Our friends at deviantART are setting up website summit this summer (June 17, 18). It is something I hope to attend this summer too. deviantART has long been a friend to the skinning community and has grown from a being..well deviant to dominating the on-line art-scene.

You'll be able to meet thousands of people from the deviantART community (many of whom are WinCustomize users as well). Visit the link below to find out more.

JoeUser is not just slow but it's been flakey lately. It's been very frustrating for me to deal with that.

The site's traffic has increased considerably in just the past few months. From 120,000 visitors in November to 160,000 already in February.

But that's not what's causing the problem. It's WinCustomize which shares the same databases as JoeUser.com. Its traffic has climbed from 10.2 MILLION visitors in November to almost 17 MILLION so far this month in 24 days.

But it's not like the hardware as doubled. In fact, it hasn't changed at all. Hence our problem.  And since JoeUser.com's free, it doesn't get the priority I'd like it to get.  But it IS being worked on.  The new forums are much faster than the old ones and they are being updated on a regular basis.  But it'll probably be quite awhile before the main site is updated.

Instead, what's goign to happen is that we will soon have a WinCustomize subscription drive to try to buy some mroe hardware for WinCustomize. This will take some of the strain off of JoeUser. But I do share your frustrations about the site being slow. 

In the nearn near term, the IT guys are working on reliability.  Little "bugs" that don't affect site stability at traffic level X start to bring things crashing down when traffic level Y is met. So they're fixing that which will hopefully also improve performance some as well.

The most visual change in DesktopX 3 over its predecessors is that when the user double clicks on the DesktopX icon, they will be presented with a clean, easy to use, interface.

The beauty of DesktopX has traditionally been that it makes it easy to create really cool stuff. That has also been its problem too. DesktopX tightly integrated its development environment with the user environment. The net result is that the poor guy who just wants to put a neat CPU meter on their desktop or a really nice drive object on their desktop had to also mess around with the development environment. And no matter how simple the DesktopX development environment is, it's still a developer's environment.

This also allows us to provide more options for users.  The run-time version of the program (DesktopX Client) is only $14.95 (about half what other commercial widget enablers provide and has far more features). The full blown DesktopX will be $24.95 but also comes with Object Desktop.  With that version, users will be able to mold their own desktops to their own desire, make widgets, etc.  And then there's DesktopX Pro which introduces gadgets -- the next evolution of widgets. Widgets require the widget enabling program to be installed. Gadgets are truly stand alone. In fact, the DesktopX 3 UI is a gadget.

Popular plugin author AndreasV has released Avedesk 1.2. It's a program that started out as a way of running ObjectDock docklets on the desktop (called desklets(. But it's evolved into so much more.

Version 1.2 is donation-ware but still free to use. It now supports themes (put desklets together and save your configuration) along with a host of usability features to make working with desklets easier.

Every few months a firestorm wages on WinCustomize.com. The site hosts thousands of pieces of artwork in the form of skins, themes, icons, wallpaper, etc.

And some people can give a star rating to a submission (1 through 5 starS)

On the one hand, often times the skinners (the ones who create the content) have a problem with the whole rating thing. Usually skinners whose works get below 3 stars. Solutions such as eliminating anonymous ratings have been proposed over the years.  Of course, what many would like to see is the elimination of ratings entirely.

And on the other hand, users very much want the ratings. And in fact plenty of users find WinCustomize to be full of "garbage" because we don't moderate very much content. People are free to upload their half-baked skin and unless it's totally broken or really horrendous it's made available. So the casual user finds themselves wading through a lot of stuff they don't like. This hurts the site and the ones who pay for the bulk of the site's costs -- Stardock.

So WinCustomize.com doesn't want to offend skinners but doesn't want to casual users to have to wade through sub-par stuff.

That's where the rating sytsem comes in.  Only users who have contributed to WinCustomize.com (by getting a subscription or having elite access through their works over time) are allowed to rate skins. So most people can't rate skins.  Moreover, the higher the access, the more the rating is weighted.  So if an admin rates a skin, it is weighed far more heavily than a level 1 user who has a subscription.  This way, those who have spent a lot of time doing this and have seen thousands of skins and themes and icons and wallpapers can make a relatively objective rating. 

The second part of the rating system is that those who are not logged on won't see skins,themes, etc. that have 2 stars or fewer ratings. If they log on, they can see it all. Eventually we hope to have per-library rating filters that users can set.

It's a tough thing. The desire to keep everyone happy is an impossible task. Many people who get 2 star ratings or 3 star ratings are simply unaware that perhaps they need to work on their skin. I regularly will go through the galleries and if I see a skin or theme with a rating that seems way too low (or way too high) I'll check the ratings to see if it's being manipulated. It happens. But the reality is, the average skin is a 2.5 star skin which means most skins hover around 2.5 to 3 stars (including my own stuff).

