Do we need "I don't work for Stardock, so don't badmouth them based on what I say" stickers?

It says more about them. Are they TGTSoft toadies for supporting a hack like Style XP?

You know, sometimes people don't have arguments so they revert to bad mouthing. Some call WB supporters "SD toadies" (whatever that means... Is it in reference to Brad's nickname?) and some call msstyles supporters "warez kids".

(to continue paxx' post) ...point is, they're just ignorant.

'cept that one characterization is fairly accurate and the other ain't. I've read the epic and on one side you have people who don't think stealing is okay being called stardock plants and the other side mainly people who think stealing stuff is a-okay. Plus you have all these teens who BOUGHT a copy of Windows XP? I think not. I'm on Win2k and WinME and I'll be there for a long while.

This has crossed my mind. All these obviously very young people who suddenly have Windows XP. Nobody I personally know has Windows XP. They get the OS with the personal computer purchase. Name calling is highly immature and counterproductive. With that in mind..however..it doesn't take an inspector from Scotland Yard to deduct that most of the the advocates of this thing are software pirates. And as such it is not surprising that their skins are almost entirely comprised of rips or recolored variations of the Disney blue look of MSWinXP.

The only way that we will win this war is through education. Paxx, Crae, Frank all point out that they don't understand that they are doing something wrong. We get frustrated because to us, it is so obvious. But don't understand.
The most effective thing that we can do is to write to the moderators and admins and ask them to adopt a policy about ripping. Don't assume that they know. Kenray wrote one a while ago. Send them a link to it.
Peace.

I think it is the duty of every responsible member of this community to just take a little time to help 'educate' those who are new to the idea of Online copyrights and their violation.
Although it IS important to remain calm and polite. Flame wars will get you no-where. Polite clear explanation does work....[has for me]...

I haven't followed that debate, so I'm not sure. SOmeone wanted to make a port of one of Alexandrie's skin, is that it? They could just ask her permission, that's the part they don't understand? Nothing wrong with ports, it's been done over and over since the beginning of times (we all know Time started with the first Skin); as long as permission is granted.
Most of what I ever did are ports, I got no imagination of my on. But I always asked and obtained permission.

Half the office, and I mean that seriously, uses one of your iWin skin series. What was that a port of?

Well, that's one of 2 skins that weren't ports. But I was indeed inspired by a tutorial I read about how to achieve the transparent effect. I used it and applied it on a whole skin.

paxx: The definition of the word 'toady', according to dictionary.com (since I don't have my hard copy dictionary here at work with me) is:

A person who flatters or defers to others for self-serving reasons; a sycophant.

Basically, a person who sucks up to someone else. Some toadies go to the extremes of making themselves practically the personal slave of the person they are toadying to. They're generally slimy, whining, and cowardly people, if the term is accurately applied.

It may or may not have been a play on Frogboy's favorite nick. Either way, they were clearly being insulting and inaccurate about people who genuinely support Stardock. What a shame that we live in a society where praising or simply sticking up for people you admire and respect marks you as being a toady, because it's apparently more natural to criticize and tear down people.