Since 1999, Stardock has been a pioneer in digital distribution.  The original Galactic Civilizations was the first PC game to be released at retail and digitally at the same time.  Its flag-ship product, Object Desktop, made the transition from being a retail product to being digitally distributed with a subscription in 1999.

For the past few years, Stardock has distributed its content with Stardock Central:

Stardock Central

And while Stardock Central was very cutting edge when it was launched back in 2003, it's getting a bit long in the tooth.  For the past year, Stardock has been working on a  new platform that will finally combine Stardock's various technological assets into a single place. This new platform is called Impulse.

Impulse

Impulse isn't just a cosmetic make-over of Stardock Central. It greatly expands the capabilities of Stardock's digital distribution offerings. 

Here are 5 key differentiators of Impulse:

1. Users do not have to load Impulse to use the software or games.
2. Impulse will support third-parties submitting their software or game, name their price, and then after review having it available -- all done nearly automatically. Stardock already has this system in place on WinCustomize.com with "Master" themes.
3. Impulse will integrate its next-generation social networking features in the Community tab that will let users have friends, chat about games, have blogs, and more.
4. Impulse includes built in support for backing up your purchase to CD/DVD.
5. Impulse allows users who buy software or games at retail to still manage their updates and re-download the entire product on Impulse (for products that support this feature).

Impulse provides a cleaner UI than Stardock Central.

Managing your software on Impulse is a snap. If you bought a game or software program at retail or even from another digital distributor, you may be able to still manage updates and such on Impulse.

Impulse is still in internal beta at Stardock but it expects to release it in mid February with additional features for it being added through the course of the year.

Now for this weeks picks! 

	Kallista for CursorFX by BoXXi BoXXi is back again with another cursor set, this time more "subtle" than the last.  Great work.
	Aero Executive Wall Clock in DesktopX themes by  Tiggz This is an animated desktop clock that perfectly compliments the Aero Executive WB skin.
	Poubel Coconuts in Dreams by brenopoubel We have another "tropical" .dream this week.  This has some gently swaying palm trees against a sunset background.
	Dreamweaver for IconPackager by Skinhit This icon pack is part of the "Dreamweaver" suite over at SkinArtistry.  Very nice.
	Classic Arcade for SoundPackager by Diamond12a If you are a fan of classic arcade games, then this sound pack is definitely for you.
	The Stowaways Make Plans in Wallpapers by kenwas Another beautifully rendered wallpaper from kenwas.  This is the standard resolution, but be sure to check his page for a widescreen version.
	Buzzz for WindowBlinds by SKOriginals This WindowBlinds skin was designed for Vista, and his a sleek design that also recolors well.
	X & Y for WindowBlinds by navigatsio I guess we could call this a Valentines Day skin, but either way it has a fantastic color and design.
	Aura for WindowBlinds by Stardock Design Another free skin from Stardock Design.  This time an update of Aura for WB6 and Windows Vista.

Valentines Day is just a couple of weeks away, so if you have a Valentines Day skin already posted, or plan to, be sure to drop me a note.  See you next week!

Believe it or not this is not another "Vista sucks" rant. Sure, my experience with Vista, so far, has not been perfect but not to that point. I am, so far, actually quite pleased with Vista. I have had a couple of issues with some games that won't work but I'm sure I will find a version that does. It just a matter of doing the research online.

So, down to business. This is my baby, an HP Pavillion dv9740us. Here are the specs;

PC Wizard 2008 Version 1.82

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Owner: *****

Organization: Hewlett-Packard

User: *****

Operating System: Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium Home Edition 6.00.6000

Report Date: Tuesday 29 January 2008 at 18:45

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<<< System Summary >>>

> Mainboard : Quanta 30CB

> Chipset : Intel GM965

> Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile T5500 @ 1666 MHz

> Physical Memory : 3072 MB

> Video Card : Nvidia Corp GeForce 8600M GS

> Hard Disk : TOSHIBA (160 GB)

> Hard Disk : TOSHIBA (160 GB)

> DVD-Rom Drive : Optiarc BD ROM BC-5500A ATA Device (this baby plays Bluray)

> Monitor Type : LGPhilipsLCD - 17 inches

> Network Card : Intel Corporation Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN

> Network Card : Realtek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC

> Operating System : Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium Home Edition 6.00.6000

> DirectX : Version 10.00

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know about you but I think that's a pretty sweet setup. I have waited 10 years to get myself a laptop and I figured I get a decent one. As you can see it has Windows Vista Home Premium. While I would have preferred Ultimate, I'm ok with this for now. So far my experience with Vista has been pretty good. A few game problems as I have mentioned but nothing I can't eventually solve. I do, however, hate that constant screen that comes up everytime I install or run a program asking permission to run it. I can understand the security point of it, but this is ridiculous. Microsoft really killed it here.

