Ok, so I have some news...

First, I added the "Buy me a beer" idea to the free version of Nexus.

Besides a "Buy me a beer" button in the About tab of Nexus Preferences, the following toaster will pop up for 10 seconds every time you download a new version of Nexus via the Winstep Update Manager:



Clicking the "Buy Me a Beer" button will take the user to the following page

https://www.winstep.net/buymeabeer.html

This is still work in progress as the quantity selected in the first pop up is still not being passed to the BMT Micro cart (still waiting on feedback on how to do this) but if you want a laugh (well, at least I had fun implementing it lol) click on the 2x, 3x and 4x beer buttons and watch my avatar.

Since the toaster appearing depends on a flag set by the Winstep Update Manager, I can either wait for the next release, or I can force an update of the Update Manager first (so the next release will consist of two downloads/new version notifications, the first for the Winstep Update Manager, the second for the actual application).

Haven't decided what to do yet.

The other one is a big one. I have partnered with a Chinese Reseller (who is also a partner with other Western software companies) to sell a Chinese SKU of the Winstep applications to mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

This is not your regular "no effort" reseller. Chinese versions of the Winstep web site are already in place, Chinese translations have already been updated, etc...

So, hopefully this will have a visible impact on sales to Chinese users, although it does mean I will have to unblock China from the server's firewall.

Excellent news, Jorge! I still think something along the lines of "Feed my Boy" etc. might be more effective, but who knows...

Go with the two updates, I'd suggest - more immediate effect.
Hey, what avatar? Looks remarkably similar to a certain rabbit of my acquaintance...


Again, excellent news. Hope it really will translate into steady sales Jorge. Shame about the need to unblock China, but maybe it'll work out alright.

After thinking it over a bit more, I decided against it. The chances of it backfiring are too high - users generally don’t like having to download two installers one after the other.

I'll wait. At the rate I have been churning out updates lately, not like I would have to wait long for the next release anyway.

The quantity button in the first web popup is already being passed to the shopping cart popup, so "Buy me a beer" is ready to go.

The Chinese SKU has now been fully tested as well (which can be quite tricky when dealing with ANSI and DBCS languages), so it’s basically ready to go too, aside from a couple of loose ends that still need to be tied up.

It was actually a significant amount of work to implement, because China will have a lower regional price and I needed to ensure the Chinese SKU wouldn’t cannibalize direct global sales.

This is handled by locking the UI to Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional whenever the application is registered with a Chinese‑specific license key. It’s a neat solution because it avoids having to build and maintain two separate versions of the application.

BMT Micro will continue to handle the generation of Chinese keys and the customer emails, so I retain full control over that part of the process.

As mentioned earlier, the reseller is also providing a localized Chinese Winstep page:

https://winstep.net.cn/

Not bad looking at all, I think.

This is both intelligent and logical. I do not know anybody that creates something who wants to create multiple versions of exactly the same thing. In music imagine having to sing the exact same thing in forty different languages? A,I can probably do it for you now - On a side note, people rave about Google translate, if you speak more than one language, it can be quite hilarious sometimes seeing YouTube get the translation completely wrong with subtitles. If you were a member of Monty Python I'd be skeptical, but as I mentioned, great move for your development process.

Sometimes it's not a question of wanting to, but having to. Fortunately it was not the case, even though maintaining different versions here simply meant another pass at compiling the same code after changing a compiler switch.

Either way, like this it's 0 work. Do once and forget, so, much better.

Something else I am thinking about doing for this release and I would love your comments on both the idea and in which image is better for this, is to add the new "All Programs" tab type as a Grid Stack to the default configuration of Winstep Xtreme and Nexus Ultimate.

I actually think a properly configured (6 x 5 grid of 48x48 icons with two line labels) Grid Stack showing the new All Programs tab type is actually a better replacement of (or at least an alternative to) the Windows Start Menu:

1. It solves the Start Menu’s biggest friction point

Most users open the Start Menu for one reason: to launch an installed application.
The Start Menu forces them to navigate pinned items, recommendations, folders, or search results.

A Grid Stack shortcut goes directly to what they want with zero noise.

2. It provides a cleaner, more predictable experience

A 6×5 grid of 48×48 icons with two-line labels is visually dense but not cluttered.
It offers spatial consistency, immediate recognition, and none of the Start Menu’s distractions such as ads, news, or suggested content.

3. It naturally filters out irrelevant items

The All Programs tab type shows only applications. It doesn’t mix in documents, settings, web results, or anything else the user didn’t ask for. This creates a focused launcher where the UI does the filtering instead of the user.

