So if some one was to upload a DXtheme or a W/B with a start button, Task Bar,System Tray and a clock and didn't contain any "copyright/ripping, racist imagery/pornography, and/or systemic endangerment" This could be considered a finished skin and rated as average (5) Assuming that this is acceptable then a wallpaper made from a ss of their desktop should be acceptable for download because there might be some users that would like to have a wall showing their start button.

Well Jafo if you tell me a skin like that is acceptable to Wincustomize (and apparently it is) I won't say any thing else on this subject.

Again, it does not have to be considered anything other than suitable for approval.  You continue to describe uploads with different degrees of inclusion as 'unfinished'  where that is not necessarily the case.

Is a minimalist WB skin 'unfinished' simply because it is minimalist and does not include animations, say?

Are old WB skins 'unfinished' simply because the program has moved on and can now skin more of the GUI than then?

 

Then...moving to the ratings there-of....does a WB skin automatically deserve a higher rating than a bootskin.....afterall it is far more complex?  No, they are rated like for like....so how does that equate with a specifically 'unfinished' [stated by uploader] WB skin over a 'finished' [stated by uploader] WB skin?  Rate what you see....for its standard...then maybe knock off a bit for stated lack of completion.

But...

If it IS claimed to be 'finished'....and some bits are not skinned...what do you do?  Much the same....penalise a little for omission.

Either way, the upload/rate/system can cope with degrees of perceived completion, and is thus a non-issue...

OK plain and simple. Jafo do you think a submitted DXtheme with a Start button, task bar, system tray,clock and a few lines of text an acceptable DXtheme to be offered to the users of wincustomize? Oh by the way it has a couple of problems. any idea how I can fix the problems? Would you consider this to be a finished theme? Is this the type of skins Wincustomize wants to offer their users?

A lot of site MOD.  Skinning.net, Skinnalicious to name a couple.  So are they elitist?  Does Skinartistry MOD? I don't know.  Using this logic, the whole world is elitist.  There are rules for just about everything.  And thank God.  The world would be a mess if there wasn't.

OK...likewise...plain and simple...

Acceptable?...yes.

Finished?...who knows?

Complicated?...probably not.

Would I consider it finished?  If it were supposed to be total bells and whistles...no.  Were it an example of the KISS principle...probably...

Mods can't test everything. Thank goodness we only set an initial rating and the community takes it from there.

Also, as you pointed out, the artist stated it *is* a work in progress ("I'm still working in this theme but i wanted to upload it for u and know your opinion and if it will be worth i effort to make better this desktopx theme.") and a first attempt at a DX theme so I would expect it to not be complete.

In regards to your question to Jafo:
See response above

Ok I have my answer Thank you Jafo

Whether you agreed with me or not my thanks to every one for listening to me and commenting. Most of all thank you for keeping it civil. If nothing else came of this post I hope at least now a WIP will be implemented.

Well I must go now an open Photoshop. So many different styles of start buttons to make. Clocks nope I don't like making clocks. A list, That's it I can make a list of clocks that might go with my start button themes. Well at least I can skin the taskbar and system tray. I hope Wincustomize doesn't have a limit as to how many skins can be uploaded in a day. I should be able to make at least 5 of them a day if I concentrate real hard. Just think of all the downloads I will get.

Thanks All by now...

Oh, hell, I have twice that sittin' in folders for months. I stopped msakin' 'em cause I get stuck.

Here is the problem I am having with this, and I'll try hard to be brief.

Granted the mods cannot test the skin or every skin, but I assume you read the description.

If you do, how can or do you rate something that states it is not finished or a work in progress? Do you rate it on what is done so far? And (as mentioned) take off for it's lack of completion? How can you possibly rate something half done (assuming it states in the description it is incomplete or a WIP) ? On it's potential? On wether the graphics you see so far are cool? How can you rate it at all if you don't know how the rest will look, work, or behave on a computer? If the finished product will even be functional?

With some of the works, take DX, one wrong code could send your system crashing, or shutting off, or whatever. I have downloaded at least 2 WB's that sent my system into a spin and I had to reboot to remove them.

What would the 'average' rating be for a WIP? How could you possibly give it enough points/stars to keep it from going to the author's personal gallery, when there are 'complete' works in the main gallery that may be rated lower for whatever reason, be it the mods rating or the member's rating?

This is why we need a gallery just for WIP's. The other reason is for all the people (Like me) who may be sitting on projects they are stuck in and would like to have just such a gallery to upload them to and have them dissected and critiqued or get help and pointers.

Such a gallery would be helpful to folks on countless levels. To learn how to tame a project that has gotten to big, to understand why this is this way and not that, that there is an easier way, etc. I could go on and I think there are a lot of people here who could add to my list even if I thought it was complete. It would, overall, also help to improve the QUALITY of skins that finally make it to the main gallery and dare I say, insure that MORE skins did make it, whatever they are, boots, walls, WB's, etc.

IMVERYHO and personally...All these little changes being made around the site are nice, good, great, etc. But what about addressing the skinners needs and not just their wants. My head hurts from looking at a WB tutorial's that are outdated, too technical, or written by people who asume or want you to have a pre-understanding of code (No offense intended towards some very noble efforts).

We need this gallery.

First time for everything . . 

Po' Smedley, you got a right idea. After all, one can't really rate a work on progress. Also, its downloads and ratings shouldn't count towards skinners stats.

Yeah, don't want to inflate people's stats with original work in progress vs. 100 fan art bootskin or logon uploads....

I agree.



I think it should be the same for both..and the same gallery if they are WIP...and dare I say...no ratings for WIP's. That is, if I'm understanding you right, boss.

Why can't people just concern themselves with their own work and not worry about somebody else's ratings or download count is what I'm saying.

I'm the first one to call out somebody if I see a rip or something without obvious permission, but if people are playing by the rules, why worry about a special gallery for this or that?

It's more work for WC and the mods. If it passes moderation, it's done. If you download it and it screws up your computer, say something, but other than that, it's the mods who decide what gets posted.

Make sure your own skins work, report a rip if you see one, and leave everybody else's ratings and downloads along.

Its almost scary how many times my machine has crashed because of the things I've modded.  Did a screensaver that took me 3 days to recover from(didn't want to have to reformat)  and a logon that took a few also.  So now I cringe when I load something.