The large screen is awesome; everything looks great including movies and games. Considering how much I was gonna pay for a 15.4 inch Dell XPS with similar components, I got a great deal and saved on shipping time and price. At first I was unable to play a bluray movie I bought; I had to update the Quickplay feature this HP PC came with in order to play the Bluray disk. It's similar to the Windows Media Center and I like it somewhat. I can listen to my MP3's, watch DVD's and other movie formats, I can listen to local FM stations, internet stations and it even came with a TV Tuner card and a nice remote control so I can watch TV anywhere.

I bought myself a copy of Call of Duty 4 and, while this still being a laptop it does lag from time to time but works great none the less. It's a great game though it's very short. I beat it in 2 days. I figure it was more designed for the online experience than anything else. So far most of my programs have worked flawlessly so I think Vista is a keeper. My wife is also happy; she got herself her own laptop, a n HP dv9000 series like mine, just not as powerful and with a few less features.

I'm a happy camper. This Pc will keep me busy for a while. What do you fellas think?

For nearly a decade, Object Desktop has been the premiere solution users of Windows to turbo-charge their desktop experience. In 2008, we're going to see some of our biggest changes yet.

Preliminaries

Starting this year, Stardock is going to create two versions of Object Desktop. There will be normal Object Desktop which will have the core parts of the suite (WindowBlinds, IconPackager, DesktopX, etc.) and Object Desktop Ultimate which will a lot more programs in it. All present users of Object Desktop will be automatically migrated to Object Desktop Ultimate.

Another change this year will be how Object Desktop is packaged. In the past, a new user would simply get a serial # and a link to download Stardock Central.

This year, Stardock Central will be going away. Instead, a new program (which we can't yet talk about) will be replacing it to provide a much better experience not just with Object Desktop but in terms of managing all kinds of digital content. Moreover, users will download a core Object Desktop download so that we can assume that certain basic pieces of the program are installed.

The core of Object Desktop 2008 will be:

• WindowBlinds
• IconPackager
• DesktopX
• DeskScapes (if applicable)
• MyColors
• Object Desktop LaunchPad
• New Updating program

Additional programs that will be included with the standard edition of Object Desktop 2008 are:

• SoundPackager
• 3 premium suites plus 3 additional premium suites within the year.

Object Desktop Ultimate will include the above plus all the other programs that you expect with Object Desktop. And as mentioned, if you have Object Desktop at the time of launch, you get Object Desktop Ultimate automatically.

The growing importance of content

As some people have noticed, Stardock Design has begun releasing free content into the community in the form of skins, themes, icons, wallpapers, suites, etc.

One of the big changes for Object Desktop users will come in the form of a steady stream of content that will be free to Object Desktop users. Every so often, Stardock Design will release a new premium suite that will be automatically appended to your account as something you can download through MyColors. The minimum commitment is 6 per year (1 every other month).

Stardock wants to be able to fully demonstrate the capabilities of Object Desktop as well as provide samples and tutorials to up and coming skin authors who want to make their own stuff.

So what else is new?

We're still in the process of migrating things to Windows Vista. By the end of 2008, everything should have a Windows Vista version (that includes 64-bit). In fact, on that front, we will begin acquiring increasing numbers of 64-bit Vista boxes for making us "live in" 64-bit mode.

Windows XP users will continue to see Object Desktop grow in the sense that features thought to be possible only on Windows Vista will migrate to Windows XP users.

We'll also have a lot of updates to existing programs including:

IconPackager 4

Most people may not realize how important IconPackager 4 is going to be. If you're a Windows Vista user, you must realize by now that most existing icon packages are useless on Vista. That's a real shame since there's so many good icon packages out there. IconPackager 4 will address this in the following ways:

1. IconPackager 4 will allow users to independently set their live folder icons from the rest of the package.
2. IconPackager 4 will automatically scale up existing icons such that they look correct on Windows Vista.
3. IconPackager 4 will have a much better user interface to allow us to expand its base feature set more easily in the future.

