The #1 reason that Stardock has done so well is relatively low turn over.

On our games, everyone who worked on The Corporate Machine (2000) is with us on Galactic Civilizations II plus new people.

On Object Desktop the leads on WindowBlinds, IconPackager, DesktopX, ObjectBar, WindowFX, and so on are all the same. Which is pretty meaningful given that some of these were released in 1999.

And so we keep growing and growing.

This month we brought on 4 new people into the office.  Next month we have another 2 people scheduled to come.  In January we have another 2 people scheduled to start.  In February we have another 2 and in April we're targeting another 2.

Fast growth is pretty exciting. But it's also scary. How do you maintain the company culture that keeps turn-over so low? How do you keep the place so enjoyable and so fun that people want to work well? Especially when we make sure that everyone is aware that they don't get paid as well as they could elsewhere.  That's right, none of us make as much as we could working somewhere else.  We trade a bit of money for having a much better working environment. 

But when as companies grow, it becomes more difficult to keep the place fun and neat to work at. That's going to be a real challenge.

Tomorrow World of Warcraft begins. I've been on the testing team for about a year. I got the initial alpha and played through some of the betas.  I can tell you that it is fantastic - if you're into this kind of thing. It is, ultimately a pretty standard time eating massively multiplayer game.

I plan to get the full game tomorrow though. And one thing I've learned, you need a guild.

I'm going to play on the human side and as soon as I'm set up I'll mention which server I'm playing on.  If anyone wants to put together a guild with me, respond here. By working together, we can make each other's lives easier in the game.  Also, we have a voice over IP server that can make things easier to interact (think of it as JoeUser but voice).

How to create DesktopX Objects: https://www.stardock.com/products/desktopx/Docs/22/DevelopersGuide.htm (38 pages)

Writing Scripts for DesktopX Objects: https://www.stardock.com/products/desktopx/Docs/22/ScriptingGuide.htm (38 pages)

And if you get stuck, just write here and we'll try to help you.

When I was PC Gamer give Half-Life 2 a 98% my hype alert meter went off.

But now that I have it and have played it for a couple of days, I have to agree, it's pretty fantastic. The graphics are really good but more to the point, the physics of the game really lend themselves to making the game more enjoyable.

My only pet peeve are the # of puzzles that have to be solved. But it's forgiveable since if you have an engine like they have, it makes sense to use it.

I also have DOOM 3 and in my opinion, this is a far far better game than DOOM 3.

I'm a conservative. I make no bones about it. I have plenty of liberal friends. Most of my "good" political discussions are with my friends who are liberal. I have a friend in New York who I talk to a few times a week and I respect his opinions immensely. He's also very liberal.

There is a basic problem in our country right now, however. I look at the positions my liberal friends take, listen to them, and ultimately decide I don't agree with them. But I respect their right to an opinion.  But all too often, liberals do not have that same respect for conservatives and their opinions. Supporting Bush's policies is not a sign of ignorance, greed, selfishness, or warmongering. In my case, I support Bush's policies because of careful consideration.

I do not agree with Bush on every issue. The deficit being a real issue for me. But overall, I consider him to be on the right side of many issues. I don't expect liberals to agree with me. But I do expect them to show some basic respect for my right to my opinion and not to assume that my opinions are inferior to theirs.

Some of my friends have tried to argue that "Well, both sides have their share of kooks that don't have any respect for the other side." Sure. Both sides have their kooks. But I am not going to accept that there's something even remotely approaching a balance.  The American left's most vocal advocates right now are much more militant than any other group. They have been for the past 4 years. They're hateful, nasty, and intolerant of other points of view.

Look at this website for instance: http://www.sorryeverybody.com/gallery/3/ 

There's 500 pages of pretentious left wingers "apologizing" to the world that we elected Bush.  How arrogant.  There's the whole "Jesus Land" map floating around the net - implying that Kerry lost only because conservatives are a bunch of religious zealots. More arrogance.

Some would argue that since the liberals are the minority right now, that it makes sense for them to be more militant and vocal.  But you'd be hard pressed, even during the Clinton administration, to find evidence vast amounts of hateful, condescending arrogance from the right.

I never assume people who voted for Kerry were "stupid" or "moronic" or "selfish".  I simply feel that they supported Kerry because he was closer in line to their positions on a host of issues.

I think that liberals, by nature, are more arrogant than conservatives. And I'll tell you why: Because through their actions over the past few decades, liberals have demonstrated that they do not trust the democratic process.

Why do I say that? Two reasons:

First - they repeatedly have shown that they think elections are rigged and that's the only reason why they "lose". It's a good thing Kerry did lose Ohio. You know why? Because the monkey business in Wisconsin on election day would have been a bigger deal.  You see, Bush only lost Wisconsin by 11,000 votes. If Bush had won Wisconsin, Ohio wouldn't have mattered. But here's the thing, Democrats slashed all the tires on the Bush campaign's vehicles on election day.  In fact, the Republican HQs in Wisconsin were subject to repeated quasi-terrorist attacks during the final days.  You think that might have affected the Bush "get out the vote" efforts? You bet they did. In a major metro area, get out the vote drives, on election eve and election day generate tens of thousands of votes.  While Kerry supporters try to argue that Ohio was "Barely" for Bush (Bush won by 140,000 votes), the difference in Wisconsin really hits home. If you want to talk about dirty tricks, it was the Democrats who played the dirtiest.  Go ahead and Google it, try to find cases of Democratic operatives being attacked or kept from running their HQs in various states. They are few and far between. 