At the end of the day, the skinning community has to realize that it's a symbiotic relationship.  We all need each other.  We need the users AND the skinners. And we can't placate one without alienating the other. So we have to reach a compromise. The rating system is that compromise.  The alternatives -- not allow anything but the very best on would tick off skinners. Or let everything be on with no ratings would make the site unwieldly to use.

iTrip is a gadget that connects fairly seamlessly to your iPod. What it does is allow you to play your iPod music on an FM radio.  You set the station with your iPod and if you tune in your radio (that is within several feet) to that station you can listen to what's on your iPod.

I've used a number of these things in the past and this is by far the best one (the Belkin TuneCast II, for instance is total crap).

ITrip is ideally suited for the iPod because a) It connects right up to it, it gets its power from the iPod and c) It can be programmed from the iPod.

The only reason I didn't find it all I had hoped for was the general issue of FM tuners in the first place.  Skipping a song, which I tend to do in my car, is easier than messing around with an iPod (and safer).  But where the Ipod really shows off its goodness is with books on tape and the like. You can fit a lot more on an iPod than what you can fit on a CD.

Still, it would be nice if more cars came with CD players that could read MP3 CDs. Then I could jam a bunch of songs onto a single CD.  But in the meantime, if you have ever wanted to listen to your Ipod on a real radio, this is by far the best option I've found.

Things are about to get very exciting for TotalGaming.net subscribers. We are about to embark upon TotalGaming.net: Phase 2.

First off, existing TotalGaming.net subscribers are going to be getting two new games shortly: Hacker Elite and Nexagon.

Shortly after that, we’ll be going into phase 2. It will be a different type of subscription model than what we’ve had before but one that we think will benefit gamers and developers more so than the current system.

TotalGaming.net Phase 2 will change to be as follows:

Price: $69.95
Time: 2-years
Tokens: 10

In the current system, a user pays $89 to receive all the games available plus what we come out with for one year. On paper, it sounds terrific. But in reality, it creates a real challenge to keep getting new content onto the system.

In the new system, different games will cost differing amounts of tokens. For instance, The Political Machine would cost 2 tokens. Celtic Kings would cost 2 tokens. Galactic Civilizations would cost 3 tokens, and so forth. The user would have 2 full years to use their tokens. If the tokens are used up before then, they can purchase booster packs at $34.95 for 5 more tokens at a time.

Through this system, game developers will be able to receive royalties based on the popularity of their individual game. This enables Stardock to provide newer games from a larger variety of sources for the player to choose from.

Existing TotalGaming.net customers would be transitioned to the new system. On the day of Phase 2’s launch, existing TotalGaming.net active subscribers would get all the existing games on TotalGaming.net automatically.

On top of that, they will receive 10 tokens to use on future games and two years to use them. This has the advantage of ensuring that players who want to get Galactic Civilizations II (for instance) don’t have to worry that it will come out after their subscription expires (it’ll be definitely out within the next year or so, let alone two).

Needless to say, if you haven’t already gotten TotalGaming.net, now’s the best time to get it since existing TotalGaming.net users end up with the best of both worlds.

And for game developers, the new system enables them to receive royalties on the tokens spent on their game. Games can still, of course, be purchased stand-alone.

Stardock also has a massively multiplayer real time strategy in development that will be available first in beta for TotalGaming.net subscribers.

If you’re a game developer and want to have your game distributed on TotalGaming.net, contact [email protected].

To learn more, visit http://www.totalgaming.net

In the "skinning" world (for those of you not familiar with skinning, it's a large community of power users and techies who enjoy customizing their PC software and operating systems in unique ways) there are occasionals complaints that there are too many Stardock "groupies" or "fanboys" who defend everything Stardock does.

Hah. Stardock may be "the Blizzard of skinning" but there is no substitute for Blizzard but Blizzard when it comes to having fanboys.

I'm friends with people at Blizzard and it amazes me how down to earth and normal these guys are because their forums are populated by fanboys of an almost unbelieveable variety.  I swear, they're only a few steps away from buying shirts that say "Blizzard: Pee on me please!"

I never participate on a forum until I've gotten the "lay of the land" and so I've been very careful not to write anything remotely critical of World of Warcraft on the forum because it's useless.  The fan boys are so totally in control there that it's almost cult-like.

I recall, shortly after release, when the game was having some connection problems a user making what I thought was a pretty good point: "Look, when you're down for a weekend, you should be compenating us. We are paying for a service that you're not providing. And giving us 2 extra days doesn't cut it because most of us can't play during the week. Weekends are precious."

To which he received a ton of infantile flames that included "Blizzard don't owe you a thing!" or "It's a game! Get over it!" or "Too bad, so sad. I hope you quit playing, will cut down on the queue!"

The "Blizzard don't owe you a thing" comment (and there were many of that nature) really struck me.  If I'm paying for a monthl service, then actuall yea, the company does owe me a service. It's a basic part of business.  To be sure, Blizzard has not taken on this attitude. They've made a really honest and good effort to make good. But their fans, oye.

