From technology to politics to video games; these are the random thoughts of a geek with too much time on his hands

Over the years, skinning has waxed and waned in popularity.  Sites have sprung up, risen high, crashed and then been reborn from the ashes over the 10+ year history of Windows skinning.  WinCustomize grew out of the fall of Skinz.org back in 2001.  DeviantArt started as a skinning site but has turned into a digital media giant.

Of the skinning sites still around, which do you feel make up the core of the community now?  What are the sites you visit on a daily basis to get the widest selection of skins, wallpapers and icons?


Comments (Page 4)
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on Jan 31, 2008
Nice to touch base with you again onestar! It has been a long time! I cannot disagree with you. You know as much as me more or less about DevArt! It had such potential and it is interesting to note that most of those involved in the takeover are now either banned or have left.  
on Jan 31, 2008
wincustomize my homepage,for all the skins i use visit every day and Skinartisty onece a month

Deviantart.com (sometimes feel like I need a shower afterward)me too
on Jan 31, 2008
Have links to just about every site listed, but come to WC first and spend most of the time here. The best diversity for skinning, forums, and all around generosity of talent for desktop customization, as well as a great community of caring and helpful individuals. I always leave smiling.  
on Jan 31, 2008
I only have time and attention span for 1 site these days.  ( 
on Jan 31, 2008
Wincustomize: everyday & most times 3 times per day-morn,middle,avo, on occasions in the eve too,just so i have all my bases covered   

maxstyles: once a month
on Feb 02, 2008
My skinning site story is funny, really (this is long and unnecessary, so feel free to skip this post). I started in Litestep 9 years ago, and I was a HUGE skinz.org surfer. In fact, I remember Koasati when he was a n00b there. I even started my own wallpaper website for a while, but everyone hated me for it, since it was just a skinz.org rip off (I was only 19 then and very unoriginal). Hell it was even named wallpaperz.org. It doesn't get worse than that. After a while, I lost interest in skinning altogether, only to come back to it thanks to Vista. Ha ha! I had been programming my own Litestep themes for all those years, never on any sites until my girlfriend opened her laptop. I realized how amateur my Litestep looked, so I started hunting for new Litestep themes (which I ended up just programming myself). After I finally got what I wanted, I decided I wanted Windowblinds to complete the package. Bam! Here I am! I was DEEPLY saddened to see how far downhill skinz.org had gone.

But, to answer your question, it's here and customize.org. I go to ls-universe.info, because those are the only people that answer Litestep questions, but I haven't downloaded a Litestep theme in 9 years. Once SKS 6 becomes free, I'll start making my own WB skins, and I won't download anything any more, and nobody will see me for another 9 years. ha ha
on Feb 02, 2008
I connect internet to my pc cause of WC only.   
on Feb 02, 2008
Wincustomize because it's the best.

I'll go to Lovely62 and Boss019 on Deviant to see what they are up to. Adni18 has a very nice set up, he is Adni18 after all. Skinartistry and Maxstyles. I like to see what the the Aston shell guys are up to also. Wish that Winstep had more people skinning it. Too many to list really but WC rules.
on Feb 02, 2008
What gaps in WC are the other sites filling


For me, DeviantArt is where I go almost always for wallpaper. I hardly EVER dl a wallpaper from here. There are some wicked wallpaper artists over there that I love and they don't upload here. I usually don't even go to the wallpaper gallery unless I get a notification that an artist I'm watching has upoaded something there.
on Feb 02, 2008
I agree with you about better art elsewhere. Though for me the better art can be found at Renderosity.com. DeviantArt pales into insignificance alongside the talent and variation found at Renderosity. The site is easier to navigate and quicker to load than DeviantArt. They did a flawless transition in a few hours. No bugs. Any transition of versions DA has ever made is always accompanied by bugs that are still being worked on when they switch to the latest version. Renderosity for efficiency is a breath of fresh air. No need to upload zip files...though you can if you choose. From a member viewpoint or an end user viewpoint Renderosity is a pleasure start to finish. Everything in sections and sub sections that are easy to find. Drop down menus that function and do not take an age to load or do not malfunction.ZBrush,Poser,Lightwave,Bryce,Daz,Photoshop,Photography,Cinema4...etc.....it is ALL there.    
on Feb 02, 2008
In addition....and this should interest the staff here.....wallpapers cannot be anymore than 510kb in size. This enables server space to be optimzed and upload and download speeds are faster. JPEG format. Right click and save to download after zooming image. You can run your own personal store with zip files of images in different formats if you wish and people have the option of a quick download or a long one. Nothing like choices and intelligent use of resources.  
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