Here in Livonia Michigan, the big old giant Kerry signs shown proudly on Farmington Rd all the way up to election.  The big Bush signs? About a week before election someone painted "Nazi" on the Bush signs (which caused them to be taken down).  Sure, it's an "isolated" incident but it all adds up.

Second - The other reason I think it's clear that liberals don't trust the electorate has to do with their tactics.  Liberals use the courts to get their way rather than trying to get their way through the democratic process.  I've talked to liberals on-line, in email, and in person over the years and the same thing comes up "You can't count on the average person to do the right thing, that's why you need judges."  No. That's bullshit.  I happen to trust the average person to "do the right thing".

If the people of Hicksville USA want to allow a moment of silence in their classroom, that's fine with me.  If they want to put up a 10 commandments plaque in their class room, that's fine too. Only if something violates the constitution in a way that's unbeatable should judges get in.  The constitution, if you read the whole thing, is pretty clear on the matter - if it's not obviously covered by the constitution, it's left to the people to decide.  In fact, so insistent on that point were the founders that they added the 10th amendment lest there be any confusion. If it's not spelled out in the constitution, then the people have the right to make the law on a local level.

As an agnostic, I don't care about religion. But I do know that having a plaque showing the 10 commandments is not the same as establishing a state religion. At Christmas I put up a Christmas tree. Does that make me a pagan? I also put up a Nativity scene. Oh gosh, I'm so conflicted.

But liberals have shown that they don't trust the will of the people. They use the courts.  You want gay marriage? Fine. Make your case to the people. Don't go judge shopping.

But they don't make their case to the people because liberals, far more so than conservatives, have little (ahem) faith in the wisdom of the common man. Hence, when someone like George W. Bush gets elected, it doesn't occur to most of them that perhaps their views are out of touch with the mainstream. No, they instead argue that the people were somehow tricked. Or that they're just plain "stupid" or that they need to be "enlightened".

Many conservatives, such as myself, are outraged when our views are trivialized like that.  We look at the lives we lead, the accomplishments we've made, the contributions we provide to society and can't help but wonder where the liberal arrogance comes from.  For instance, red counties on average have a much lower crime rate than blue counties. Even counties that have similar populations. Why is that? Republicans tend to make more money. That's not a surprise. But are they Republicans because they're wealthy or are they wealthy because their life philosophy is more conducive to financial success? I believe it's the latter. Who gives more to charity? Which kind of people grow most of the food? Which kind of people create most of the jobs? Which kind of people are the ones to volunteer first to defend their country? Which ones are more likely to stay married? Which ones are more likely to have children in wedlock?

In other words, conservatives have plenty of room to be snobby - if they chose. But there seems to be a greater level of. well decency with the right.  If you're liberal and reading this you're probably outraged at that claim. But I can't conclude anything else. Even the right wing kooks I see on-line rarely get into venomous name calling nearly as easy as left wingers do.  The left still talks about McCarthyism as if it was yesterday. But I probably get called a "Nazi" once a week by some left winger.  I'm sorry but if you think my political beliefs are somehow extreme, you need to re-evaluate your positions. My positions on most issues are, at most, slightly right of center by any sort of objective measurement.

If the American left wants to have any influence in society, they need to get over themselves. They need to recognize that there are other view points that are equally valid to theirs. They need to recognize that diversity isn't just about skin pigment. They need to recognize that tolerance isn't just a catch-phrase. 

We're in the process of doing another update today. The home page is different.  We haven't changed the color scheme or other image styles yet because that'll take quite a bit more time.  We do plan to make the whites a little bit less white and the tangerine of the home page is likely going to change to something else.  But we're getting there.

Let us know what you think of the new home page layout.

In business I've learned something that those who aren't in business may find counter-intuitive: Nice guys finish first.  If you go into a room full of successful entrepreneurs, one of the things you'll probably be struck by is how honest, honorable, and fair minded they are. 

With that in mind, here is a guide I wrote long ago as a state of principles for our company called "The Stardock Way".

The Stardock Way

Before I list the 10 principles, it may be tempting to consider these points as naive. People who know me in person, that is, people who really know me I suspect would describe me as being quite friendly. But make no mistake, I can be as ruthless and competitive as anyone. But in the long run, such techniques usually create resistance to your goals.

I've had employees (former ones anyway) and business partners make the mistake that because I don't necessarily confront them on their duplicity that I am unaware of it. It's all about picking your battles while trying to lead an honorable life (both professionally and personally).

 And now The Ten Principles:

#1 Nice guys finish first.

#2 Customers are part of our team.

#3 The customer isn’t always right.

#4 Win hearts through kindness, not ruthlessness

#5 Success has many fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends

#6 Business partners should be friends too

#7 Be loyal and you shall receive loyalty.