IconDeveloper 2

Noticed that there aren't as many new icon packages as there used to be? That's because it's a lot more work to make icons for Windows Vista.

IconDeveloper has been rewritten for the Vista age. It runs fine on Windows XP but now icon artists can future-proof their work. Eventually Stardock hopes to add wizards and other helpers to make creating Vista-specific elements even easier.

IconDeveloper 2 will be part of Object Desktop Ultimate.

TweakVista 1.x

You may have heard somewhere but not all people are perfectly happy with Windows Vista. TweakVista is Stardock's answer to this by allowing users to tweak and alter Windows Vista safely in ways that match the user's preference.

TweakVista 1.1 is due out shortly with additional updates due throughout the year. Available on the Ultimate Edition.

WindowBlinds 6.x

WindowBlinds will, of course, continue to evolve throughout the year. There's a lot of area where we still want to give users more control. For example, fonts. We want users to be able to control fonts to a much greater degree than they currently do.

DesktopX 3.x

DesktopX has not had a smooth ride on Windows Vista. That's because of the UAC. DesktopX widgets and such rely heavily on VB Script which the UAC has made a lot more difficult to deal with. Another popular type of widget/gadget have been ones that make use of the NT performance monitors.which are largely gone or forbidden in Windows Vista. So now you know why DesktopX 3.5 hasn't shown up in a timely manner.

So what's the future of DesktopX? Once Vista SP1 officially comes out, Stardock will be able to make final compatibility testing and release. But that won't be the end of the DesktopX journey on Vista. That's just the beginning.

DesktopX's future will rely increasingly on providing more plug-ins to allow authors to build a lot more types of widgets and gadgets. We're starting with the media player gadget. Then we plan to create:

• Weather gadget plugins
• Performance monitor plugins
• Clock plugins
• RSS plugins
• Stock plugins
• And others on request

In this way, the "coding part" is handled by Stardock and skinners can focus purely on the skinning part.

DeskScapes 2.x

DeskScapes is another key component of Object Desktop that a lot of resources will be going into. DeskScapes is a lot like WindowBlinds in those early days where users found that some skins used virtually no CPU and others used a ton. DeskScapes is like that too. Some of the included content uses virtually no CPU at all. But on the other hand, some of the video-based content uses quite a bit. Your mileage will vary.

SkinStudio 6

There's still some work to do on SkinStudio 6 but we're getting close to the point where we think it's ready for general availability and then we can move on to adding more features (like batch colorizing!). SkinStudio 6 is key because it will allow more casual users to be able to make skins again.

MyColors

No single project had more resources put on it this year than MyColors. On the surface, it seems like such a simple program. But under the covers, it's a feat of engineering. Consider all the permutations in which someone might have WindowBlinds, IconPackager, etc. installed and making sure that users who get a MyColors theme can run them via WindowBlinds or MyColors depending on the version. MyColors 2008 was the first version that could safely coincide with WindowBlinds and IconPackager on the same system thanks to its self-healing architecture.

Other Notes

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There will be updates to most of the other programs already in there along with the addition of a couple of new programs later this year that I can't yet talk about. Suffice to say that both XP users and Vista users will be in for some pleasant surprises we think.

But 2008 will definitely mark a turning-point for Object Desktop. It will be the year in which we explicitly have a consumer version as well as a power user version and are able to cater to both groups accordingly.

Probably the single biggest change will be the vast increase in the amount of resources dedicated to Object Desktop. This can be seen most particularly in the content arena with free MyColors themes being provided every other month or so.

Object Desktop 2008 (standard) will remain $49.95 and renew for $34.95. Object Desktop Ultimate Edition will list for $69.95 and renew for $39.95. All existing Object Desktop users at the time of launch will be migrated automatically to Ultimate edition.

Three weeks back I made a post asking the community to come up with a series of questions they always wanted to ask the Moderator Team.  Well, after over 70 replies, I was able to extract 20 excellent questions.  Over the next month, I will be asking the mods 5 questions a week and posting the results each Friday for you to read, enjoy and pick apart. 

This week, we heard from WOM, Koasati, starone, Zubaz, Quentin94, Fuzzy Logic, elvee, Jafo, Hankers, Erk, Snowman and even KarmaGirl.  Enjoy!

Introductions...

To start off, I asked each moderator to talk a little bit about how they became a mod, what their skinning background is, what they do professionally, and what they help cover here at WinCustomize.

