Hey guys. Just sitting here, thinking about you all, my time here, and getting old.
I have been in a lot of pain the last few years, working harder than I did before I "retired". A few health problems.
I miss the everyday goings on here at WC. Seems like there are soooooo many new names (a good thing), yet soooo many of the old timers are gone. ( A bad thing ) Shame... I know a lot of them are alive, just lost interest, lurking, maybe.
I have a very long list of who I miss.
( Boxxi, you are number one in DX, sorry I'm not gonna get to take you down...lol )
I have several skins unreleased due to the original artist fading away. Good skins, it sucks.
Original skins? I have many, and I have 3 unfinished windowblinds just waiting. The urge is gone.
I test a bit for several skinners here. Gives me something to do, I guess....feel a bit useful.
Looking at stats I see I'm still in the top 3 in top skinners for the last 3 months, yet I haven't skinned in a while. (Dunno how that happened)
I wonder if anyone is still interested in anything other than dreams and windowblinds…..
I miss DesktopX badly. But if no one can get it anymore, kinda takes the wind outta your sails.
I have Master status. Why? Who knows? Truly, I never considered myself a master. I just liked doing the "art". But I feel like I lost a bunch of family sometimes. (My best friend Wiz stands out most, but we have lost many others.)
Ahh, getting old sucks.
I want to end this by saying that I appreciate all the support over the years. This is a good place to be, here at WC. I hope many more skinners, enthusiasts, gamers, etc. decide to become members of our clan. I may not be as visible as I used to be, maybe I'm more of a lurker, but I'm still here. I hope some of you still care if I am. Most of you don't even know me. Sometimes, I miss being PuterDudeJim. RedneckDude is ok, but his stats show him being a tad "newer" that the actual truth. Oldies know...
Good friends, good fun, good memories.
You know, this should have been in the community forums, but I have had a few beers.
( Medicinally, to help the pain. Sleep is important to good health.)
I'm still here...for the time being. I often think about doing more stuff, but the pain is just to much...can't concentrate on what I'm doing.
I'm both lurking and commenting. Twelve years into it and I've skinned some but the skinning bug seems to have taken a back seat to life and all the stupid stuff that goes with it. I miss skinning. That said I'm looking at PSP, doing the trial version for now, but looking to buy it. Beats the hell out of a sub. Anyway, getting old is just part of 'comes with the territory' type thing. Can't avoid it so you just go with the flow. I've done docks, tiles, Xion, some calendars and I think maybe a wall or two. Not a whole lot but if I get back into it maybe others will pick up on that and say "If that old fuddy dud can do it..." Stranger things have been known to happen, especially with me and all the weird stuff that happens.
I remember those who inspired me to get into skinning. Sadly some are no longer with us, God rest their souls. Its like, I don't know, honoring their spirit by not giving up on anything really. Two building projects on hold, getting back into writing my book, which I haven't touched in months. Now trying to pick up where I left off. Miss them all I do something terrible but gotta keep on truckin'. Maybe some of the craziness I do will rub off on the young'uns and create a spark. Never know.
Yeah, yo many of the old timers have left or died. Its sad.
Hey Jim im glad your still here, thank you for all you do here bud... god bless...
Hey Jim! You and I and several others I know will probably always be here on WC, but yes, getting old definitely sucks! I turn 68 next month.
Giz, I feel ya, brother.
Ross, keep it coming while you can.
Thanks Ed, needed to read that!
I'm here too. And, yes I go through bouts of health challenge.
I swell have had edema for years now. The diuretics have their own side effects
I still am working just 64 here but its a desk job which takes its own toll on me.
I have found a couple of things recently that seems to help. I have been consuming live culture food products. An Indian style yogurt beverage Lassi(organic milk from grass fed cows live cultures), raw milk blue cheese, Kombucha, etc.
I have reduced bloat and am consuming fewer calories.
And, yes I still want DesktopX back.
This is why I have an avatar that changes to reflect my true member number. I have been here much longer than my status shows.
There isn't enough good vibes goin' around these days. If we all band together and commit some kind of off the wall nonsensical stupid stuff, that's what I call it, and when you take into account WC's world wide membership it just might be contagious. See, I do what I do because that's how I cope with the world. One thing I learned a long time ago is how to deal with stress, I refuse to stress over anything. What I can't change I don't bother with. What I can change I change, at my own pace.
Now people look at me like I'm crazy and that's ok, no problem. I relish what I call my insanity because it works for me, not for everybody though. My doctors say my blood pressure is normal. According to some I should have high blood pressure all things considered but I don't. Go figure. Short story shorter if I can put a smile on somebody's face then its like I accomplished something. I like being me, its weird wonderful and completely unconventional. As I'm sure some people here have figured out by now. So smile chuckle and guffaw. Life's too short not to enjoy the silliness that abounds.
RG you were and now welcome here as with anyone.
As far as the quote. Maybe i'm saying this for my own thoughts but think some of it may be what Jim is saying.
