he's moving away from desktop enhancements in favor of more practical apps isn't a sign of things to come. The impression that I'm getting is that the gaming end of it has taken all the 'emphasis' away from the desktop enhancements. Sorry but I call it like I see it. 

hey - I just like proof that Matt Bertsch is a real person.    I had a silly theory about your support desk that you just used the same sig.  heh

Of course... this could all be photo shop.  Anyway, I know folks are reading into the article (and hell, why not - we are all fans), but I'm always happy to see more info on SD a business and learn more about the day to day. 

Yes, it's ALL Photoshop.....

....Stardock doesn't exist....;)

I've noticed that for a few years now. And now that Impulse was sold off to GameStop, that effectively cut off our access to updates and news about our beloved ODNT apps. Another nail in the coffin. Hell, we waited on OD2 for years, then it was released half finished with critical features missing from 1.9, and then it was forgotten about for the most part. The future isn't looking bright for our desktop apps.

funny how he mentions 'apps' for iphone ect, we volunteered that for a gallery ages ago.

ive yet to see how this article is 'great' to me, the whole article read:

games, games, games, apps we obviously wont be allowed to touch or design and web designs we wont be allowed to design either.

to me the whole thing reads like : yeah well its been a good run, but im going to do other things now, so bye.

*shakes head*

i personally dont give a toss if that is what Brad wants to do, good for him, letting us know would be called 'being considerate.'

just like how no one told us the gui champs were dumped and just like no one told us about impusle until the ink was dry.

at least that way i can have a 5 minute headstart to possibly start my own website and promote my own stuff.

Hence my reply yesterday to the GUI Champs thread

There's a lot of reading in-between the lines here.

Lets take this issue by issue:

Desktop apps aren't being abandoned:  Yes, some apps in the lineup will probably not make the future cut, and there are some significant changes coming that will be announced later in the year.

Evolving and Adapting: Skinning has gone back to a niche market.  Doesn't mean it's a "lost cause", it just means the market is smaller and people are looking to do different things with their desktops now.  We are still fully aware that people want to skin their PC's, but we also know people want productivity-type apps like Fences and Tiles.  You either stand still and get run over, or you evolve.

That is absolutely false on both counts.  You can download updates (and soon betas) from here, and news comes from WC as it always has been.   Your access has not been cut.

Doesn't read like that at all.  

Excuse me for sounding stupid but how often has it been  for news and the only news I hear from WC is usually from you Spencer. I never received a news letter or any email and gave up signing up for email from SD a couple years ago.

It is nice you gave us a link to download the apps and one can only hope when it comes time to reformat the computer all the reg. numbers work.

I totally understand how important it is to move on to what is happening in the world today and next year. Tiles and Fences can be or are already very important to SD and I can also see that. Computer makers, corportations, and others can find these very important and hence SD can gain from that. I think they are great programs but for me guess you can say I'm a OD user all the way. You can make OD match the WB you are using and that all relates to skinning which is what the community is about.

There are many community members here way before me and more than helped actually made SD what it is with suggestions, etc. Then SD used it's talent and provided great apps for the desktop. True many of the older members have left for one reason or another and i'm sorry I wasn't ever lucky enough to have been part of that time. However SD continues to get many new members each day and week.

I asked no questions here just some opinions. I have no reason to post anything else on this thread and will just look to see if more information becomes available. So thank you for the information you have already provided and I will just sit back and wait to see the updates and changes we will receive in the future and be patient.

Closing, members are concerned and my feeling is that is why all the questions and it would be wonderful to be informed each week of anything going on or not going on with SD. We don't need to know Stardock's business only what isrelated to the apps we are used to having and future ones. That's really what I would like to hear and I'm sure I'm speaking for others hopefully.

These are not the driods you are looking for!

Ok, Obi-Wan -Jafo!

Great article, I just wish they had made it longer.

Thanks for posting the article.  What is said and what it didn't say is a good head's up for me.  I must confess, I feel a bit like I just discovered my significant other changed his Facebook status to single (a bit of betrayal and hurt, and yet, this is the internet, there's going to be useless drama--it doesn't really matter in the long run.)  It's obvious the money I pay Stardock, which is really hard for me to scrape up by the way, isn't enough to hold Brad's attention; that money would be better spent on something that's fully alive and has a future, so when my subscription is up, I'm going to have to put that hard-earned money towards a WinStep subscription, and learn a new skinning app.  And I may have to spend some of my spare time learning Msstyles -- I'm not going to stop skinning just because one company's CEO thinks Windows 7 is pretty enough.

from the article

Notice the underline? There is a word missing in the article that could change the entire meaning of this statement. No sense "panty bunching" over a missing word now is there?

