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DesktopX Weather Widget Issues - Read This

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DesktopX Weather Widget Issues - Read This

from JoeUser Forums

As many of you know from reading the forums over the past couple of days, that weather feeds being pulled in from DesktopX created widgets/objects have stopped working.  To make a short story even shorter, TWC has shown a requirement put upon all widget creators and users, and anyone else accessing their data to abide by new and quite specific demands/rules.  This goes for anyone using the feeds, not just WinCustomize users.

If you want to continue to use TWC weather feeds you will need to abide by their new rules, which includes a requirement to place a logo and links back to them.  Several DX coders including sViz and Vad_M have been posting new feeds, and some code fixes to help others fix their weather objects. 

An ongoing thread from sViz can be found here:

Which ever new weather feeds creators decide to use, they need to make sure they also abide by any rules or guideline imposed by the originating feed provider.

Starting Monday, July 20th, we will start removing broken weather widgets from the WinCustomize galleries that have not been updated and/or violate any ToS/ToU in regards to weather feeds. The WC moderators are going to keep a close eye on the DesktopX queues so that updates will be pushed through as soon as possible.  When updating a current skin, please be sure to make a note in the description that it has been updated with a new weather feed.  If authors are do not have a copy of their widgets and are not able to retrieve them from Wincustomize, they are available by request to an admin.

We understand this has caused quite a stir, but this is nothing that can be easily fixed as it’s an issue that is not in Stardock’s nor WinCustomize’s hands.  Please keep an eye on the forums for updates from DX coders who are looking at alternative solutions.

Regards,

Spencer
WC Admin

627,869 views 248 replies
Reply #151 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Gef: u want use neophil's suggested method?
End of quote

 

BTW i still didn't see any conditions rules using the xml instead of xoap :|

If someone can give a link on these eventual conditions rules it would be fine

Reply #152 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I will not leave this place right now. I just stop all projects and will wait for a new version of DesktopX. Then I will take the final decision...
End of quote

Seems kind of extreme to me.  You make some of the most creative DX stuff out there, why stop and leave because of this issue with a weather widget that I'm confident will be corrected in short time?

 

 

Offworld Trading Company
Reply #153 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Seems kind of extreme to me. You make some of the most creative DX stuff out there, why stop and leave because of this issue with a weather widget that I'm confident will be corrected in short time?
End of quote

I don't think it is extreme. In my case I will have over 100 themes deleted - 6 years work.

Also, I tried to update themes because of this issue but unfortunately, I missundersttod what is required so those themes are now impossible to update again because they are not there to update.

Reply #154 from WinCustomize Forums Top

why stop and leave because of this issue with a weather widget that I'm confident will be corrected in short time?
End of quote

Dear ID,

There was many reason for this. Just a situation around Weather Widgets was the last straw which "overflowed the cup of my patience"...

1. Remember the Maxton Contest and starnge drop the rating of my skin from 10 (which kept about 2 months!) to 6 exactly before the end of this contest. This can not be true...

I'm very modest person who don't need a fame. And I don't need any prizes or gifts from WC. I just want to say that the Rules of any Contests must be very transparent and honest. Otherwise I lose my interest to take part in these actions and never more will repeat this.

2. Look at the results of selling my Master Skins. Did you really think that a few years of my life may cost so little? The people who downloads the beta preview around 100 times per day with a lot of bugs (that rated to 10 by the way). But they don't like the full versions (without any bugs) which was rated to 7 and 8! This is absurd and I'm not ready to continue it.

3. I wrote a big letter to Zu with all of my thoughts about TWC TOS. If we begin to strictly observe the rules let's ask to people: "How the hell you create your skins?" Did you really have the legal copy of Photoshop (which cost around $700 by the way)? Or: "Did you have the legal copy of SkinStudio or DesktopX PRO?" There are a lot of the similar questions that have no answers...

4. I'm not a skinner. No doubt I can make any skins (buy the way my copy of Photoshop and of a few other Graphic Redactors are totally legal!) but it doesn't interesting for me. Any skin without coding is only the dead set of images. And only through the using of scripts, you can breathe a life into your creation! But when I hear that I couldn't edit new AccuWeather plugin because of some TOS(s) I finally lose my interest even take it in my hands.

And finally I'm so tired during the all these years that I want to relax a bit. Hope I have a right to do this...

Reply #155 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Out of curiosity, is 'ACCUWEATHER' as used by Objectdock also not to be used?

