Stardock's relationship with Neowin and its criticizers


Recommended Posts

  • 5 months later...

Because i don't want to get moderated or get hated by Neobond or Frogboy cause im asking to much questions *g* i've edited my post.

As one of the first members of Neowin (this is my second account as i've lost my original one) and a Stardock customer, my hope is, that we're getting even more additions to Neowin.

Frogboy(Brad Wardell) you've got my respect...

Im following your corporate-yourney since im really interrested in the things you and the other selfmade isv-owners do.

Please keep or expand youre open way and tell us (especially me) the secret of success!

Edited by sorlag

I have never had a problem with *anybody* on this forum.

I am extremely thankful for Brad for helping out the community, he doesnt really deserve all the flak he gets, but then I suppose when you are quite high up thats what anyone would get.

We just have to remember, like a few people have already said, everything here is free. I became a subscriber because I liked the site and its content so much, plus I wanted to help out. I'm not saying that everyone should run out and get subscriber status because that would be preposterous lol.

But in close, thanks Neobond, Redmak and all the other staff, as well as Brad/Frogboy. You have gave me a good and peaceful place to come for many years, and I hope this will be able to continue :)

I just saw this thread for the first time and I don't see why there was a problem in the first place

The problem was Neowin was reporting on news concerning Stardock without telling people about this relationship. It was a hit to their journalistic integrity. This was a form of full disclosure.

Stardock still sucks, regardless it part owns Neowin, they didn't CREATE Neowin, so they still suck.

So in your logic they still suck even though they have guaranteed our finances and ensure that we can stay online?

Sometimes I really wonder if some people believe in such things as free money trees :whistle:

But it kinda seems that these real issues we have with stardock's apps that we post about here, may be be labeled as "flaming" and "non real issues" since stardock is god and owns the forum here.

I do love neowin though :) im still a bit weary of the stardock ownership, and wasnt too excited when i found this topic last night.

Do you have examples or evidence to back up the claim which I bolded in the above quote?

Neowin does not censor the opinions of our members if they are within our rules, ever. Therefore, I can assure you, your claim is wrong :)

Also, I suggest you read the first post in this topic describing how much of Neowin Stardock actually owns -

"Neowin is now part owned by Stardock (40%) and the decision to invest in Neowin was a majority vote by its shareholders. The other 60% is shared between myself and (Redmak) Marcel Klum, the site founders. This agreement was completed in February 2005".

How does this make Stardock "god [which] owns the forum here"?

Edited by Calum

Anyone complaining about it can shut up.

Neowin is FREE. It's like people complaining about Messenger Live having ads below it. So frikkin' what... it's free. Don't like it? Make your own IM system.

Same with Neowin. If you don't like it, get lost and start your own tech site ... see how far you get. I run a few websites and I've had the same crap thrown at me ... but it's essential sometimes. People don't understand the cost of running a site ... even a small site that consistently updates it's users and gives constantly.

Go Neowin I say. I come here to read news every day and I know it's a privilege not a right. Neowin wasn't set up with tax payers money.

I personally have no problems with Neowin having corporate sponsership as long as it's values/rules still stay the same.

I sometimes see stuff posted by frogboy/brad but don't tend to pay that much attention to actual member names, only the response so I couldn't say if he posted good or bad replies.

As to Stardock, I used to have a subscription for WindowBlinds on WinXP years ago and I absolutely hated it.

I had loads of problems getting it to work and run how I wanted it to, so used Litestep instead, got it working exactly how I liked on a self made theme AND it was free :yes:

However..... It's my understanding that Galactic Civilisation ans Sins of a Solar Empire are really good, well supported games (I don't know as I've not played due to little interest in spaceship sim stuff) and I'm really looking forward to Demigod and will be buying it.

I see it as every company can make good and bad software, Microsoft made 2k (I loved it) and they also made WinME (it was pure crap), EA made Mirror's Edge (Really fun game) and they also made a large quantitys of rinse-and-repeat sports games and use draconian DRM methods.

