Why exactly did I renew? (or Desktop Aquarium is standalone???)

from WinCustomize Forums
I'm on my 3rd year of subscribing to OD, I've renewed the past 2 years under the notion that somewhere something *new* would come along as part of the sub only software that would make it worth not letting the sub expire.

"Wow, check that out, Desktop Aquarium, well, it's a neat toy, let's give it a go..."

>>>> Pony up $8 if you want to even see it in action <<<<

Can I just say WTF? I've paid $120 for continued support of the exact same software that I purchased over 2 years ago. The only things that I have found remotely useful on a continual basis is Icon Packager and WindowBlinds, neither of which would be worth a damn without the free support of the design community.

Desktop Aquarium would have been the perfect vehicle to let the subscribers know you actually intended to add content to the OD suite, and instead you let us know how much you just hope we'll keep ponying up the cash for incremental updates that do not warrant $35/year in any way at all.
5,459 views 20 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
And along they came chanting, "bandwidth is expensive, servers are expensives..."

I agree. I'll pony up and protest against the $8.00 price as well!!
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Strange....in the past two years my proggies have updated and improved substantially....definitely worth the meagre investment....[but I'm aware of the development costs, so that explains it]....
Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
updated, improved, expanded and evolved.
when I signed on three years ago, OD included component manager,control center, windowblinds,iconpackager,desktopx and object bar. nothing else.
now, I have 17 different programs available to me, and updated regularly with new things added each time, not just bugfixes. all for LESS than I paid for my original subscription. I'd say that is worth the continued subscription price any day of the week.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you do not know why you spend money then you probably shouldn't

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Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I kind of agree with Code Monkey. Also I agree with Jafo. (Whatever a Jafo is.) Honk. Seriously, some things should come gratious. (Where's Jafo with his dictionary when you actually need him?) Gratutious. Well whatever. I've been using this software for a year or more and .......wait, no I do believe its...improved. IPlural's right too. OHHHHHHHH. I am so very, very, very, confused. I give up. Back to some responsible people, I'm very, very, sorry I took up anyones time. Really. >
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Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
gratuitous.....Spell checker
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Why thank you...creature from down under. Seen any good races lately? No...please, don't answer that...I've got to get up sometime today..... >
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I must admit I was a little miffed that $1 was the *discount* offered to existing ODNT subscribers. However, I'm relatively happy with the updates I've seen to the products lately and my solution to the aquarium issue was simply not to buy it.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Just curious though. How is the aquarium different than just using the different aquarium objects from the library here?  Just the fact that it's all packaged together and doesn't need DX loaded? 

It seems to me it looks like a great way to demontrate DX's capacities to those who don't have it, but this widget requires Desktop X installed. I dunno. I guess I just don't get it.  I pesonnally think it would probably be best if made a standalone EXE widget thingy like DX Pro can make.

I don't blame Stardock for selling it, 8$ isn't expensive. I just don't understand why DX users can't just make their own aquarium. *shrug* Or maybe I'm just thick.

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I don't see a conflict here. If you think that $8 is too much, don't buy it! If you want something for free keep looking. There many, many freeware sites available.
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Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Let's see, in 2003 there was:

Keyboard LaunchPad 1.0
DesktopX 2 (and now 2.1 which is a major version too)
WindowBlinds 4
The new WindowFX stuff
The new IconPackager
Theme Manager (a rewrite from WinStyles)
IconDeveloper 1.0
SkinStudio 4

Now, two of the programs were completely new to Object Desktop. IconDeveloper is $20. Keyboard LaunchPad is $10.  That's $30 in new software that you never were promised but that you got because you have Object Desktop.

Add to that the discounts on things such as Aquarium and other suites and you're nearly at the $34.95 upgrade price. And that's ignoring DesktopX 2, SkinStudio 4, WindowBlinds 4 and the other significant updates that came out.

Stardock had to pay thousands of dollars to license the fish in Aquarium. It wasn't cheap to do. And fish swimming on the desktop is not something we ever implied or promised would be part of Object Desktop.  AND YET we still gave away a few of those fish for free as DesktopX objects in the library here just for Object Desktop users.

Like Paxx said: DesktopX users could make their own aquarium. We even provide some of the fish for Object Desktop users.  But since we had to license the models for those fish, someone has to pay for that. If it came as part of Object Desktop, then we would have to make a cut somewhere else and that wouldn't be fair to those Object Desktpo users who have no interest in the aquarium.

It makes sense that those who are interested in the aquarium be the ones who help pay their share of the licensing costs for getting the fish.

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The Desktop Aquarium is a stand alone program, you don't need DesktopX to run it



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Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Then I can't see why it was created, when there is an Aquarium theme for DesktopX, or at least one that you can create



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Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I think the differences are.......

  1. DX doesn't have to be running to use it, just installed.
  2. I'm not sure, but I don't think the Aquarium theme for DX has all the features of this one...
    Moving plants, fish become inactive if behind a window, etc.




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