One could be on here from the time they got up to when they went to bed. Now you will only here from and see a very few and not everyday. Bottom line it was always fun.
Also any program problems there were always responses. (excluding weekends and Holidays as expected.) Now it's a rare case when you actually get an answer especially for any programs. I post often when someone has a situation I can answer especially adjusting or making a WB. I have only made a few actual post for myself. Made one on June 22, 2018. I thought and still think it was a polite request. Even an answer as we can't do anything about the situation would have been nice.
Replies now have been for the most part generic. Meaning the same reply with no response or very seldom ever a response. This isn't anything to do with the couple people posting these responses as I'm sure they are doing what they are advise. You can look at this----- Link -----if you like and see what a simple question and how nice I asked not demanded. Must also say I have seen a few answered but also some of the posters had become very nasty actually. Something I refuse to do.
Wish someone could think of how to make this a fun place again.
Dave, yes I also miss the old days, Its was lively, always fun and everyone helped everybody. Most of them died off and some just left. And to those new people this is an old timers site. I am 71 and have been here from close to the start. Most all the little skinning sites have folded up and the one I know that is still there isn't worth going to.
Very good points being made here, glad I started it.
I've tried to do that with various joke and game threads over the last few years, but without many of the old timers the place is dead. These days there are too many lurkers and so very few contributors.... thousands who read the threads but who never ever reply to say they've even been here. I keep trying but it is a lost cause, sadly.
Yeah, the good old days are sadly missed... and I didn't even see the obituary or get to go to the funeral.
I hear you. It took a few years for it to totally happen. Now we really realized it and it's to late.
I'm of the opinion that though it may be late its better than not at all. The world is changing and like it or not we, as the old heads, need to change with it. Not the easiest thing to do but necessary. We can be the mentors, teach the up and coming newbies the ins and outs of WC and and the art of skinning as a whole. A good debate would be how to encourage people to get involved, to show the artistic talent that we know is out there. How to put out there what we do and make it not only interesting but pique their interest, challenge their creativity. The tools exist and there are myriad examples of what's possible. So lets take the doldrums and 86 them shall we. Grab the proverbial bull in the china shop by the tail and hold on tight 'cause its gonna be a wild ride.
What is left to do with current tech? Honest question. There are 5000+ WB skins for Windows. Maybe instead of feeling sadness, it’s better to feel “mission accomplished”.
I actually do feel sad that it seems we have reached some sort of “end” for the desktop. I don’t have the answer what can bring digital art forward. Maybe some kind of 3D interface like in modern games, but that doesn’t seem practical on the desktop. At the end of the day the desktop paradigm is about productivity. The fact that it could be skinned was just a lucky “coincidence”.
We have everything we can think of (skinning-wise) and now we want more, but what is it we want?
Or there used to be, anyway.
But the OP was more about people than skinning.
Hi Everybody!
Hi Dude Jim!
I miss those time too.WC community is a really the best that I ever seen
Jim, Do you remember https://forums.wincustomize.com/318308/page/1/#replies
Guys, I have to agree with him: it's been a 20 year run. 20 years is a lifetime, especially in this business.
I was 32 when I first run into WB, which eventually prompted me to start working on NextSTART and on creating Winstep. I'm 52 now - so much has changed between then and now.
I think I was the oldest newbie back in 2006 when I first signed on. Most did when they were knee high to grasshoppers. Getting started at 54 was kinda late but I did find some kind of niche. First SMX then calendars, docks, etc. Thought I found my thing with Xion but that sort of petered out because of one app, rainmeter. It did just about everything. Had a good run with PS but when it went to a subscription service, even though it was cheap, it didn't quite satisfy. So now I'm working with PSP Pro (trial version) and its ok. I don't get into every day because I went back to writing my book (third time around because the originals had been lost) and I'm up to chapter six in book two. Starts out in the year 2886 and I'm up to 2891 in September. I'll admit its very complex and I had to refresh my memory a bit.
But back to skinning. Sooner or later, hopefully sooner, I'll nail it down and start again with simple stuff. Gonna take a while but I got lots of time on my hands. One thing that's really good is the fact that since I canceled the sub with PS I can now buy up some of those master skins I've been drooling over. Those skins are, believe it or not, a really good incentive. I get one or two a month but over time they'll add up. So...back to work.
Doesn't sound bad at all. Just your thoughts. - What do you have left. Everything that has been made for the last 18 years or so.
It's not about what we want as it's about what the younger people here want. If not the oldest I'm close to the oldest at 73. I still upload WB's on a regular basis. (been a bit but will be uploading soon again) I have over the last few years spend hours and hours helping skinners along. However as you asked can't help younger people if they aren't here, interested, or don't care to learn skinning. There are other older people here that would be glad to help. But if no one is interested what are the older people to do? Nothing as they can't. Except for me most of the people skinning here are several years younger. If SD stays around there will still be new skins for years to come. My opinion is the cell phone has changed this entire concept of computer skinning. Not many people use a computer for daily fun use anymore. Therefore don't even have a clue of how cool one can make a computer look.
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