Wizop WOM
	I became a mod 2 years ago, I think.  Time flies.  Took me 6 months to become a member and that was only after the wife told me I couldn't use her account anymore.  Met a lot of people here that I call friends and only wished that they lived closer.  I'am a non skinner but my ex-wife is a skinner so I know what it takes to skin.  I'am retired from the Army and the Post Office.   I mod Dreams, LogonVista, Rainlendar, Syametrix, ScreenShots, Wallpapers, WindowBlinds and CursorXP.
Super Wizop Koasati
	I started skinning in 1999. Actually started with wallpapers. Getting past Moderation at skinz.org was tough back then.  I moved on to small skinnable apps like BeatNik, QuickChanger, and several others (just can't remember the names at this time).   I started creating NextStart themes, and later HoverDesk.  I was a beta tester for HoverDesk, until development ceased.   I've make a few WindowBlinds, but nothing special.  I love making Dock Icons for ObjectDock. I've also made a few dock backgrounds. I honestly don't remember when I became a mod.  I was recruited by DavidK, shortly before he left us.
Wizop starone
	Well, as everyone knows, have just recently become a mod.  As far as skinning, have tried my hand at all of it from winamp (never again), wmp, sys, wb's, icons, cursors, etc.  As far as professional (hum, how far back do you want to go with this?), well anyway, most of the years as a legal secretary.  Have written and published a poem book.   Am retired now and raising my 5 year old granddaughter (very interesting to say the least). I have been assigned Logon Vista, icons, winamp, and WinMedia for moderation.
Sir Zubaz
	My name is Aaron and I'm not a skinner.  I've been a Stardock app user for years though, back to OS/2 days.  In the past year I've submitted a few things and I have more stuff for personal use that I can't bring myself to submit publicly. I've been a mod for one year, two weeks although it seems I've been here forever. I'm able to moderate all the galleries but stick to mostly ObjectBar, DesktopX, Soundpackager, and Dreams.  I don't consider myself a good enough artist to moderate anything else unless there's a backlog and I can help out.  I also moderate the forums.  The nice thing there is that we have a good community and it's rare that I have to do anything more than PM a user that we all need to act like part of the community.  I like helping out on technical easy issues so Stardock support can focus on the harder stuff and serve the users faster.
Wizop Quentin94
	I became a member on August 2006, subscribed on december 2006 and became a moderator on November 2007.  I like help around in forums and share my works and little contributions.  I found here so many friends and very nice peoples (Wishing meet them in future), it's a great place, like another home. I made/make WindowBlinds, Wallpapers, IconPackages, DX Objects, DX widgets, DX Themes, Suites, CursorXP/FX, Bootskins, LogonsXP, LogonsVista, ObjectDock backgrounds and Icons, Rainlendars, ObjectBar2, RightClick, Avatars, Misc. Icons, Xion and Sound Schemes. I'm a cashier and agent of reception for a cinema operator.  I draw, I've also written poems but never had the time.. Ok never had the courage to meet an editor I mod DX Themes, DX Widgets, DX Objects, Misc. Icons and ObjectDock.
Overseer Fuzzy Logic
	I became a moderator on 7th June 2004. I 'found' skinning shortly after getting my first pc in May 1999. I started changing the colours almost immediately, then found I could change icons etc with Desktop Architect. I then discovered Neoplanet, a skinnable browser which still works today. By the summer I'd stumbled across WindowBlinds. Suddenly my pc had a new purpose! In 2001 I made my first WB skin, and the rest is history... Currently I'm working for a small accountancy practice. Mainly running a payroll bureau, but also doing clients' VAT returns etc. Up until last September I spent 15 years as a Payroll Manager for a large manufacturing company. I moderate whatever needs doing. I don't have Litestep, so that's the only one I don't moderate at all.
Moderator elvee
	I became a Mod almost a year ago and it really took me by surprise.  I don't call myself a Skinner though I have dabbled with Cursors, Single icons, DesktopX, Walls and Suites, but suites are not skinning I have been with Wincustomize since it's inception, coming over from Skinz.org. I indirectly work for Miss Utility locating underground cables, Telephone and Electricity. I moderate CursorXP, DesktopX, (themes, packs and widgets.) Misc. Icons and ObjectDock.
Admin Jafo
	I became a moderator [Wizop] a long time ago...before there was carbon-dating....ah, found it....July, 2001.  We'd all come from skinz.org...where I'd lasted a week as 'admin'.... [I still maintain there's no relation ].... I started skinning in '98 [Litestep and Winamp]...though had done those silly things like changing the shape/colour of your command cursor in DOS..... My professional background is in Architecture ... started in '72 ... still learning... I have since been promoted to 'Admin' so can/do access virtually all the galleries/forums/etc., keeping a quiet, gentle finger on the Wincustomize pulse.....
Big Cheese KarmaGirl
	I have worked for Stardock since before there was a WinCustomize.  I actually remember the day that Brad went running through the office talking about the impending demise of Customize and how we needed to create a place for the community.  I don't skin, but I manage the Stardock Design team (at least I pretend to).
Wizop Erk.
	I was asked to become a moderator about a year ago, after hanging around the site, and on #stardock irc on a daily basis since about 2003. I used to help folks out as much as I could, and I think that was 'noticed' by the higher-ups.... My skinning background is mostly of a personal nature ..I do it for myself. I've been around the skinning scene for quite a long time though. I've uploaded a few wallpapers here, but none worthy of checking out - just trust me on this.   I make my own objectdock icons if I need one, though I never share them. I've also made several attempts at ObjectDock backgrounds [with tabs], and succeeded once. I never use it [the background]. I'm currently trying to throw together some xion skins for personal use, but work gets in the way often and I find myself putting things like skinning aside due to being tired. This annoys me sometimes, as I love using Photoshop, but never seem to find the time to fire it up these days.  My professional occupation is in tourism. I run a visitor information & booking office in Cairns, Australia. It's a job I love doing, because I get to meet some wonderful people from the world over. I have friendships that go back over 10 years with folks from overseas I've met through my job. I've been in Tourism/Hospitality pretty much all my life. In my position as Moderator here on Wincustomize, I look after ObjectDock, Windowblinds, Rainlendar and DX widgets, along with other mods who help with those galleries as well. I also keep an eye on the forums and skin comments sections when I can.
Moderator Hankers
	I became a Mod about 1½ years ago.  I don't consider myself a skinner and I'm happy to decorate my desktop with skins from several of the talented skinners here on Wincustomize. Retired now but in my other life I was in Training and Computer support. I moderate Winamp, Icon Packages, Xion and ObjectDock and a lot of my time is spent assisting users in the forums (any that Zu has not gotten to yet).
Super Wizop Snowman
	When did I become a mod?  I do believe it was waaaaay back in late 2003. I was 'headhunted' from Skinbase   Been a member here since just a few hours after Jafo signed up. We "originated" from the same skinsite - the mother of all skinsites, the good ol' Brown Site: skinz.org If it's skinnable, I probably know about/of it. I quit skinning back in February of 2006, and up untill that time I have created some 425 skins for various applications + I keep the largest (known) private skincollection - The Skinventory. I've been working at a storage facility/warehouse for the largest electronics renting company here in Denmark - L'easy, for the past two years. For moderation, I'm more or less an "allrounder".

