I don't care if your critical of GameEx, it's when you say things that arn't true that makes me want to reply to you.
Nice general statement, however incorrect - I originally spoke of the free frontends. I mean, really free. Fully free. So free that every freaking thing works. For free. No registration. No donation. Free. Completely and really free. You know, like I can use this and not pay anything free. Not I need to pay to get a regkey hack so everything works free. So my statement was correct. You just get pissed when someone doesn't do a fanboy review like the one on Retroblast.
For a while you were beating down GameEx because it looked like MCE despite the fact it has themes.
Still does look like MCE - virtually all of the whopping 8 themes available for download have a big screaming Windowsish "Start" in them. Yes I can customize, yes I can create my own, but that is the first impression.
Now your saying it's shareware despite the fact it's free. I never said it was freeware so I don't know where you even got that from. It's quite clear to me it's nagware, but it is still free software.
According to your definition so graciously quoted below:
Freeware: Legally obtainable software that you may use at no cost, monetary or otherwise, for as long as you wish.
Riddle me this: can I use GameEx at no cost, monetary or otherwise, for as long as I wish? I believe you said it is free. Didn't you see the review on Retroblast? I don't think you are qualified to tell me what GameEx is. I would personally classify it as free crippleware, if we really want to start discussing semantics.
Of the cons you listed; large install, poor selection of themes, requires .NET framework, requires a relatively fast PC etc. To me all of these don't effect someone with decent hardware. And to have a decent cab that runs all the games, you need a decent machine. .NET is here to stay I'm afraid, alot of coders on Windows are moving towards it because you can get more done in a shorter amount of time. With the Mame ROM set around 15 Gig, I'd be suprised if most cab owners don't have at least a 200GB HDD. So I hardly expect it to be an issue unless you have an old PC. If you do have an old PC, by all means go for a leaner FE like Mala, MameWah or Atomic. A reviewer should not expect the standard user to have a sub standard machine.
All the time here on the forum we see someone ask what the minimum specs are on a version of Mame, or what would be required to just run the classics. There are a lot of old pcs just sitting in someones basement, and people would like to reuse them to get a basic machine up and running, or restore a classic where the boards are fried, etc. Not everyone is going to buy a new pc, etc to load up Mame. Granted, many do - but these are valid cons, and should be covered in a fair and balanced review of a product.
Why do you think that there are so many people interested in getting Windows stripped down to the point where only the minimum services are running? Perhaps this is a valid concern, even if Microsoft wants to ram .Net down everyone's throat.
BTW There are more themes too, they are available for download in the Setup Wizard or from the theme site.
True, but even so the amount of themes doesn't even scratch the surface of what Mamewah and AtomicFE have to offer - a proper review should accurately evaluate a products strengths and weaknesses - not just say Hmmm, can't think of any.
I think he should have put in some cons in the review, like the long nag screen, and if this was commercial software I think he would have more cons. But he states that "GameEx is a labor of love", which I think it is. So he has reviewed it based on that fact.
I agree with the nag screen - at the very least that should have been included. The labor of love statement, in my mind, invalidates the review: it should be objective, not subjective. He was obviously biased from the start. If anything, I would not call that a review, it is more like a product description.
Sorry Dazz for the hijack - just had to answer those points.
On the subject of Maximus - themes are also another consideration: I personally have zero talent when it comes to artwork, and a wider variety of theme selection is a consideration when I am looking at front ends. Granted, the default ones are very slick, and smoothly animated - but I would like to see some different options, especially considering that it is commercial software.