Shoutbox

quote:

---

Originally posted by MenthiX

quote:

---

Originally posted by TheSteve
proprietary undocumented "encrypted"

---

Just like Microsoft encrypts some of their resources, the thing most hated by the majority of skinners? That would be a step back IMO. In the end it will be reverse engineered anyway, Live Messenger must still be able to read the resources in unencrypted form in memory.

---

I was shooting more along the lines of an option to obfuscate not an ultimate protection. 

To set the record straight, the Microsoft RLE image format used in messenger is not a form of encryption. It is simply a new image format that has features and optimizations that are not available in other image formats.  One reason that Microsoft has not released documentation on it is that they reserve the right to chance it at any time as they have done several times in the 8.x betas and again in the 9.0 beta.

Lol, look my name is in the first post..LoL

uh-oh! Lol RUN..lol

Well, what do i think? umm..well Patchou should of make a feature that hidden the codes..so that way no one can copy each other..but anyways..alot of people copy each other...in the pass and now..the whole point of making a skin..to view the messenger into your liking..umm..respecting the one who skin WLM from scratch?umm..well isnt all the codes belongs to Microsoft? Yes..lol..so all of you are guilty..haha ..

This is like pirated DVD's haha, you can't stop the people from making those..just like pirated skins..haha

but anyways...everyone is stealing...so don't lie

have fun arguing..I'll be releasing one more skin of mine..and off to another hobby of mine..lol

One last thing, Microsoft should of just create a feature for WLM that allows you to skin Windows Live Messenger..because now we are just taking there codes..hacking there images..and replacing with ours. Not like Yahoo Messenger there actually a official place that tell you to skin Yahoo Messenger.

Mynetx has a good point but beginners need to copy parts of other skin codes in order to get on well with the system.But I think that they should appreciate the work of the other skinners and thank them in their first skin!

Skins and Skin Ideas are meant to be Copied, Modified and Improved upon, period.

I have no idea why anyone would oppose this.

quote:

---

Originally posted by artfuldodga
Skins and Skin Ideas are meant to be Copied, Modified and Improved upon, period.

I have no idea why anyone would oppose this.

---

Its a different case when you work hard on something and then someone just takes what you did, edits it and says its theirs. If you have ever had this happen to you, you would know its frustrating and can make you just say "f*** this, why should I even bother anymore". This thought has crossed my mind before, but because it has only happened once its the reason I'm still around.

I agree that skins do need to be improved from feedback and such but there is a difference between improving and stealing.

All that most skinners ask for is that if someone is going to use their skin as a base or guide that they at least do the courtesy of saying "yeah i made this, but It was based off this skin"

If you take a look at skinners from the old era (7.5, 8.0 etc) pretty much the majority mention when they got help from someone else or used another skin as a guide.

And on a side note skins and skin ideas are NOT meant to be copied if its an original design (i.e something not based around an exisiting UI, Skin, OS or whatever).