Question 1 -

Wizop WOM
	I really don't get excited by any skinner when I'am looking to see what needs to be modded.  I try hard not to be prejudiced by who the skinner is, that way I can be neutral and give everyone a fair shake.  As for whick skinners suprise me, I'd say SKoriginals and I.R. Brainiac.  They do some very different windowblinds.
Super Wizop Koasati
	I honestly try to ignore the uploaders name, and concentrate on the upload.  I can tell you, I've seen more than a few that excited more 'before'   I opened, than 'after' I got it open.
Wizop starone
	Actually I look at the media before the names.  Judge the content and not the names.
Sir Zubaz
	I try to avoid noticing who is submitting what.  I don't want to be biased.  That being said, there are some artists that have such a unique style that it's a thrill to see their work.  I love the ones that push the envelope.  IRB, RomanDA, sViz, vStyler, mikeB
Wizop Quentin94
	I try to don't read the name of the artistes just judge the upload, i always download the skin and install/open it before all (even see the screenshot, the name or the description)   I'm excited by upload with originality and quality.
Overseer Fuzzy Logic
	I never bother looking at names, I just download and test.
Moderator elvee
	When it comes to Modding submissions, I have to put my personal likes and dislikes on the side. I don't wish to look at names and treat each one fairly.  The community spirit keeps surprising me:) Projects, Contests, You Guys Rock!
Admin Jafo
	I tend to only get excited by what I call 'reliable names'.... meaning uploads that can be 'trusted' to either work and/or have appropriate permissions .... and thus not be a potential 'drama'.  The process of approving/refusing/checking uploads can be quite tedious....perfect example is the 30 meg screensaver....that had to be downloaded and checked [and installed/uninstalled] THREE times before appropriate permissions were properly included.
Big Cheese KarmaGirl
	No, I really don't look for the names,  just look at the submission.   There are a few that I see the same stuff from over and over again.  I always wonder if they try anything new or if they are stuck making fractals and cutting out clip art.
Wizop Erk.
	I also try NOT to look at the artists name on a submission, so I can be fair & unbiased in my application of it's initial rating, before I 'send it out to the masses' ...but there are plenty of folks here that make quality work that I love to be surprised with when opening a file downloaded for checking.
Moderator Hankers
	I don't check the names. I download, make sure it works,is in the proper file format and ensure that the permission has been included if required.
Super Wizop Snowman
	No artist in particular "excite" me more than any one else. In fact, who made the skin doesn't matter one bit to me. I judge the skin(s) by it's look/feel, not by who made it!   Having been in "the business" for nearly 10 years makes me very hard to surprise. You coulde say that "I've seen it all