Reply #156 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Gef (and neophil) . . the work-around in 2a of sViz's thread is a fix for end users.  It is NOT a solution for authors.  The XMLreturned clearly shows that there is a licesne and copyright in place as you can see here http://xml.weather.com/weather/local/48375.

<!--
 This document is intended only for use by authorized licensees of The 
-->
<!--
 Weather Channel. Unauthorized use is prohibited.  Copyright 1995-2009,
-->
<!--
 The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.           
-->
<weather ver="2.0">
<head>
<locale>en_US</locale>
<form>MEDIUM</form>
<ut>F</ut>
<ud>mi</ud>
<us>mph</us>
<up>in</up>
<ur>in</ur>
</head>
<loc id="48375">
<dnam>Novi, MI (48375)</dnam>
<tm>10:30 AM</tm>
<lat>42.46</lat>
<lon>-83.46</lon>
<sunr>6:08 AM</sunr>
<suns>9:11 PM</suns>
<zone>-4</zone>
</loc>
</weather>

Any author using the XML feed will have to abide by the weather.com ToS

 

I have updated the Fix thread to make sure that point is clear.

Reply #157 from WinCustomize Forums Top



I have updated the Fix thread to make sure that point is clear.
End of quote

Thank you for clearing that but you state:

"These fixes are NOT for gadgets, as gadgets can not be modified. If your weather gadget isn't working, discontinue use and contact the author to inform them of the problem. These fixes are for end-users only."

We all know what the problem is - we honestly don't need contacting about it.

Reply #158 from WinCustomize Forums Top

We all know what the problem is - we honestly don't need contacting about it.
End of quote
We can't know if every gadget maker is aware of the problem or not.  Better to error on the side of caution, no?

Reply #159 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Gef (and neophil) . . the work-around in 2a of sViz's thread is a fix for end users. It is NOT a solution for authors. The XMLreturned clearly shows that there is a licesne and copyright in place as you can see here http://xml.weather.com/weather/local/48375.
End of quote

Here's the complete Terms off use

http://www.weather.com/common/home/legal.html

... and as far as i can understand, any kind of use of the service has to be priory authorized directly by WTC, it's not only a question of logo and link to them, that means (i think) that each skinner have to get the WTC permission to do what he wants to do, widgets or so

Reply #160 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I have just uploaded themes that have had their weather object converted as shown in section 3a by neophil78. The weather objects now work perfectly but for some reason were rejected.

I also worked most of the night changing all my Master themes so that they also work perfectly.

As this method states :

- This hardcodes NOTHING and the widget goes fine

- If all goes okay (and it will), you can now export the widget again.

Anyone understand this ??
End of quote

Gef, allowing a weather widget that don't conform to the feed owner's TOS would be parallel to allowing rips to be posted in the galleries. No difference at all.

Reply #161 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Seems kind of extreme to me. You make some of the most creative DX stuff out there, why stop and leave because of this issue with a weather widget that I'm confident will be corrected in short time?
End of quote

My gosh people...It's a WEATHER WIDGET!!! It's not the end of skinning as we know it! This, IMO, has been so blown out of proportion it's pathetic. Let's move on. No reason for people to be leaving WC over a weather widget.  Seems very extreme, all of this does.   :|

+1 Loading…
Reply #162 from WinCustomize Forums Top

... and as far as i can understand, any kind of use of the service has to be priory authorized directly by WTC, it's not only a question of logo and link to them, that means (i think) that each skinner have to get the WTC permission to do what he wants to do, widgets or so
End of quote

Which section do you think indicates this?

Reply #163 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hi,

I finally got on my other PC to change the script on a couple of weather widgets using neophil78's fix and just noticed the Objectdock weather docklet is still working on weather.com's feed!
 
I didn't register coz I'm in Europe.
 
Very odd...

 

Reply #164 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I don't think it is extreme. In my case I will have over 100 themes deleted - 6 years work.

Also, I tried to update themes because of this issue but unfortunately, I missundersttod what is required so those themes are now impossible to update again because they are not there to update.
End of quote

Join the club. I have more than that. And as Jafo stated, even when they're gone, they're not gone. All mine are gone, but I'm still updating them. I hope you had copies of all your work? If not, and if I understand correctly, you can still get them from WC if requested.

Reply #165 from WinCustomize Forums Top


My gosh people...It's a WEATHER WIDGET!!! It's not the end of skinning as we know it! This, IMO, has been so blown out of proportion it's pathetic. Let's move on. No reason for people to be leaving WC over a weather widget.  Seems very extreme, all of this does.  
End of quote

..maybe .. for you..

