As many of you know from reading the forums over the past couple of days, that weather feeds being pulled in from DesktopX created widgets/objects have stopped working. To make a short story even shorter, TWC has shown a requirement put upon all widget creators and users, and anyone else accessing their data to abide by new and quite specific demands/rules. This goes for anyone using the feeds, not just WinCustomize users.
If you want to continue to use TWC weather feeds you will need to abide by their new rules, which includes a requirement to place a logo and links back to them. Several DX coders including sViz and Vad_M have been posting new feeds, and some code fixes to help others fix their weather objects.
An ongoing thread from sViz can be found here:
Which ever new weather feeds creators decide to use, they need to make sure they also abide by any rules or guideline imposed by the originating feed provider.
Starting Monday, July 20th, we will start removing broken weather widgets from the WinCustomize galleries that have not been updated and/or violate any ToS/ToU in regards to weather feeds. The WC moderators are going to keep a close eye on the DesktopX queues so that updates will be pushed through as soon as possible. When updating a current skin, please be sure to make a note in the description that it has been updated with a new weather feed. If authors are do not have a copy of their widgets and are not able to retrieve them from Wincustomize, they are available by request to an admin.
We understand this has caused quite a stir, but this is nothing that can be easily fixed as it’s an issue that is not in Stardock’s nor WinCustomize’s hands. Please keep an eye on the forums for updates from DX coders who are looking at alternative solutions.
Regards,
Spencer WC Admin
This is not good. Otherwise this could be a little problem which could to be hidden and solved without any public discussion. But now it became a BIG PROBLEM and a lot of people will be very disappointed and even wroth. It takes many efforts to solve it...
THe moderators do their best and as information becomes available (like stealing someones images or code) we act.
This really is no different from our normal policy.
I hate to say this but I am, all the discussion about right or wrong, who was paying attention and just plain wanting to place blame really doesn't mean much to me or I venture to say most of the community that have downloaded weather widgets and used them on thier desktops. We want to be able to use them. This thread by ID laid out how the situation is going to be handled.
Understanding that there are personal opinions as how this happened and what should be done, enough all ready.
What's being missed is a couple of us from the community have offer up our time to test the weather widgets as they get updated so they can be re-uploaded to the gallery library. That's what we do, help one another here, or am I missing something again?
Kendawg, what are you trying to accomplish? What is your end goal?
Instead of giving to the authors of WinCustomize some help with the weather widgets, you have decided to delete all of them from WC!Is this a solution? Unbelievable!
Does anybody cares about the thousand users who used to have them in their computer desktop?
It is obvious that WC doesn't care with this solution.
In the other hand, these 10 days period until you start to delete all the weather widgets from WC are not enough during the summertime vacation, most authors are not even aware of the problem.
Please think again, you don't have to delete anything, because if a weather widget doesn't work there is no violation of any ToS/ToU in regards to weather feeds.
Almost all the weather widgets in WC don't work anymore!!!
Desktop X is a tool for creating widgets/gadgets/themes etc..... Stardock sells DesktopX
Sears makes craftsman tools....does that make them responsible for anything you use them to build?
Personally, a week is a very short period of time for me to redo all my themes. Man, this is tough! Do you realize how many DX themes I have in the gallery, and all of them have a weather widget? Seems like this is short. Mine don't work anyway, so there is no TOS/TOU being broken.
It's not shirking responsibility. When I say it's "out of our hands", that means there is nothing we can do to fix every weather related DX creation in the WC gallery. It also means we cannot control or change what TWC has now begun to enforce.
If a widget isn't working, it would never be accepted in the first place. We dont want people downloading widgets that aren't working. That will lead to even great confusion. We are giving the opportunity for people to fix the issues.
Skins are never really deleted, they are just hidden from public view. Someone can update their skin, or contact one of us and we can send them the orginal file if need be.
I didn't create this thread with the intention that a big debate occurs about the past, or every single legality when it comes to feeds and skinning. I'm simply trying to do our best to remedy the current situation going forward.
The bottom line here is:
Mine WERE working when uploaded 3 years ago.
They don't work now. So no violation.
One week is not enough time!!
Once again, we didn't have anything to do with this. This is completely on TWC.
Really, this is the end of it.
Zu,
I understand you and I have no any pretensions to moderators. You and other are the best no doubt!
I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry that this simple problem has not been solved earlier, without fanfare (i.e. quietly and softly)...
What would help is having a script that used METAR information (like Sysmetrix) that doesn't require licensing.
Edit: In case anyone is interested..... LINK
The goal here is to remove widgets that are broken to prevent users from getting somethinhg that does not work.
The week is for any artists that do not have a copy of their original widget to get it.
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