Question 2 -

As a moderator, what do you see as your daily challenge?  (Philly0381)

Wizop WOM
	I guess trying to maintain my kool and not get upset when people either rag on you or the other mods.  All you can do is your best and learn to do it better.
Super Wizop Koasati
	No answer provided...
Wizop starone
	Daily challenge is getting it right.
Sir Zubaz
	The biggest challenge for me is walking the line between being "one of the guys" and being Big Brother.  I don't ever want to lose being a part of the community and I think I'd retire if I thought I was losing that.  (OK, now the truth . . . spelling/typing is my biggest challenge . . but you all knew that already, right?)
Wizop Quentin94
	Challenge? My best Daily moderator's challenge is to write a correct english and to be understandable
Overseer Fuzzy Logic
	Finding the time to do everything which needs to be done. There's this thing called real life which keeps getting in the way. Today is typical of late: Got home from work, cooked the dinner, went shopping, cleaned the cooker, then sat down here to type this and have a coffee. Once I've done this quiz I'll be into the shower then off to bed. No time for moderating today!
Moderator elvee
	To be fair and nonjudgmental.
Admin Jafo
	Seeing that everyone is enjoying the site [Wincustomize] and skinning .... as much as they 'should' be, and with minimum 'agro' from what we would call the 'silly people'.
Big Cheese KarmaGirl
	Looking at everything with a fresh eye and trying to see things as others would see them.
Wizop Erk.
	Getting it 'right' ...to my standards and/or satisfaction. I sometimes walk away for a few minutes if I've been inundated with some particularly "questionable" work and have had to rate low as a result. This way I come back with fresh eyes & a fresh attitude for the next submissions. On the forum side, I rarely have to do much other than clean up the odd spam post, as most of our great community are a fantastic bunch, and are old enough/smart enough to take care of themselves.
Moderator Hankers
	There's no 'challenge' being part of this great community.
Super Wizop Snowman
	Picking out the "rotten apples"! With tens of thousands of skins available, it can be hard telling the rips from the real deal.

Question 3 -

Coffee or tea?  (ALMonty)

Wizop WOM
	Coffee, coffee, cofee.  An avid coffee drinker but only in the am.
Super Wizop Koasati
	Coffee!! I love coffee, don't like tea.
Wizop starone
	Coffeeeeeee by all means.
Sir Zubaz
	Mostly coffee.  My wife makes it for me if I clean the press.  Otherwise I may have tea to avoid making it myself.  It just tastes better when she does it.
Wizop Quentin94
	Coffee, Tea, Coca... but mostly Coffee. All the day.
Overseer Fuzzy Logic
	Coffee of course. Tea is for grannies...
Moderator elvee
	Tea is way much better:)
Admin Jafo
	I'm ambivalent...easy-going.... as long as it's a drug I'm FOR it ... [did I say that out loud?]
Big Cheese KarmaGirl
	Coffee....Coffee...Coffee!
Wizop Erk.
	Coffee, ...home brewed [Dripfilter] ..none of that freeze-dried 'instant' crap they call coffee.
Moderator Hankers
	Coffee - made with freshly ground coffee beans. No instant!
Super Wizop Snowman
	COFFEE!!!! Tea is the worst way of getting people to consume hot water... yuk.