#8 Never exploit friends.

#9 Integrity trumps short term gain

#10 Learn from your competitors.

## Nice Guys Finish First ##

Some say that nice guys finish last. That’s not true, at least not in business. The fact is that people who constructively contribute to society are usually nice good people. And nice good people want to be around other nice/good people. The end of “it’s a wonderful life” is actually more realistic in the business world than most people may believe.

## Customers are part of our team ##

This isn’t a catch phrase. Customers shouldn’t just be the people who give us money for our products. They should be intimately part of our team. We should strive to blur the distinction so that US means our company and customers. The best way to serve your customers is to give them what they want and the most efficient way of doing that is giving them as much power as possible to deliver for themselves what they want.

## The Customer isn’t always right ##

Not all customers want to be part of our team. Some people are just bad. It’s a small percentage but never feel that a person who pays $20 for a piece of software has the license to deliver personal abuse. Life is short and we don’t want bad people as customers. Note that none of our principles involves fake terms like “professionalism”. Just as good people stick together, so do bad people. There is nothing wrong with condemning bad behavior – even in public as long as you are certain you are right and that there are no other options (and no other principles are violated).

## Win hearts through kindness, not ruthlessness ##

Try to crush someone with force and you will create a long term enemy who is striving to bring you down.  When encountering opposition, the best first choice is to try to persuade them to your side through kindness, good deeds, and reason. Only if that fails should other methods be considered. Today’s competitor or opponent can be tomorrow’s ally and friend. If they are good people, odds are that they will eventually be won over if you hold true to your good values.

## Success has many fathers, brothers, sisters, friends ##

To succeed one man has to work really hard. To succeed in a big way it is better to create an environment in which many people have a vested interest in your success. Always strive to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from your success and they will do the same for you in their path to success.

## Business Partners should be friends ##

Being friends first can be tricky but not being friends with your business partners can be problematic in the long term. If you don’t like or trust the people you work with, you are creating unnecessary pain and stress on yourself. Friendship brings trust and trust allows for far greater flexibility and efficiency in creating things. It eliminates the need for legal agreements for every little detail. Friendship is a two way street. That means you must be honest. In bookkeeping this means that if you’re not sure of something, try to err in favor of your friends at your own expense. In the long term, it’ll work out.

## Be loyal and you shall receive it in return ##

Sometimes you can get a slightly better deal from a new source than from those you have worked with. But loyalty has an intangible value as well. People will work harder and do more for less in a crunch out of loyalty. Don’t assume when you’re high on the hog that it’ll always be that way and when the chips are down, loyalty from partners may be the only currency you have left.  But loyalty has to be earned and you earn that by being loyal yourself to partners and friends. This means establish long term relations with companies, partners, and individuals and stand by them through thick and thin as long as you feel they would do the same for you if roles were reversed. It also holds true of employees. If you are loyal to them, then they will be loyal back and it will lower turn over and those who do decide to leave will have fond feelings for the company and may still work with us in other ways later on. 

## Never Exploit Friends ##

Because of our principles, we have a lot of people who are our friends. Companies don’t normally have individuals who see the company as their friend but we do. They should be treated as friends and never exploited. It can be tempting to do so but here’s the rule of thumb I use:

There is a difference between saying to all your friends as a group: “My wife and I are moving and if anyone wants to help us move, feel free to drop by, we’ll have pizzas and coke. Thanks!”

And: “Hi John, my wife and I are moving to a new house and we were wondering if you would help us move our furniture?”

The latter is exploiting friendship, the former is the route we should try to take. Let your friends decide what is too much for them to do on their own without any pressure.

## Integrity trumps short term gain ##

Telling the truth can sometimes be difficult. And doing the right thing can sometimes be costly in the near term.  But in the long run, integrity is priceless. People sense when people lack integrity and actively resist their endeavors. Your success will be much smoother when others are rooting for you and one sure fire way to eliminate a lot of support for you is to demonstrate a lack of integrity. 

## Learn from your competitors ##

Never assume your competitors or opponents are dumb. Take the view that you have something to learn from them. At worst, you will be able to have a superset of what they know how to do. I’ve learned a lot from looking at what other people do and doing it one better.  There is a lot to learn from other people in general.

That’s just some of the biggest principles we try to hold onto. These are the principles that are the foundation of Stardock. Those who strongly disagree with them are probably not cut out for the company.

We are the good guys. We're not here to crush or "defeat" anyone.  We're here to succeed. We're a for profit-corporation but one that recognizes that not all paths to success are created equally.  We won’t be able to win everyone over. We live in a cynical world. But good people who watch our deeds will recognize that we’re genuine. And that is important for two reasons – 1) Life is short and it’s much more pleasant to associate with good, kind, caring, productive people and 2) It’s the good, kind, caring, productive people who matter when it comes to creating a successful business.

We deal honestly with the people we work with and expect the same in return.  Those who confuse integrity, honor, and kindness with weakness, naiveté, and foolishness rarely get very far and they certainly won't get far at Stardock.

This is quite amusing.