Maybe use an Instant Runoff ballot?
It's an interesting idea, and could arguably be the most efficient in giving people what they want, at least from a strictly economic/utilitarian perspective. But we'd have the awkward condition of trying to ask people to support us, when we can't even tell them with any confidence what color options they'll have. I feel pretty strongly that the "base" colors have to be stated and offered from the very start, because it's a very important attribute that will affect the decision-making of a lot of interested enthusiasts. So we have to do the next-best thing (which we've done), which is to discern through polls and data what colors are the most popular anyway, and then offer those.
What would make more sense (in my mind) is a ballot system like this as a stretch goal, once we've hit our target (if we do). We can say "ok, we're confident enough that we can offer one more color, or a bare case, everyone
who would prefer one of these alternate options, please vote knowing that it counts as an order for that option if it's the winner".
I hope you realise I was just kidding...
Yes, but even so, it was an opportunity to explain our rationale, and by now you should know that I take advantage of every opportunity to use 500 words when 15 will do
I love this! Will this be a one time run or will you be selling these for a while? Also would someone be able to mod a window into this case, or would the lack of side ventilation be a problem?
We can only guarantee that this crowdfunding campaign is happening. Future campaigns, or ongoing sales, depend a lot on the initial success of the campaign.
As for a side window, the vent holes are functional insofar that they allow the side bracket to be used for cooling. They also provide ventilation for the top half of the case, which is important even if used passively. So although I can't point to any testing data to confirm that they're "absolutely necessary", I'd be willing to bet that you wouldn't want to eliminate them for any reason.
A few people have wondered about a side panel window, and anyone who is looking to mod the case would basically have to cut a hole in the bottom section, and put some plexiglass there. It's a bit of a messy process, especially with a painted panel, but it would be doable... The panels are steel and pretty strong, so I doubt the rigidity of the panel would suffer much, if at all. Plus you'd get a very nice view of your graphics cards (which would be the prettiest part of the case anyway, given that the power supply and side bracket live on the top half).
