Can we not just have a normal standalone installer (it never did this when I first discovered and installed it a month or so ago). Seems stupid downloading a 7Mb program and being forced to download and install a n additional 18Mb program that I have absolutely no interest in, was given no warning of during install and giving no information of what this drive-by install actually is/does. You could at least provide an option to untick the install of Impulse, along with an explanation of what the hell it is, during install in the same way most toolbar containing programs do so that the user can make an informed decision as to whether they want it or not.
Legit criticism......??
It's a "F R E E" program........NO ONE is forcing you to use it......
excuse me waiter...this free cake you brought me is in a bowl.....I only eat cake from a plate! take it back to the chef and tell him to fix it!
yeah.....right
True, they have a right to choose whether to use a particular program or not. But no-one has the right to determine how a software company distributes it's software.
As I said, if you don't like the method of distribution, choose an alternative product from another software company.
I've tried searching but wasn't able to find anything similar.Could you provide us with alternatives for Fences that's just as good? And free, perhaps?
I just replaced Fences windows with plain old windows explorer ones and uninstalled Fences.
Not as pretty, but for me, just as functional.
Next to go is an ancient version of ObjectDock to be replaced with RocketDock (<--- probably will get censored) or some such clone that doesn't need SD Captive Impulse and IE7 crap.
Bye SD...
Fences is worth Impulse
Actually i referring to his word choice of paranioa, not whether or not Stardock has the right to make those decisions. It also doesn't change the fact that Stardock has been repeatedly criticized for that choice .
Exactly. And that's why people will keep commenting on this issue. Great products comes with great responsibility.
But for me personally, it's not Impluse. I understand if Stardock uses it's own app manager. Google does it. Adobe does it. Apple does it. It's the IE7 requirement that's the problem. That is completely unnecessary.
So it being free means all criticism has no value? Kinda defeats the whole concept of beta testing if that's what you actually believe.
Reply #30 said it all. Should you dislike Stardock's way,hop to alternative apps would suit you need.
Functionality [or lack of] inherent within prior IE versions means IE7 is a requirement.
Impulse is a new 'technology'....it's intended to at least keep up with current practises.....and is certainly NOT the only such program/installer which requires its user to be vaguely up to date.
LOVE Fences.
30 minutes to install Impulse, register, update Fences.
HATE Impulse.
UNINSTALLED
You ruined a perfectly good app by forcing Impulse. Yea yea I know, it's free. Sometimes free isn't even worth free. Want a way to draw customers to your paid products, don't make the free ones to much of a hassle to use/update. I'm done.
Read it again..... I didn't say that....
key words "legit criticism for forcing"
as I said....no one is forcing anyone to do anything......so how can there be "legit criticism" of a non-event
you can criticize Impulse for what it is....what it does.....etc. but you can't criticize anyone for FORCING IT on you
Bye.
I have to second this.
JDPower, you are beta-testing Fences not Impulse. The criticisms being levelled have to do with Impulse and not any functionality (or lack thereof) pertaining to Fences.
Hi:
My name is Charlie and I am a user experience designer. I think that Fences is a really great tool with a huge amount of potential.
I came on the forum today because when I booted this morning, I got a dialog box telling me that since this was a beta and going to expire on November 1st it would henceforth be running in reduced mode. I came to this site and encountered this whole messy discussion.
As the CEO of a small consulting company, I would like to offer these comments to Stardock:
1. This product meets a real need for people who are knowledge workers and use their desktop to manage all the projects. Mine gets really cluttered with the files for the projects I am working on.
2. I believe that there is a great deal of potential to extend the functionality of this project for the professional/corporate audience. I think it can generate a lot of revenue.
3. Of course you can do what you want but it seems silly to alienate a potentially large market.
4. I never play games. I use my computer as a work tool.
5. I really like .NET products because I don't have to install them and I don't worry they will mess up my registry.
6. I hope that you will be able to provide this product in a way that is simple to keep updated. I don't mind if you want to show me ads for your other products -- in fact I would welcome them -- but only for those products are relevant to my work. I will never play games on this computer and don't want it cluttered.
7. I am still mystified why the beta reports that it will go into reduced mode. This is September, not November. I don;t have a lot of time to spend investigating the issue.
8. If I am forced to download and install what seemed to be a massive games-oriented tool, I will probably -- with great regret -- abandon Fences. I hope that you will rethink how you can serve the professional/corporate market. This is a well-designed and really useful tool.
Best,
Charlie Kreitzberg
CEO
Cognetics Corporation
Due to the fact that a new requirement of Fences is to also install IE7, I will no longer be beta testing this product. I currently am testing the product at work and IE7 is not an authorized browser. We have programs that will not work with IE7. I was really enjoying the program and hope this can be worked out. Until then I will have to abandon the testing of it.