4. It positions Winstep as a true Start Menu alternative

Windows 11’s Start Menu is widely criticized.

By shipping a ready-to-use All Programs Grid Stack, Winstep becomes not just a dock or enhancement, but a system-level launcher. This is the kind of feature that makes users say they no longer rely on the Start Menu.

5. It improves the out‑of‑box experience

The feature is easy to understand, immediately useful, and visually impressive IMO.
It adds value without requiring configuration and showcases the power of the new tab type from the moment the suite is installed.

###

I think it's *that* useful, and if nothing is pointing to it in the default configuration, I fear most users won't even know "All Programs" exists.

So, I'm thinking about adding an All Programs grid stack to the dock for the default configuration in both Winstep Xtreme and Nexus Ultimate. And since it is a special kind of Grid Stack, I want to give it an icon that is a bit different from the default icon for grid stacks.

Which of these two images do you like best (don't forget it must be readable at smaller icon sizes too):

Your images and art skills have always been great and you gave all of us the benefit of working after-the-fact. For whatever anyone may like of the skinners, without your work we would not exist. The new graphics below are lovely.



Which I prefer is not really a question I can answer, not because I am being difficult, but because I like them all for totally different reasons

One indicates more of a folder approach and the other two a multiple menu approach. I would never presume to say which because again you have made high quality icons

I figure the right answer is the one that fulfils what the new grid stack stands for. I am not being a stick in the mud, I believe what I just said. as the developer, you know what the new grid stack encompasses, so if i was you which I am not, I would be asking myself which one represents my new features best?

EDIT:

Speaking at purely an artistic level and having gone through the pain of watching good images like these degenerate more times than I would care to elaborate on, the easiest answer is to shrink them to start menu button size. While they will certainly be larger than a start button, the one that still shows a semblance of what you intended is likely the right one. If I made an educated guess, the first one with less in it would most likely maintain its appearance, . Perhaps the second and thrid can be used elsewhere showing off your versatility somewhere else where you may not need to shrink it as much?

P.S - Start menu buttons are often 16x16, 24x24 and occasionally 32x32, so if it works at those sizes, it is almost a certainty 48x48 will be good. If I was to make a functional, non-artistic choice as for what represents what you have told us all, it would be the second image but only you will know if it will shrink without losing 85% or more of its quality?

Thanks, but those were all AI-generated based only on rough guidance from me.

You're aware of that, right? I never take credit for something I didn't actually do.

Personally I hesitate between the first and the third one, and am perhaps more inclined for the third one.

It is getting harder to tell these days.
I have seen your work before A.I and that is why I did not question if it was you.
The second encompasses everything but honestly, I do not think it would look like that shrunk down and would be pixellated. I agree with your choices.

@Jorge

Take this as a compliment I would replace the W on the icon you choose with your logo below, if it was me, providing it does not get lost being shrunk.

@Jorge

Ignore my last comment I shrunk your third icon and attached your logo, it does not work. Way too busy and messy.

The third icon still works at 48x48 A little pixellated, but it still works.



P.S. Image #2 is a total mess at 48 pixels as suspected.

In case you guys didn't notice, I just started using a slightly lighter and more readable text color on the main Winstep website.

I will probably be soon doing some adjustments to the structure and content of the product pages (AI is a great assistant eheh)

Well, all things considered looks like a fairly sweet deal Jorge. As for the beer, hope you'll get enough to get thoroughly pissed.

I had noticed, actually. Much better that way. Actually, the whole website is in dire need of a complete overhaul, Jorge. The content, mainly. But I wouldn't entrust any data thieving AI with any of it. If you want some human help with textual content, we can talk privately elsewhere.

I've lost my patience with all the bickering. Posts deleted (I actually tried to move them to the Off Topic section first but made a mess and I did not have the time or the inclination to fix it).

Anyway, this thread is for discussing issues related to the new release.

Just found and fixed a MAJOR MAJOR bug introduced in v25.9 because of the new multi-selection feature: dragging one or more files from a Folder type tab to an Explorer window would actually CRASH Explorer because of a malformed CIDA structure.

Fixed now.

Fighting against time to make the v26.4 release today. You can preview the release announcements here if you want:

https://winstep.net/news/winstep_xtreme ... leased.asp

https://winstep.net/news/nexus_dock_v26.4_released.asp

Excellent, thanks Jorge. Best that way. I'm sure if I'd done it it would have gone on...

Well done, looking very good, albeit somewhat long. But if people get hooked on reading they'll carry on through, I reckon.

Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see 26.4 before April's out Jorge.