Question 4 -

Do you ever get temped to "accidentally" press the exile button when someone is being silly?  (Fuzzy Logic)

[Note: "Exile" bans an account from using the site in the future.  Only Super Wizops and above have this ability]

Wizop WOM
	Hehe, no but I don't have the exile button capability.
Super Wizop Koasati
	Never accidentally.
Wizop starone
	Aw Fuzzy, silly is part of life.  Have to have humor these days.  I believe it is known as survival.
Sir Zubaz
	I've never wanted to exile someone for being silly.  I have thought that some folks were pushing the line of hospitality and deserved the boot.  Thankfully, we mods have a forum where we can discuss "problem children" and issues.  Usually, as a team, we find a way to address the problem without resorting to drastic measures.  I never take a exile lightly.  I see it as partly my failure for not finding a way to resolve the situation without losing a member
Wizop Quentin94
	I don't have the exile capability. But admitting i've it, no i don't think i exile someone accidentally for being silly.  Exile is the "end option", i believe we can sometimes and hopefully many time find a solution by dialog (Pms or Emails).
Overseer Fuzzy Logic
	Hmmm, you still can't tell when I'm being flip... That was a humourous response to people asking silly questions [Zoomba - I decided to use a few of the silly questions for fun] As for exiling in general, some one would have to do something really serious for it to get that far. There's an established route to follow when someone misbehaves, starting with a friendly pm. Exiling someone would be a very drastic step, and would be discussed on the admin board before any decision was taken. Spammers etc are gone immediately, they aren't part of the site or the community. So are warez users - zero tollerance.
Moderator elvee
	What exile button? We get an Exile Button?
Admin Jafo
	Yes.... used to be almost daily ...now it's probably more 'monthly'. [either means people are getting less silly...or I'm more tolerant, and yes, I have the button.... it's big, red and shiny [well, it isn't....but it would be if I had my way]]
Big Cheese KarmaGirl
	Never by accident..but the temptation does exists sometimes.
Wizop Erk.
	I think I was holding the door when these were given out ...I missed getting mine. ...umm Zoomba??
Moderator Hankers
	There is no 'Exile Button' on this rock.
Super Wizop Snowman
	No never.

Question 5 -

Wizop WOM
	No, never have, but I have had to bite my tongue a few times and not lay into someone like I would if we were face to face.  Have to remember that I represent Wincustome, so I have to watch what I say.  To bad, so sad.  Hehe.
Super Wizop Koasati
	Yep.
Wizop starone
	Hum, throw your hands up and walk away?  Shucks no.  Gotta have challenges.  Sort of like doing a blind I'd say - very challenging.
Sir Zubaz
	There have been times when real-life (tm) has weighed heavily upon me and crap happened here that made me want to walk away.  But in the end . . . this place is home and it improves my life.
Wizop Quentin94
	Not really, i love challenges. But we are humans (at least some of us), and someday that could happen.  Happened only once, when someone didn't understand me (not a language problem but don't want listen), but in this case i passed it to another mod, and looked at it later
Overseer Fuzzy Logic
	Not for a while... though if I don't get any free chocolate soon I may just go walkies...
Moderator elvee
	No way. It becomes 'stop and regroup time'.
Admin Jafo
	Once or twice.... but I'm a sucker for punishment.  Actually...it's a great community [WC] ... great Proprietors [Stardock] ... great bunch of people to get to know and be involved with.  I wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else [silly saying...implies you'll see me dead here - which I'd hope won't be the case...at least not before I finish typing this]...
Big Cheese KarmaGirl
	Nope.  Too many cool things happening all the time to ever get discouraged by any minor conflict.
Wizop Erk.
	No, never ...I really think they'll have to surgically remove me if it ever came to that point.
Moderator Hankers
	There have been times and probably will be more. We are only human (except for Fuzzy - he has pointy ears).
Super Wizop Snowman
	Oh yeah, many a time!! But in this business you don't quit - you die

The month is coming to a close rather quickly and we have had some terrific submissions and news this week.  Starting off I have to mention the 3rd WinCustomize Community Contest organized by BX and supported by many sponsors from WC and the community.  The contest starts February 15th, and more details and list of prizes can be found at the above link.

Now for this weeks picks! 

