Freeware sites abused?

[Guest]

Well, I can here that the issue is not one to generate consensus. But I really hope that the net can be free from commercialism as widely as possible. I guess I read too many William Gibson book in my life to not have fears about where the net will go if we don't "resist".Don't get me wrong, I considered ways of making money on the net, for various (non-fs) enterprises, but I would certanly state that the site was a commercial one. It undermines at least my personal view on the net if we can't hold an (ethical?) line between pay and free. thanks for the debate -halabraham

[Guest]

>Darrell >>"Your reference to my "insulting the intelligence" of the >community here, of course, is merely your opinion!" >My opinion it is but sir you offend me by saying that FS.com >is not a payware site when proper access to content is >severely resricted to members of the community that cannot >or will not pay for it. >As for the site I know it`s not your`s but was meant as the >site you represented in your first post. >As for hanging your head in shame I think it appropriate >considering the untruths you utter here on a proper freeware >site where access is`nt doled out depending on an ability >to pay. >Believe me that I have not bothered with FS.com and the >greedy commercialism that it represents and urge authors of >freeware not to upload to your site since the spirit oh >their good works are tainted by the fact that proper access >to it compromised by the petty commercialism that goes on at >FS.com. Ron, Sorry, but it's quite possible that you have put your own foot in your own mouth. Flightsim.com is a free site, the First Class membership is an option, not a requirement, logging in to the site is easy, I have had only one `node busy` message in the last three months and that's at peak American surfing time when all your fellow countrymen who are not too proud to be accessing a resource that provides so much for so little are busy logging in and seeing what you are missing. There is no requirement to log into the site unless you want to download, everything can be viewed up front, including the latest file uploads, so you don't even have to log in to find what files have been posted. Like here, one must also log in (via a separate entrance) to post on the forums.Might I suggest you shut it until you've tried it, or until you have at least some knowledge of what you are talking about. Your reluctance is your own concern, but please don't pass on your misinformed claptrap to the community as if it were fact, when it is pure fantasy. Both Avsim and Flightsim provide a most valuable service to the simming community and its people like you that spoil it for all.You are welcome to your opinion. Hopelessly incorrect and bigoted as it may be.ChasW

[Guest]

In an ideal communist world everything would be free.As it is, someone has to pay the bill and for a website that means either a hosting provider or colocation and hardware purchase and maintenance fees, bandwidth fees, domain name registration fees, legal fees (you're bound to get sued or have to sue someone at some point), and staff payment (if you need to hire people to do things for you).And then of course you have to eat and pay the bills for your own life.So unless your income is high enough that you won't miss several thousand dollar/euro a month to keep the site running plus several hundred or thousand (depending on your ambitions more) for expansion and hardware replacement, AND you have the time to work on the site fulltime as well you have to generate all that money from the site.Selling things through that site is one way, renting out advertising space is another.Membership fees are the most constant form of income though, and require the least work on your part (no support on products, and no constantly trying to find new advertising companies after the last one switched to include spyware in their banners or drops their payments to something unrealistic).I can live with all that, and choose to donate or pay a membership to some sites I really like.If fsfreeware had a better search engine I'd become a member there too, as I like Raymundos work (I previously purchased some of his mesh and the support on that was excellent when I found some problems with it).And he is quite open as to the limitations of the free access to his site, in contrast to some other sites...

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Well, this one is going south real quick. So, we'll lock it down.