Not for me, and some other skinners..members.. maybe the community..

This was my hobby (and lot of skinners too), it was part of my life... so ..You DON'T TRY suggesting: "I'ts not so big problem" ..

 

Reply #166 from WinCustomize Forums Top

 

 

the funny part of all this... to me....

 

 

 

all those posts that popped up every once in a while...

 

 

 

 

from users and dtx skinners....

 

 

 

 

complaining in one form or another...

 

 

 

how tedious it was to go through dtx gallery....

 

 

 

 

to find a decent this or that.....

 

 

 

 

 

cuz the gallery was full of nothing but weather widgets.....

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

carry on

 

:troll:

Reply #167 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Just a thought:

Any artists that do not want to update thier own widgets to conform to weather.com's terms that Wincustomize has to respect could always grant permission to other artists to update them instead.  Those artists could put in stipulations to give credit to the original artists or even approval before submission.

Reply #168 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Bichur
End of quote
:)

You know whaqt would be cool? If artists that had to rebuild thier widgets anyway could make "10 packs" of one widget that you could switch themed graphics on.  :)

Reply #169 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Also, I tried to update themes because of this issue but unfortunately, I missundersttod what is required so those themes are now impossible to update again because they are not there to update.
End of quote
Why are they not available to update by you?  If you do not have a backup, we can provide one to you.  Or were you talking about the end-user not being able to update them?

Reply #170 from WinCustomize Forums Top

..maybe .. for you..

Not for me, and some other skinners..members.. maybe the community..

This was my hobby (and lot of skinners too), it was part of my life... so ..You DON'T TRY suggesting: "I'ts not so big problem" ..

End of quote

I stand corrected, Bilbo. I must realize that my use of DX isn't the same for all. Sorry, I meant no disrespect for your hobby.

Reply #171 from WinCustomize Forums Top


I stand corrected, Bilbo. I must realize that my use of DX isn't the same for all. Sorry, I meant no disrespect for your hobby.
End of quote

 oki doki.. then

*Manhug*

Reply #172 from WinCustomize Forums Top

no one is saying that skinning weather widgets is dead.. just that we need time and sugestions to find a solution that satisfies all. We need to respect the rights of the owners of the data streams just as much as we respect the skinners rights in terms of ripping.

If they stipulate usage terms, they must be followed to be posted on WC..the same go's with the data feeds used..

 

Also it was offered that any who failed to gather their skins with the weather wights, before removal  from the galleries could request copies from the administration. Basically they are all just hidden from public view at this point.

 

I wish everyone would understand this issue is all of ours and together we can find a solution, if we keep cool collective heads and work together. the fighting will only serve to divide us..

 

 

Reply #173 from WinCustomize Forums Top

... and as far as i can understand, any kind of use of the service has to be priory authorized directly by WTC, it's not only a question of logo and link to them, that means (i think) that each skinner have to get the WTC permission to do what he wants to do, widgets or so
End of quote

Could you quote the section? I read the whole thing and don't see that anywhere. All I saw was this:

You may not modify, publish, transmit, display, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the content, in whole or in part. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law, no copying, redistribution, retransmission, publication or commercial exploitation of downloaded material will be permitted without the express written permission of TWC and the copyright owner. In the event of any permitted copying, redistribution or publication of copyrighted material, no changes in or deletion of author attribution, trademark legend or copyright notice shall be made and no ownership rights shall be transferred.
End of quote

To my understanding, the bolded part pretty much authorizes a TWC weather widget as the TOS for the XOAP data feed expressly permits, in writing, the licensee to distribute Their Desktop Application.

 

In any case, if any author is uncomfortable with all of TWC's legalities (which is understandable after this debacle) they don't have to use a TWC widget. Myself and other DXers are looking into other weather sources for just that reason. No worries. :)

 

Reply #174 from WinCustomize Forums Top


I wish everyone would understand this issue is all of ours and together we can find a solution, if we keep cool collective heads and work together. the fighting will only serve to divide us..
 
End of quote

well said brother.. :)

Reply #175 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting HG_Eliminator, reply 22

Also it was offered that any who failed to gather their skins with the weather wights, before removal  from the galleries could request copies from the administration. Basically they are all just hidden from public view at this point.
 
End of HG_Eliminator's quote

Could someone edit the original post to include this important clarification (it gets lost in the numerous replies.)