	Vista LiN for Bootskin by Alperium This is an awesome bootskin with a beautiful design.  Great work.
	Pac-Man for CursorFX by TOMPCpl TOMPCpl hasn't been submitted too long, but he's been putting out some very cool work lately. If you are a fan of Pac-Man, then this cursor is for you.
	Lexa for CursorFX by TYCUS This week we have another cool cursor with some great animations.  Check it out.
	Vista Live Search in DesktopX Widgets by Julynessi This widget uses to Microsoft Live Search for its search, and it has a clean Aero design.
	Surfs Up in Dreams by CarGuy1 I really like this one.  Put it with a matching skin and this will really make your desktop tropical.
	Webslinger in Wallpapers by DR Zues This looks like his first submission at WC, and what a great start.  I would just like to see more resolutions made.

This was really a great week, and there were so many skins that I wanted to feature.  I can only pick a select number each week, but always take a look through the galleries to see the many other skins submitted from the past week.  See you next week!

Every week I talk with a wide variety of users, and a topic that has been coming up lately is how to change the Windows icons.  Over the past years, IconPackager has become the most popular way to change your Windows icons.  It's become so popular because of the ease of use and the large amount of icon packs.

While IconPackager is easy to use, I still wanted to do an article highlighting the features and some basics of how to use IconPackager.  IP is available as a stand-alone application, or part of the Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancements.

You have IconPackager installed, so what to do now? 

The most obvious part of the interface is the themes themselves.  IconPackager includes several themes, and you can download hundreds more at the IconPackager gallery on WinCustomize.  If you download an icon pack, simply double-click the file to install, or you can also select "Install new package" from the IP configuration window.

Just below the theme list you have a "preview" button.  Click this to get a preview of the icon package and allows you to browse the various sections of the package to see the icons before applying them.

To apply one of the installed packages, make sure it's selected and then click load and apply.  Your new icon theme should appear.  The list on the right of the configuration has boxes which you an enable/disable certain icons from being changed. 

To get back to your the normal Windows icons, just select the Windows default icons and apply them.  Your icons will then revert back to default.

Another cool feature is how IconPackager integrates into the shell where you can right-click a file and change the icon from there.  This is very handy if you have a special file or folder that you want to designate a specific icon with.

That is the basics of changing your icons with IconPackager.  You can use this to change your icons on Windows XP and Vista, and it even supports Live Folders (Vista).  I will cover other features in the next article about IconPackager.  There is a free trial available for download and more information at the IconPackager website. 

More information: https://www.stardock.com/products/iconpackager/

After weeks of voting, at last we present to you the full list of winners.  These skins and skinners were nominated and voted on by the community.

2007 Skinner of the Year:

It was a tight race, with the lead swapping between several skinners throughout the week, but after all was said and done, one skinner came out ahead and can be crowed the WinCustomize Skinner of 2007:

Night Train

2nd Place: Quentin94

3rd Place: I.R. Brainiac

CursorXP Theme:

1st Place Destkop Warbird Drill'n Boss	2nd Place Curvy Richard Mohler	3rd Place (Tie) Protozoa Chuckeye	3rd Place (Tie) Vienna J. Aroche

DesktopX Widget:

1st Place CitriumXP v3 Fairyy~	2nd Place SD Desktop 4.01 Vad_M	3rd Place RC Radio buzzh58

Rainlendar:

1st Place Eon Richard Mohler	2nd Place Glass Fairyy~	3rd Place Talc Rainlendar Xiandi

Xion Skin:

1st Place Alexis zeolyte	2nd Place Arileen Quentin94	3rd Place Valiant zeolyte

Sysmetrix Skin:

1st Place Earth II don5318	2nd Place Snowflake pinchecl	3rd Place OM System 1024 Pan Yeti

Wallpapers:

1st Place Season's Reflections buzzh58	2nd Place Sands of Time tippytoenail	3rd Place Harmony Leaf PixelZ01

ObjectDock Skin:

1st Place Turbo Tabbed & Side Docks WebGizmos	2nd Place Vienna 2 Spectrum messiah 1	3rd Place Sexy Docks messiah1

DesktopX Theme:

1st Place Eon Richard Mohler	2nd Place ScreenX buzzh58	3rd Place Vista Bug buzzh58

WindowBlinds Skin:

1st Place Citrium Night Train	2nd Place Azkaban WB 5.1 HeirOfSlytherin	3rd Place October Night Train