It balances out as far I'm concerned

Do you have examples or evidence to back up the claim which I bolded in the above quote?

Neowin does not censor the opinions of our members if they are within our rules, ever. Therefore, I can assure you, your claim is wrong :)

Also, I suggest you read the first post in this topic describing how much of Neowin Stardock actually owns -

"Neowin is now part owned by Stardock (40%) and the decision to invest in Neowin was a majority vote by its shareholders. The other 60% is shared between myself and (Redmak) Marcel Klum, the site founders. This agreement was completed in February 2005".

How does this make Stardock "god [which] owns the forum here"?

I believe the point being made is that as long as Stardock are bankrolling Neowin's survival, the site staff are more likely to obey their wishes than risk coming into conflict with them, and although I don't see anything on here of particularly bad quality due to Stardock's inolvement, I would like to hazard a guess that this point is probably valid

I believe the point being made is that as long as Stardock are bankrolling Neowin's survival, the site staff are more likely to obey their wishes than risk coming into conflict with them, and although I don't see anything on here of particularly bad quality due to Stardock's inolvement, I would like to hazard a guess that this point is probably valid

Well I am saying I find it despicable that members would assume such a thing.

Neowin's rules are clear and state nothing which bAsKeT cAsE assumed. You are all going on assumptions and not facts. No one has examples to back up bAsKeT cAsE's claim so how can people assume it is true?

I have examples to back up the fact that we don't and the main example is our community rules. The staff and members go by the community rules always and there is nothing in those rules to give any truth to bAsKeT cAsE's unfair assumption.

To all the haters of Stardock, How many times have you tried to make Windows Look like a mac?.. I will wait here until you answer my question.

So, didn't take you long did it? Objectdock, Windowblinds, Objectbar, CursorFX, IconPackager - Are amazing apps! they did exactly what I wanted. What is the big deal that Stardock is in relationship with Neowin? Some of you say the themes are not good.. well guess what? it's not their fault, Its the creator of the theme's fault I have seen stock themes that came from Stardock in Windowblinds and They looked simply amazing.

I bet that most hate is because most of the apps by Stardock are not free.. Boo Hoo, well here's your solution: GET A JOB!

Neowin, Well done in teaming up with Stardock (Y)

Well I am saying I find it despicable that members would assume such a thing.

Neowin's rules are clear and state nothing which bAsKeT cAsE assumed. You are all going on assumptions and not facts. No one has examples to back up bAsKeT cAsE's claim so how can people assume it is true?

I have examples to back up the fact that we don't and the main example is our community rules. The staff and members go by the community rules always and there is nothing in those rules to give any truth to bAsKeT cAsE's unfair assumption.

You say it is an unfair assumption, but people are always going to have their opinions, and until someone provides the proof those misgivings will continue to exist. The nature of life is that people will always doubt things, and you accusing us of being despicable just because we doubt the "official" story is a little bit sad to be honest. I am not making my point in a way intended to flame any particular member of staff, I was merely stating an opinion.

To all the haters of Stardock, How many times have you tried to make Windows Look like a mac?.. I will wait here until you answer my question.

I am not a hater of stardock, I use LogonStudio, but... Never... I like Windows to look like Windows

