deviantART is changing...

[jsmorley]

They seem to be rolling out a new "theme" for deviantART, and I'm a bit concerned about how it is going to work for Rainmeter.

The new "Eclipse" style seems to be the default if you are a new user to deviantART, or are otherwise not logged in to an account on there.

This style does not seem to support the "categories" like "customization/skins/sysmonitor/rainmeter" anymore, so links like:

https://www.deviantart.com/customization/skins/sysmonitor/rainmeter/newest/

No longer go to the newest Rainmeter skins, but just dumps you on the main site home page.

You can switch back to the old theme with a slider at the top of the screen, but only if you are logged in to an account on deviantART.

Once you are logged in, and switch to the old theme, all links work as they always have.

But of course, a new user to deviantART is not going to have an account, and as far as I can see, there is no way for them to either switch to the old theme, or be directed to the Rainmeter "category" with a link.

Links directly to a specific Rainmeter skin still work the same, although they "look" different, but searching the Rainmeter "category" seems to be severely limited.

I think this is all still a "work in progress" on deviantART, but we need to keep an eye on this, and find out if there is some approach that is going to work best for our users, both existing and new.

I may be missing something, so anyone who has some time to really dig into this is encouraged to pipe up here...

This seems to be the best way to get to "Rainmeter" in the Eclipse theme...

https://www.deviantart.com/search/deviations/visual-art/resource/digital-art?order=most-recent&selected_tags=rainmeter

But this doesn't work at all in the "old" theme. So I'm not sure how you can reliably create a link to the Rainmeter "category' anymore.

Edit: You can toggle between the "old" and "Eclipse" themes with this link:

https://www.deviantart.com/features/switch_version/https://www.deviantart.com

[SilverAzide]

Agreed! Not only that, but with the new theme, the "download" button is almost impossible for users who are unfamiliar with the site to find. Instead of a nice big fat "Download" button, all you got is a little glyph that blends in with all the others. Hopefully they will continue to allow users to turn off that awful theme.

[jsmorley]

As I understand it, only "existing" users on the site, who signed up before they rolled this out, can switch back to the old theme. All new users there will get and can only get the new Eclipse theme. It's also my understanding that the ability to go back to the old theme at all is a short-term thing, while they sort out any bugs they find in the new one. At some point, likely soon, Eclipse will be it...

I don't mind a new "visual" theme, you can get used to anything. I'm a bit concerned about changes to "functionality" though. We will see...

They are in general quite "heavy handed" over at deviantART, and in my view not very responsive to feedback. It's really "my way or the highway" over there. Still, it's an expensive site to run, and they are rightfully mostly interested in the best way to "monetize" the site efficiently. They really don't care at all, and probably shouldn't, what a "free" user like me thinks. They don't really even care all that much what a "core/paid" user thinks, as 90% of their money comes from companies that pay to push stuff and advertise. It's the nature of things, more so every day.

[eclectic-tech]

I agree that sooner or later (probably sooner!) the old site will not be an option, so adjusting to 'Eclipse' is something we will have to do.

The submission page in 'Eclipse' has also changed, and offers a reduced category list; Customization and all sub types (like Rainmeter) are removed. You are limited to an optional 'Content type' and 'Choose a category' (1 of only 11 options).

DASubmit.png

I am not sure into what category Rainmeter fits, so selecting one of the eleven offered may place the submission where it will not be easily found.

I think it is imperative that authors utilize the tagging system and add al least a 'Tag' of 'Rainmeter' to their submission in order for it to show in searches.

Get ready, a change is coming!

[SilverAzide]

Wow, I didn't realize the submissions page changed too. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but from that screenshot, it looks to me like DA is moving toward emphasizing the "art", and pushing non-art related stuff like desktop customization (other than wallpaper) off the site or at least deep into the background.

Which leads me to the obvious next question, is the Rainmeter site prepared to be the primary host of Rainmeter skins? Because other than DA (and maybe GitHub for those so inclined), this is pretty much it in my view... everything else is either unreliable or contaminated with crapware.

