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.  

Yeah, yo many of the old timers have left or died.  Its sad.

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.   

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.

   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.   

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.

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'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?

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

   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.