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Ventoy 1.1.15 is out.
    • Win11Debloat 06.24.2026 by Razvan Serea Win11Debloat is a lightweight, easy to use PowerShell script that allows you to quickly declutter and customize your Windows experience. It can remove pre-installed bloatware apps, disable telemetry, remove intrusive interface elements and much more. The script also includes many features that system administrators and power users will enjoy. Such as a powerful command-line interface, support for Windows Audit mode and the option to make changes to other Windows users. All changes made by Win11Debloat can be easily reversed, and most removed apps can be restored via the Microsoft Store. A full guide on how to undo the changes is available here. Win11Debloat features: Below is an overview of the key features and functionality offered by Win11Debloat. Please refer to the wiki for more information about the default settings preset. Remove a wide variety of preinstalled apps. Click here for more info. Disable telemetry, diagnostic data, activity history, app-launch tracking & targeted ads. Disable tips, tricks, suggestions & ads across Windows. Disable Windows location services & app location access. Disable Find My Device location tracking. Disable 'Windows Spotlight' and tips & tricks on the lock screen. Disable 'Windows Spotlight' desktop background option. Disable ads, suggestions and the MSN news feed in Microsoft Edge. Hide Microsoft 365 ads on the Settings 'Home' page, or hide the 'Home' page entirely. Disable & remove Microsoft Copilot. Disable Windows Recall. Disable Click to Do, AI text & image analysis tool. Prevent AI service (WSAIFabricSvc) from starting automatically. Disable AI Features in Edge. Disable AI Features in Paint. Disable AI Features in Notepad. Disable the Drag Tray for sharing & moving files. Restore the old Windows 10 style context menu. Turn off Enhance Pointer Precision, also known as mouse acceleration. Disable the Sticky Keys keyboard shortcut. Disable Storage Sense automatic disk cleanup. Disable fast start-up to ensure a full shutdown. ...and more. Once you’ve downloaded the Win11Debloat file (Get.ps1), just follow these quick steps: Locate the Get.ps1 script file. Right-click the file and select Run with PowerShell from the context menu. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), select Yes to grant the script the necessary administrative permissions. Win11Debloat 06.24.2026 changelog: With this release, the legacy app list generator and CustomAppsList file support is removed. This only affects users using legacy command-line methods. More info here: #664 Features & Improvements Clean up styling to better match Windows fluent design guidelines by @Raphire in #638 Add GPO override warning alert and WhatIf dry-run previews by @HetCreep in #611 Disable telemetry-related scheduled tasks under Microsoft\Windows by @HetCreep in #615 Guard against loading, saving & executing undefined features by @Raphire in #665 Simplify Window management & update minimum window sizes by @Raphire in #671 Update start menu backup/restore with timestamped filenames by @Raphire in #672 Clean up feature execution logic for readability by @Raphire in #641 Clean up & improve app removal methods, remove legacy CLI app removal methods by @Raphire in #662 Remove support for CustomAppsList file format, including -RemoveAppsCustom and -RunAppsListGenerator parameters Update CLI app removal to use newer app removal methods Drop support for sunset apps (Fitbit, Shazam, Twitter, Viber, Wunderlist, XING) and Plex Fix removal of Microsoft Copilot Fixes Fix: Replace P/Invoke dynamic DLL imports with WPF native methods to fix temp DLL access-denied errors by @Raphire in #661 Fix Start Menu apps not being set correctly for all users when running script for other user by @Raphire in #637 Fix store suggestions not getting disabled correctly for all users when running as other user by @Raphire in #642 Fix: Respect Feature min/max version for comboboxes by @Raphire in #639 Fix: Don't treat AllUsers/CurrentUser as a username at startup by @HetCreep in #647 Fix: treat dismissed unsafe-removal confirmation as decline by @HetCreep in #651 Fix: Surface runspace errors instead of swallowing them in GUI mode by @HetCreep in #655 Fix: Correct sub-key path matching in backup allow-list validation by @HetCreep in #645* Fix: Detect WinGet uninstall failures by exit code, not English text by @HetCreep in #658 Fix: Detect installed OneDrive in the "Only show installed" filter by @HetCreep in #656 Download: Win11Debloat 06.24.2026 | Open Source View: Win11Debloat Home Page | Screenshots 1| 2 Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Age of Empires Mobile PC Version The Band The Show The Movie
    • never mind the video had a couple swear words... gosh it was funny!
    • It's expensive, but I bet it will still sell out just like the Steam Deck and the Steam Controller
  • Recent Achievements

    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      416
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      173
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      77
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!