No, there are banner ads on some Stardock pages (not the main page, though). We're a lot like most companies and try to get a little cash to fund the site through banners. Of course, if you are an Object Desktop Subscriber, you have a license to WebBlinds. Why is that important? What is WebBlinds most compelling feature? Ad blocking. That's right! Just install WebBlinds and see no more banner ads at Stardock or anywhere. If we were pure evil (as people think we are) we would program it so that you would still see out banner ads We will *never* have pop-ups, though, because we all hate pop-ups.

BTW, you don't have to go to ObjectDesktop.net to get any sort of Download. You will want to install Stardock Central from: http://storage.stardock.com/files/stardockcentralrc1.exe All news you need on Object Desktop will be displayed in the "News" section of Stardock Central.

Also, we have no control over the ads that are served.

knatzz:"any investors should be concerned." What investors? Where? Am I missing something? Stardock is a privately owned self-funded company. Trust me, it's a lot harder doing business that way (with less funding) but we would not have the ability to quickly change with the times if we had to have a strict business plan that we had to stick to. (Most investors don't like a company changing products every 6 months) Maybe with that knowledge (no investors or outside funding) you will see why we have banner ads for extra site funding.

If Stardock doesn't have investors, I am sorry I implied that you did. I was positive that I have seen an investment page on your site before, that's what I was going on. Maybe I misread, or something, anyways, I am truly sorry about that. I don't want to sound hostile or rude, but print has a way of doing that to you, ya know? However I still strongly disagree with those tactics. If you you guys are hard up for cash, I'd be glad to pay more for your products, seriously, they are more than a bargain. I think that if I hadn't wrote before I cooled down I'd have been more careful, and probably not posted on this forum, but sent Stardock an email instead. But I did, so let me explain what turned a rational person like myself into the guy who started this thread. 1. I got home yesderday night and turned on my computer, and windowblinds was expired, there was a new version on Stardock Central, which downloaded in 2 seconds and did nothing, rebooted. 2. same situation as before, so I looked around for the newest link to SC and there is yet another one, so I download and updated SC, and there is a new version of WB, so I download that and it installs 1/2 way and then says it can't read a corrupt file. 3. I go to get component manager, and get spammed. 4. nothing on component manager after I installed it. That was what it took to snap me, and it worked. Before everyone says alpha or beta, lets also look at the fact that things like component manager, released software have been less than stable lately. If a program is going to time out, a replacement should be there and working. If Stardock wants to use banner ads, that's their perogative, but as a customer I strongly disagree with it. What happened to me was an extreme circumstance, and I wish to drop it. I don't want to come off as a jerk, and I hope I haven't. Looking back, this was not the place to post this. Behold, the power of SPAM....

And yes, I do use webblinds, and was running it yesterday.

hmmm... now it says We have hotels...


I think it is called advertising. the only fault I could give the site design is that it doesn't mark that area of the web page as 'advertising'

Done.

where's my coffee.

h a banner... I see now... oh yeah... that's always been there...

knatzz, If you are having problems with Stardock Central, then please email [email protected]

The component manager will not have updates on it as it is being replaced by Stardock Central. We have not been updating the Component Manager itself since we have been developing Stardock Central which works much better than Component Manager.

Please also be aware that the versions of WindowBlinds that you are running are beta if it timed out on you.

Here is some info on getting Stardock Central working:
Please make sure that you are running the most recent version, which is located at: http://storage.stardock.com/files/stardockcentralrc1.exe
Then, close and reopen it to run the auto-update feature to make sure that it is the most current version.

Next, go to Tools>edit Stardock.net account

Make sure that the password field is filled in with the correct password. If it is not filled in, or you are not sure if it is correct, please go to: https://www.wincustomize.com/index.asp?cmd=SENDPW and use the lookup to have your password emailed to you.

Other reasons why it won't login:
1) you are using a different email address than what you registered with.
2) the nick that you are trying to register with is already taken and SDC is giving you an incorrect error.
3) you are using a firewall, proxy or ad blocker that is interfering.
4) you did not complete the email confirmation during the registration process

Thank you,
Angie

I must admit I find it strange to have banners on a corporate site. Not on a service site, that's understandable, somebody has to pay te bill. But on a corporate site? I know a lot of companies do it, but I've always found it weird. I'm still waiting to see an Apple add on the IBM site.

Do I have problems with Stardock Central? Of course I do. Who doesn't? I am quite practiced in how to solve them and expect the problems with alpha and beta programs. The only problem I have there is that component manager no longer works and Stardock Central is still in beta, leaving nothing that is "stable" to use. That's fine. I accept that. The Object Desktop system wouldn't work any other way. I realize and am grateful that I can download the newest versions of these fine products without having to go to a store and buy a CD. This process is invaluable and I am thankful for it. I have been through all the things KarmaGirl layed out in #32 on this thread several times and again have no problem with it. That however, is not the issue at hand, nor is it the reason why I started this thread. Stardock has chosen to use banner ads on their website to increase their revenue. As I said before, that's their prerogative, but I feel it is wrong; it cheapens the entire image of the company and associates their public image with undesirable partners. As a customer, I was deceived by one of the ads. I had no way of knowing that it was a banner; the background color of the banner is white, as is the page on which it is displayed, this is not the case with most of the ads, but is with some of them. That is the issue and that is the problem that needs to be addressed. I hope that Stardock seriously re-thinks their strategy on this matter, and I hope that knowing their loyal supporters are being deceived concerns them. As I said before, some of my comments in this thread are heated and extremely out-of-character. In hindsight, I would have used other methods to address this situation before using a public forum. If I didn’t hold Stardock in such high regard, I wouldn’t have said anything at all.

knatzz, I posted that because it sounded like you are not able to download through Stardock Central. SDC is quite stable now, so you should not be having problems with it. If you are not able to download with it, we need to figure that out since you will need to use it to get the new releases. If you are having problems, please send an error report to: [email protected]

As I said before, no problems with SDC, often I experience difficulties logging on and such, but it's nothing I can't solve, and it is getting less frequent day by day. "That however, is not the issue at hand, nor is it the reason why I started this thread. Stardock has chosen to use banner ads on their website to increase their revenue. As I said before, that's their prerogative, but I feel it is wrong; it cheapens the entire image of the company and associates their public image with undesirable partners." I have nothing more to say about this.

Sorry, knatzz, looked like you were having a problem and I just wanted to make sure that it was working for you. You said that you had to download the Component Manager to try to get updates, so that made me think that you were having problems with Stardock Central. Was just trying to be helpful.

And I thankyou, Lady KarmaGirl, it's nice to have helpful people around. Please hold that first and foremost! This thread is out of character for me, I am never this outspoken. But since I have been on this occasion I'd rather have this focus on the Banner ads issue and not turn it into a "problems with SDC" thread. I think we can agree there are enough of those here! I just meant I have said my piece and am done commenting. If it sounded cold or harsh towards any individual, that was not at all my intention. I am doing my best to contructively protest a practice I find very wrong. It is not my intention to offend or attack anyone. I know that some of my earlier posts were very heated, and would have been written more carefully had my mood been better, and I would have used other methods than a public forum first... but I have also stated that in earlier posts. Anyways, this thread is here, and I have said all that I am going to, and apologize to anyone who took me as harsh, I am just very concerned about a company I hold in very high regard.