[jsmorley]

Wow, I didn't realize the submissions page changed too. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but from that screenshot, it looks to me like DA is moving toward emphasizing the "art", and pushing non-art related stuff like desktop customization (other than wallpaper) off the site or at least deep into the background.

Which leads me to the obvious next question, is the Rainmeter site prepared to be the primary host of Rainmeter skins? Because other than DA (and maybe GitHub for those so inclined), this is pretty much it in my view... everything else is either unreliable or contaminated with crapware.

Nope. There is no way we could even begin to support the gigantic amount of space needed to host skins. GitHub would choke us to death for even trying, and there is no way OSUOSL (the host for our main site) can provide that for free.

We are going to have to find a way to work with deviantART once things settle down there.

[balala]

As I understand it, only "existing" users on the site, who signed up before they rolled this out, can switch back to the old theme.

Me as an old user, tried out the new style, but quickly switched back and will continue to use it without Eclipse, as long as possible. I enabled it for a try and maybe it's just that I got used the old format, but I don't like Eclipse. Quickly went back to the old style and as said, will keep this as much as I can.

[pul53dr1v3r]

This style does not seem to support the "categories" like "customization/skins/sysmonitor/rainmeter" anymore, so links like:
https://www.deviantart.com/customization/skins/sysmonitor/rainmeter/newest/

i complained to them about this in a comment , but their answer was sth like "you can type "Rainmeter" in the search box"...
The category to upload a Rainmeter skin would be "Digital art" in their opinion.
The only problem is that in the category are thousands, or even milions of pictures and some other content.
Searchinf for the Rainmeter skins could be like explore for gold if they don't change it. Probably searching for the other content is not better with the eclipse as well.

[jsmorley]

I think the best link to get to new Rainmeter skins is:

https://www.deviantart.com/search/deviations/visual-art/resource/digital-art?order=most-recent&q=rainmeter

This assumes that the author either created a "search tag" of "rainmeter" on the submission, or has "rainmeter" somewhere in the description of the skin.

The "categories" that the new Eclipse theme uses for existing Rainmeter skins is in the following tree:

visual-art / resource / digital-art

So if you put your skin there, and "tag" it with "rainmeter", that seems like the best way to get visibility for your skin in the new setup. Using "tags" is going to be super-important going forward, unless you want your skin lost in the vast ocean of degenerate furry art.

I would tag anything new I submitted with at least "rainmeter" and "skin", then any other tags that zero in on the functionality of the skin.

Stuff like "clock" or "weather" or whatever...

This is inevitable. There is no point in fighting it, as although YOU can stay on the old theme if you have an existing deviantART account, NONE of the audience you are trying to reach will be able to. I would suggest just biting the bullet and switching to the new Eclipse theme, so you can start getting used to how to live in this environment.

As of this writing, the "Rainmeter Group" page and functionality has not been changed to the new Eclipse theme. The current link of https://www.deviantart.com/rainmeter still works, and hopefully even when the "style" changes before long, the link and functionality will remain the same. This makes it even more important that you submit your skins to the Rainmeter Group, as that may be the best way to get them the right kind of visibility in the future.

I will be changing the Rainmeter main site to reflect the new theme in any links to deviantART for Rainmeter, and you should get in the habit of using the new link I posted above when asked how to find Rainmeter stuff on deviantART going forward. There literally is no point in using the old "category-based" links from before, as they just won't work. The user will just be dumped on the deviantART main page, and.. see vast ocean of degenerate furry art above...

A direct link straight to your specific skin submission still works, and presumably will continue to work, as it always has. That is not impacted by this change.

https://www.deviantart.com/jsmorley/art/TextClock4-4-0-822402819

This is what you want to end up with:

1.png

1) The link for your audience to "download" your .rmskin.
2) The "category tree" your skin lives in.
3) The "search tags" assigned to your submission. The more of these the better...

[jsmorley]

https://www.deviantart.com/jsmorley/art/GodMode-1-0-824009477

https://www.deviantart.com/search/deviations/visual-art/resource/digital-art?order=most-recent&q=rainmeter%20skin

So to submit a .rmskin to deviantART, use these options:

1.png

2.png

3.png