Wish: Stop giving away XYplorer through lifetime license

[admin]

Also, regarding licensing - for the non-lifetime one, how about they just get 12 months of updates (everything, including new features blah blah blah) for the current $30?
I really dislike the idea of paying for features, and I would think it would make life pretty complicated with coding bug fixes and features separately - or something...

I'm not sure if this particular variant scheme was previously discussed, but I see it as having potential...

No. I don't need any solution that's better than the mainstream. The whole point of this new license policy idea is to do exactly what all/most others do. Because the shareware sites cannot handle exceptions, and the users will not understand them. The standard license, AFAIK, lasts until the big number changes. Then you can get an upgrade license at a discounted price.

LIMITED TIME OFFER! The one and only XYplorer Lifetime License for just € 22.50/US$ 29.50. Get yours now before it's too late - this one-time offer expires on September 30, 2007.

That's much better, but I'd suggest also:
LIMITED TIME OFFER! Beat the price increase! The unique XYplorer Lifetime License is still only € 22.50/US$ 29.50. Get yours now before it's too late! This one-time offer expires on September 30, 2007.

(a) why is it much better?
(b) "Beat the price increase!" I don't understand this expression. And if I don't get it then some potential customers won't get it neither. So: simple English, please!

[admin]

Sorry for drifting this thread a bit more... there are 2 things that I see in FF tabs that would be a nice addition to XY:

1) the current tab has a lighter background so it's very easy to spot
2) the 'X' to close the tab

You can color XY's tabs to have them same light/darker effect. Actually I've seen many screenshots of XY users that did use this feature ... and applied some colors, well... ... I'd rather not have these shots seen by the public
So: I'm inclined to remove (yes, we do remove features here from time to time!) the option of coloring the tab headers! So I can ensure that XY screenshots look more or less decent worldwide (I'm not kidding!)

2) the 'X' to close the tab: as an option, yes. (BTW: can you remove the 'X' in Firefox?? I don't want it)

[j_c_hallgren]

and applied some colors, well... ... I'd rather not have these shots seen by the public
So: I'm inclined to remove (yes, we do remove features here from time to time!) the option of coloring the tab headers! So I can ensure that XY screenshots look more or less decent worldwide (I'm not kidding!)

Hey, if a user wants to have their system look tacky, why should you stop them? The only screen shots you can control are on your site...and maybe on wiki/blog, as they are linked to your site...
I'd not like to lose the ability to have a setup that works fine for me...mine are nice shades of gray, but that's way I like it...if someone wants purple and pink, so be it!

And about the price text: You were going to raise price, right? So "Beat the price increase" is a VERY common term here in marketing...and in a blurb like that, repeating a word more than once is generally not the best, plus "the one and only" didn't sound quite right...

[TheQwerty]

2) the 'X' to close the tab: as an option, yes. (BTW: can you remove the 'X' in Firefox?? I don't want it)

I suggest the Tab Mix Plus extension ( https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1122 )

It gives you a lot more control over tabs (though you can change most of the options in other ways if you don't want the extension.)

For the close icons:
Type "about:config" into the address bar.
Enter "browser.tabs.closeButtons" as the filter.
Double Left Click or Right Click->Modify and enter one of the following integers based on your choice:
0 = Display a close button on the active tab only
1 = Display close buttons on all tabs (Default)
2 = Don’t display any close buttons
3 = Display a single close button at the end of the tab strip (Firefox 1.x behavior)

More information at http://kb.mozillazine.org/Browser.tabs.closeButtons

If you end up adding "X"s to the tabs in XYplorer please give us those same options. (I'd really like to see the ability to move the tab related toolbar buttons into the actual tab bar too, but I think that would be more hassle for you than it's worth.)

</offtopic>

[jacky]

So: I'm inclined to remove (yes, we do remove features here from time to time!) the option of coloring the tab headers! So I can ensure that XY screenshots look more or less decent worldwide (I'm not kidding!)