Another line..

Notice it does NOT say "in place of".. it says SEPARATE.

Once again... "panty bunching" over what you THINK was said instead of what was ACTUALLY said.

Such drama queen behavior over nothing....

Quoted for Truth.

Ouch, I think I gave myself a wedgie. 

This does not change my disappointment.  Everyone here is aware that Stardock's emphasis has not been on skinning apps for 1-1/2 to 2 years now; we discovered, first the "End of WinCustomize" and "WinCustomize 2K9 brainstorming" threads, and following that, Brad's thread on Tough Love for Object Desktop (https://forums.wincustomize.com/366111) where he said "On October 5, 2009, after a nearly 3 year absence, I have returned to being in charge of Object Desktop again.  Being away from the desktop enhancements area has allowed me to take a fresh look at the state of the art in Windows tech, the “Skinning community”, and so forth." We discovered the down-grading of our beloved hobby by it's CEO--but by following those threads, we were always given hope that in the end, what we got would be better, probably more streamlined, but worth holding out for.

What this public article says to me, is that we can expect more of the same thing as we've been getting for the past 2 years; a downgrade of the Object Desktop experience.  I understand that Brad needs to do this, that Stardock needs to stay cutting edge of what's on the technological horizon. ("We're" getting older...we're just not as attractive as we used to be, so Daddy's dumping us for a new trophy wife; I can understand that--I did it myself.)  The ball now is really in our court.  We can say as we are, accepting our status as "second best" (I will for the present), or we can move on (I'm thinking that's the direction I'll need to go in when my subs are up.  I need to put the precious little "me" money I can get my hands on into something there is a future in).

The intent of this post is not to be negative -- it's just to be adult and to be real.  I've held on and "hoped" for 2 years.  My faith is gone, and this article pretty confirmed that there is no reason to hope for anything to improve here.

Notice reply #4, Phoon.

Your addition is also excellent. 

I really disagree, Karen and I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised... and I hope you do take up skinning Winstep... I want to as well.

Ok, I just can't help adding things to this. There was a copied and pasted part of a paragraph. Here is the whole thing

"Wardell said he’s considering launching mobile and web software-development shops and studios to keep up with hot-selling gadgets such as Apple’s iPad and iPhone and Motorola’s Droid smart phone, but would want to keep that work separate from the software and games Stardock currently produces"

The first half of the above was left out. So reading it also says "shifted away from the desktop enhancements and into practical software, such as Multiplicity."

So this tells me exactly what it says. Using Multiplicity as the software in the statement and what is going to be kept separate is this type of software and the new plans with iPad and stuff. "shifted away from the desktop enhancements" tells me nothing is being done with desktop enhancements, WB, OD, and the rest of it. When I first came on board here there were updates every other week with something. So looking at the last update we had what does that say? Doesn't take a blind person to figure out where the thoughts are going.

So that is some of my thinking and I can tell you it isn't all wrong. The word "emphasis" does sure look like the word that may be missing but even that is a guess.

If the statement above is true and you know something we don't please share it in fact. If there is no fact then it's just wishful thinking.

There really is a simple solution to this. There was never anything held back from the members till the last year. Everything was brought to our attention as to what was being updated, etc. So why doesn't someone with real information like Brad just write a thread and let us know if anything is really going to be updated or new with the desktop programs. We have programs and can use them to continue. Could they be better, sure but will they? I don't know and either does anyone else so lets hear real facts not, oh wait till you see what is coming soon. The last time we heard we were going to have a replacement "very sopon" was when we all found out Impulse was sold. Maybe also my thinking of when very soon should be is very different than others.

Last if I was told there were not going to anymore updates to the software I would be fine and just work with what is available. doesn't change the fact people are getting up set and there is nothing but guessing going on.

No. I have learned over the years to trust Brad, I.D. and Jafo. They've earned my trust as well as yours.

Whether I "know something" or not is not at issue. It is not my place to speak for Stardock, Brad, I.D. nor Jafo. In that respect I'm a member just like you.

"If there is no fact then it's just wishful thinking" does not follow in an obligatory manner from your antecedent statement. I might know nothing and yet still be correct.

When Brad and Stardock/I.D./Jafo are ready to tell you something, they will. One thing I've learned here (and in the delivery room) is patience. Things take their course without any consideration given to my expectations. All they ever led to was angst. The second thing is that when you wait patiently, you can be very pleasantly surprised.

Unequivocally: Yes.

Sorry to disappoint you, but there will be. Can't tell you when, but can tell you there will be.

People get upset and there's little anyone can do to prevent that. SD will say its piece when it does. Neither you nor I have any say as to when exactly that'll be.