Recently things have been heating up because the bulk of original players are starting to get up into the "level 50" range.  This is uncovering some issues that we saw during the alpha and beta.  The alpha and early betas of World of Warcraft only went up to level 30.  The level 30 to 60 content was put in much later with relatively less play testing.  Based on reports, things become quite problematic as you get higher with most quests being "elite" quests (quests that you have to get a bunch of people to do). 

There are signs that the raw number of quests starts to really dwindle as you near the higher levels of the game.  I have a level 35 Paladin, only 5 levels beyond the original beta and I'm already starting to notice this.  I created a new character today and I was floored by the rememberance of how good the early level experience is - or as I call it, the pre-addiction phase.  You walk into a village and it's full of quests. Half the town would be full of quests.

By level 35, as you enter Booty Bay or South Shore, the number of quests has dwinded remarkably. Still quite a few, but nothing like it was early on.  As you move up and get into the Plague Lands, you're left with only a handful of non-elite quests to do. It really starts to dwindle.

But don't dare make any criticism of the game on the forums - where the developers might see it. The fan boys will attack.  Check out this post made by a level 53 player (I've put in a lot of hours and had the game on day 1 and I'm only at level 35 with my main character, so  you can imagine how much time this guy has put in).  His post isn't totally polite but the responses are infantile.

As a professional game designer, I tend not to be critical of games since it's a bit cheesy for one game developer to critique another's work.  But I do know the importance of listening to constructive criticism. And the out of control fanboyism in teh Blizzard forums creates an atmosphere where few are going to want to provide useful constructive criticism.  What they'll get instead are drive by flames by people who don't really care (they get tons of nasty, unconstrucive flames in there too).  But that key feedback where the player has put in some time and effort to try to improve the game? Forget it. Not worth getting attacked over.

World of Warcraft is a fantastic game..for the first 30 levels or so.  It survives beyond that due to the sheer time investment one has put in and addiction.  But I suspect that if the first 30 levels played anything like the last 30 levels, it would not have the following it has.  And the fanboys need to get out of the way and recognize this. They need to get out of the way so that people feel comfortable putting in constructive criticism that Blizzard may read.

If you want to make a program that you plan to give to other people to use, you will probably find that they will want some sort of preferences dialog. Something to change the settings of the program to match their particular set up.  In today's example, we want users to be able to make an email checker. The email checker is different for each user. They have their server, user name and password.  So how do we let users of our widget set these things?

In DesktopX 2, you would do this on your own by creating your own special panels that you designed yourself.  This had the benefit of letting the author have a lot more control over presentation but it was very time consuming. Some widget enabling programs do all this in a separate XML file that the program then uses to create a standard preferences dialog. This is, in my view, superior to what was in DesktopX 2.

But with DesktopX 3, it was decided to take the next logical step - do all of this in script (VB Script, JavaScript, whatever).  When the user starts the script, the first thing they do is create their preferences dialog (if applicable).  You don't have to create a preferences dialog this way but it does make things much much easier.

So let's think about how we want users to enter in their User Name, Password, and Server name. In DesktopX 3 you create a widget like this:

Widget.Preference(PREFERENCENAME).Type = TYPE

So we authors would fill in PREFRENCENAME and TYPE . For the former, you can call it anything like "Password".  For the latter, you have to pick one of the control types DesktopX 3 supports which are:

“Hidden”: No control will be displayed in the Widget properties panel. Hidden is the default type. “Text”: Text box control type. “Password”: Text box with obfuscated characters for password entries. “Checkbox”: Checkbox control. Values for checkboxes are “1” or “0”. “ComboEdit”: Editable text combobox control. “ComboList”: Dropdown list combobox control. “Slider”: Slider control. Values for sliders are still in string form.

So in this case I would pick two text fields for the server name and user name and the password field for the password (password being the same as text but obfuscated).

The screenshot above contains the example code for our mail preference.  There's a second piece we need, and that is, what we do when someone actually does something in the preferences:

Sub Widget_OnPreferencesChange   RefreshData   CheckMail End Sub

A new call is added  by the system: Widget_OnPreferenceChange.  In this case, we call a function called RefreshData that we've written and another one called CheckMail that we've written.

Sub RefreshData   sLogin = Widget.Preference("User").Value 'object.localstorage("MailLogin")   sPass = Widget.Preference("Password").Value 'object.localstorage("MailPass")   sServer = Widget.Preference("Server").Value 'object.localstorage("MailServer")   sType = Widget.Preference("Type").Value 'object.localstorage("Type") End Sub

In this function, we save the data from our preferences dialog with the DesktopX storage system so that you don't have to keep entering this data every time you load the widget.

When the widget is made, the preferences tab becomes part of the properties dialog for that widget.  So now I can not only control how the widget looks and behaves and set the hot key to activate it, but I can now configure it right from the same place.