Really?? Well I'm with jc here, definitely! So what if you don't like a user settings, more important is that for some reason user might not like yours, and then the ability to change it really matters.

And jc said, as long as your screenshots use the "right" colors (acc. to you), and those are defaults, it's all good.

As I mention before, it's very important for a user to be able to get the GUI to suits his needs. (Besides, some might actually see such "ugly" color choice as good. Because they might like it, or just see in them the ability to customize the colors as they want -- which obviously isn't easy to guess from a good, regular/standard color scheme.)

[admin]

For the close icons:
Type "about:config" into the address bar.
Enter "browser.tabs.closeButtons" as the filter.
Double Left Click or Right Click->Modify and enter one of the following integers based on your choice:
0 = Display a close button on the active tab only
1 = Display close buttons on all tabs (Default)
2 = Don’t display any close buttons
3 = Display a single close button at the end of the tab strip (Firefox 1.x behavior)

Thanks!

I suppose you can also color the FF tabs? If yes: do they keep that special shading effect through the colors?

[admin]

And about the price text: You were going to raise price, right? So "Beat the price increase" is a VERY common term here in marketing...and in a blurb like that, repeating a word more than once is generally not the best, plus "the one and only" didn't sound quite right...

"Beat the price increase" -- I never heard it.

Anyway, I made a little graphic that's hard not to see... http://www.xyplorer.com/

[TheQwerty]

I suppose you can also color the FF tabs? If yes: do they keep that special shading effect through the colors?

I'm not really sure. By default I think your only options are using a custom chrome to redefine the style, and I don't know just how much control that gives you (it might just be active, inactive, read, unread) or creating your own FF theme.

Now there's a few extensions that can color the tabs differently.
ColorfulTabs and Aging Tabs. The second has the nifty feature of keeping the MRU items bright and fading the LRU ones. Unfortunately, ColorfulTabs' actual website is down so I'm not sure what other features it offers.

Judging from the pictures they appear to keep the gradient affect, but I'm not sure if they are adding their own or just using the FF theme's tab settings with a color overlay.

[Laughing Man]

I am happy to see that my outburst did not cause offense, but instead, constructive dialog.

In response to people wondering why the benefit of the lifetime license does not get more airplay...

In our age, people have a distrust for something that appears to be "too much of a good deal".

All we have to do is look at one example: Linux.

Superior in every way to Windows, yet most don't trust it because it is free.

People respect your product because of the price associated with it.

Another example:

Diamonds are essentially worthless, the value based primarily on restrictions on supply, and clever marketing gimmicks such as,
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend"

If you care about XYplorer, you need to appreciate why the lifetime license is just bad business, no matter how you look at it.

Sadly I have to agree with your point on humans distrusting something free or cheap. It's an odd mentality that still needs to be studied and fixed (everyone to my office now for reprogramming!)

But I'm one of those users that use Linux . Hey, can we get Linux support!? (j/k ). Though I would gladly pay for a Linux version .

And I prefer programs like this (a lifetime license! whoo!) over programs I have to pay for over and over. In fact I make it a point to avoid them. I find it absurd the prices you pay for some software nowadays. I'd be happy to donate (though my finances are in the bucket right now).. ahh the life of a college student. But once I get a steady job after grad school I'll be happy to donate to projects like this .

On a sidenote: I find that the more the program costs or the more repeat costs you have to pay. While you do get people who pay for it, there are also more that attempt to use cracked versions.

[mwb1100]

You can color XY's tabs to have them same light/darker effect.

Well, goes to show how lazy I am in customizing things...

So: I'm inclined to remove (yes, we do remove features here from time to time!) the option of coloring the tab headers! So I can ensure that XY screenshots look more or less decent worldwide (I'm not kidding!)

Now I've gone ahead and customized mine so the current tab is lighter than the others. Now, I can't say it's pretty; as a designer I'm worse than lazy, I'm downright incompetent. But it does make it easier for me to spot the tab, so... can you put that task low on your priority list? I'll promise not to post any screenshots.