Lots of opinions and suggestions as to how some folks feel the owner of Stardock should do things with the distribution of thier software/programs. Not really any problems with any of that, it's call user or customer feedback. Doesn't matter if it's a beta program of not.
What does get somewhat annoying is the reference to being forced to do things in this thread and the others that you can find in the forums on the subject of Impulse, IE7 and even .NET. Folks have explained thier postion as to whether they want these additional programs or not on thier computer systems, again not a problem with that.
You make the choice as to what gets loaded onto your computer based upon whether you want to use Fences or any other free or paid for program from any company.
To me, that's the bottom line. You are not being forced to do anything.
Charlie_K
Charlie K....try out RightClick......you won't be sorry....
Like you, my computers are for work and communications. I run Impulse about once a week just to make sure my programs are up to date....all my software is located on a tab called "My Desktop" I never see ads or games (unless I want to) and Impulse is not memory resident (unless you want it to be). At a time when a terabyte drive is less than $100 US all I'm losing is disk space. I do have quite a bit of Stardock's desktop enhancements installed and for me Impulse is a necessity. If it's not for you...it can be uninstalled right after you install/update Fences and after trying it I'm sure you'll be adding RightClick.
edit: LINK TO RIGHTCLICK
Oh, I agree with Lantec, give RightClick a try.
Lantec's argument is ridiculous. When was the last time any of us was "forced" to buy or use anything? I mean really, most of us have a choice in our clothing, our furniture, our stores, our games, our OS, our everything. Does this mean that no one should criticize anything since we always have a choice to get something else?
That's nonsene.
There are a lot, a lot of people who can't stand IE in any version. To these people IE7 is not an upgrade as they are not even using it. I am not one of these people as i am not afraid of nor hate IE, but I am certainly not going to belittle a differing opinion especially when this connection to IE has already been examined and questioned many times. Does Stardock have a right to do it? Sure they do and they did, now they should be able ot stand behind that decision and not be so thin skinned they can't handle a little criticism about it.
Last I checked this forum isn't just for fanboys desgined to stroke egos.
Maybe there's a reading comprehension issue or maybe you skipped over a couple threads but thank you for agreeing with me. I didn't start the use of the term "forcing" I merely replied to it.
Oh...and last time I checked....this forum was for "support"
I'm certainly not telling you not to put forth your opinions about the choices we make as a company. What Lantec was saying (I believe) is that saying Impulse is forced on you is, at the least, inaccurate. The closest example of a piece of software being forced on someone that I can come up with would be something like WinAntivirusPro2009. It installs itself without your permission, and cannot be removed through normal channels. This is certainly not how I would describe Impulse.
I'm wondering where the instances of being "thin skinned" are. I looked through this thread, and couldn't find any. I'm also relatively certain we're all standing firmly behind the decision made by our company. All I see are people raising concerns about a decision our company made, and members of that company trying to clear up any possible confusion and explain what's behind that decision.
You're right, it's not. If fanboys want to stroke egos, however, they're certainly welcome to, just as you are welcome to share your opinions.
I think your choices are fine. I have no issues with them whatsoever. I use Impulse and an up to date version of IE. Impulse is certainly not forced on you, but choosing Impulse also means having to put up with IE7+. That's an issue for some people. I read over the post and I don't remember seeing anyone implying that Impulse or IE7 was actually malware.
Trying to make it sound like IE7 is just some security update that is naturally assumed everyone has. It's not. People choose not to have IE and they're not necessarily paranoid for doing so. I also read over the thread again and didn't see anywhere where anyone implied Stardock and company didn't have a right to make that choice but at least 2+ posts respond as if the OP did say that. He didn't. He did say something about Impulse being sneakily installed somehow. I don't know about that as I intentionally installed the program myself so I don't know what the warning/information window looks like when you get Impulse as as secondary install. I don't think I would classify most toolbars as malware either but it is annoying. The comparison isn't accurate either as Impulse is needed and toolbars, well never seen a toolbar required for anything yet.
Either way, you don't need to hide behind the idea that anyone who doesn't have IE7+ isn't up to date, just stick with the fact you made the choice and that is required.
I read over the thread again and didn't see anywhere where I said they shouldn't be welcome. The word just implies that I didn't mean that in the slightest.
Heh. Here's another way of looking at it:
Excuse me waiter, now that you've told me my free cake comes with a mandatory kick in the balls, I think I'll pass. No, I don't think I'll be needing to see a menu of your paid dishes. I think I'll go find a different restaurant instead. You know what would make me not take my money somewhere else? Not receiving a kick in the balls with my "free" cake.
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