You should be careful about the assumptions you make against people who you've never met and know nothing about. I wouldn't even waste my time chasing up people sharing my work in the way you have just mentioned. If they are getting enjoyment from it, great! Why would I want to restrict it? I've got better things to do with my life and, unlike some, my view is that we should create for enjoyment.

 

One the first page of this thread you said:

 

I don't use these packages but if I did I wouldn't stop on account of their "rights" as the authors. I say we, as the community, have a moral right to continue to access this software, even if they don't want to host it on their own domains any longer.

 

Its easy to make assumptions given that you "wouldnt stop on account of their "rights" as the authors". So bascially, you dont have any regards for their wishes as long as it fits your wants. How moral is that and why aren't their rights important? How is it morally ok to disregard others rights when only to please yourself?

 

Sorry but your statements just dont sit well with me when you demonstrate disregard for authors wishes.

After serving the FS community for a lot of years and having made several easy to install WOAI packages its time to look forward.

As many already noticed there was almost no activity at WOAI the last year.

To be honest, we are a bit tired of FS, most of us haven't fired up FS for a long time and there are a lot of real life issues that come in the first place.

 

This has led to our decission to stop with World of AI.

At 30 April 2013 our website and support forum will go black.

This also mean that at 30 april 2013 we will remove all our packages and the installer from AVSIM and Flightsim.

 

We want to thank all the contributors to the World of AI packages for there trust in us by giving there permission to use there work the past years.

 

On behalve of World of AI.

 

Peter van der veen

http://www.world-of-ai.com/index.php

 

One could just ask them about this or that distribution method. As said, would be fair. And maybe they are happy if a fan keeps the packages alive via torrent links. I'm no WOAI user, but if I was, that would be my way to do it.

 

Even if they don't wish anyone sharing their work, it would at least be clear to all readers, right?

We could always look at this from a logical standpoint. Sure, they can go ahead and close their site; if they're done, that's cool. What's not cool is for them to go to the extra effort of removing the files from Avsim and Flightsim. Why not just leave them up? It's a bunch of extra work on their part to go through the libraries and delete 1046 packages, right? See what I'm getting at here?

 

Just my two cents,

Another community effort going south... Not good news.

It is too bad that some here don't quite understand what WOAI had to go through to even put their packages together in the first place. And now to p and m about something that is going to happen 4+ months from now is pretty sad.

LOL no I haven't forgotten that they "own" the files but I don't believe it matters in the slightest. As soon as they share it it becomes a public interest and in my mind we have a right to continue to use it. I know that isn't the law's interpretation of things but laws surrounding software use are antiquated and silly in so many ways.

 

No one is getting ripped off by people's continued use of this. These WOAI guys are being incredibly selfish. After reading the message on their site it looks like they just got tired of FS, don't want to develop for it anymore and now think that gives them leave to order everyone around the internet and in the community to pull all their hosted files and uninstall the packages from their system. Sorry matey, no way. They could at least leave them up here at Avsim.

 

Your attitude (sense of entitlement) is a perfect example of what is wrong with the internet today. it is amazing that anyone even shares there work (in any community) any more.

 

 

Your attitude (sense of entitlement) is a perfect example of what is wrong with the internet today. it is amazing that anyone even shares there work (in any community) any more.

 

That's along the lines of what I was thinking when I responded to what he mentioned as being moral rights.

 

Your right however, with people expressing that attitude and disrespect for authors or publishers wishes when they decide to pull something from distribution, its surprising anyone shares anything these days and easy to see why some create, like Ed Cox and his faboulous 2D panels for FS9, and dont share them with the community.

Instead of fighting why not contact them and see if they will allow somone to take over woai even if its just somone to keep the site running and keep the legal crap worked out.

Your attitude (sense of entitlement) is a perfect example of what is wrong with the internet today. it is amazing that anyone even shares there work (in any community) any more.