[j_c_hallgren]

So: I'm inclined to remove (yes, we do remove features here from time to time!) the option of coloring the tab headers! So I can ensure that XY screenshots look more or less decent worldwide (I'm not kidding!)

Really?? Well I'm with jc here, definitely! So what if you don't like a user settings, more important is that for some reason user might not like yours, and then the ability to change it really matters.

And jc said, as long as your screenshots use the "right" colors (acc. to you), and those are defaults, it's all good.

As I mention before, it's very important for a user to be able to get the GUI to suits his needs. (Besides, some might actually see such "ugly" color choice as good. Because they might like it, or just see in them the ability to customize the colors as they want -- which obviously isn't easy to guess from a good, regular/standard color scheme.)

Thanks jacky! You said it very well! I was somewhat in a hurry so just wrote a quick reply...and Don: Have you seen some of the color scheme/choices available in Windows itself? Talk about weird! W2K differs from my old W98 but does anyone use "Eggplant"/"Lilac"/etc.?

And if I saw a screenshot on someones site/blog that looked to have odd/wacky colors, I'd see how it compared to that site in general, as likely that would have a similar odd coloring also...
Before I'd blame the software for it, I'd look a screenshots on vendor site (which one presumes would use default colors) and see how they compare...

Now on the price thing: I looked at graphic and text on XY site...ok, but trying to look at it from a outside point of view, the thing I don't see is the potential consequences if I wait! When I get/see ad's/disclosures for products/magazines/whatever that are changing price structure, they typically have the new price shown, so one can really see the benefit of buying now or risk of waiting...just something to consider, ok?

LaughingMan: I'm suspiciuous of the same thing...that a higher price will lead to more improper use...hey, I'll admit to doing that on one product myself ( ), as I tried it heavily for about 10 days within a 21 day trial back last fall, and was ready to buy it for about $35+-, but they had changed the price structure in those few days to about $75+-, which put it out of my range, (and wouldn't make any special adjustments even though my trial period hadn't expired!), and given that I'd only use product at most 2-3 days a year, so the one time I needed it for a few min since then, I just backed my clock to within that 21 days, started it up, and then changed clock back...I'm still PO'd at them so I don't care...sorry!

On the FF close tab thing: Maybe to make it easier on some users, you could use the same 0-3 options as FF?

BTW, mwb1100: My 'open' tab color is BBBBBB and 'other' tab is DDDDDD, which I find the best for me...

[admin]

Now there's a few extensions that can color the tabs differently.
ColorfulTabs and Aging Tabs. The second has the nifty feature of keeping the MRU items bright and fading the LRU ones. Unfortunately, ColorfulTabs' actual website is down so I'm not sure what other features it offers.

Judging from the pictures they appear to keep the gradient affect, but I'm not sure if they are adding their own or just using the FF theme's tab settings with a color overlay.

I'm totally surprised that they show only thumbnails of such products! How am I supposed to judge a visual effect from a thumbnail...?

[lukescammell]

Like the spanky graphic on the homepage Don, but I'd put it up top above here:
A Windows File Manager and Explorer Replacement
6.30.0000, 02-Sep-2007

[jacky]

Like the spanky graphic on the homepage Don, but I'd put it up top above here:
A Windows File Manager and Explorer Replacement
6.30.0000, 02-Sep-2007

Yeah, agreed. Looks nice, but should be up there to make it more visible/notable!

BTW I'd bold the "this offers expires" as well...

[admin]

Like the spanky graphic on the homepage Don, but I'd put it up top above here:
A Windows File Manager and Explorer Replacement
6.30.0000, 02-Sep-2007

Yeah, agreed. Looks nice, but should be up there to make it more visible/notable!

Yep, done. I also tried to compile a short list of differences from the competetion. Quite difficult, I mean the "short" part of it! I'm grateful for any ideas here. Pack 1000 glorious revolutionary features into 10 lines... word artists needed!