 

And your kowtowing is a perfect example of why we have all this silly legislation in the first place. I find your attitude completely perplexing. If I create something and share it with people freely I do so to bring them enjoyment. I'm not interested in legislating their use of it at my say-so in such a situation. You seem to be implying that everything shared freely should come with conditions which state "you can use this free piece of software I've made for your enjoyment until I say you can't do so because I'm not interested in it any longer and I'm pulling the plug". That is essentially what appears to be happening here.

 

So far, apart from a few condescending snipes, no one has bothered to actually give a good, valid and logical reason as to why this might be. And never mind all the legal diatribe - I'm sure we are all familiar with it by now.

 

 

And your kowtowing is a perfect example of why we have all this silly legislation in the first place. I find your attitude completely perplexing. If I create something and share it with people freely I do so to bring them enjoyment. I'm not interested in legislating their use of it at my say-so in such a situation. You seem to be implying that everything shared freely should come with conditions which state "you can use this free piece of software I've made for your enjoyment until I say you can't do so because I'm not interested in it any longer and I'm pulling the plug". That is essentially what appears to be happening here.

 

So far, apart from a few condescending snipes, no one has bothered to actually give a good, valid and logical reason as to why this might be. And never mind all the legal diatribe - I'm sure we are all familiar with it by now.

 

The only thing I can come up with is that world of Ai agreed with the dev's to remove the packages if the project was shut down

The only thing I can come up with is that world of Ai agreed with the dev's to remove the packages if the project was shut down

 

Well thanks for offering a constructive suggestion. If that is the case (not sure if it's hypothetical or not) then of course it wouldn't be fair for them to break that agreement. Then the blame must be shifted to the ones who placed this condition on the WOAI producers in the first place.

DONE like dinner!

OK here:

 

WOAI has collected the permission to use every single file they have gathered from other sources. That agreement is between WOAI and those sources, not AVSIM and Flightsim.

 

WOAI has now decided to close down. That ends the agreement between WOAI and their sources, so now they remove those files they received PERMISSION to use, end of story, end of debate, end of your pissing and moaning.

 

And guess what? Those same base files that WOAI received permission to use are available HERE at AVSIM for you to use and have been here to use for YEARS now. Those base files are going NOWHERE, so get your re-painting skills up to snuff and get busy.

LOL @ all the abandonware claims and sense of entitlement around here. So just because they stop developing something and decide to pull the plug on it, makes it abandonware? LMAO I guess Lockheed Martin got duped by Microsoft! They should've just pulled the abandonware card and demand MS give them FSX's code for free.

OK here:

 

WOAI has collected the permission to use every single file they have gathered from other sources. That agreement is between WOAI and those sources, not AVSIM and Flightsim.

 

WOAI has now decided to close down. That ends the agreement between WOAI and their sources, so now they remove those files they received PERMISSION to use, end of story, end of debate, end of your pissing and moaning.

 

And guess what? Those same base files that WOAI received permission to use are available HERE at AVSIM for you to use and have been here to use for YEARS now. Those base files are going NOWHERE, so get your re-painting skills up to snuff and get busy.

 

LOL who ###### in your coffee today Jim? I think I'm more standing up for a general principle here - the progress and enjoyment of our hobby which is being impeded far more than it should be by such silly and pointless conditional agreements that don't serve the community in any way. I state again - there is no reason for these files or programs to disappear. No one is losing any money over it. The whole thing is pure legalistic pap. It doesn't advance our hobby, it only makes it harder for some people to legitimately enjoy it. That to me is a crime bigger than any silly puritanical legalistic diatribe of reasons anyone might come up with.

 

And not sure about you Jim but I've got a full-time job to hold down and a social life that I'm not too keen to give up reinventing the wheel and pumping out repaints. If you want to that's your choice.

 

 

LOL @ all the abandonware claims and sense of entitlement around here. So just because they stop developing something and decide to pull the plug on it, makes it abandonware? LMAO I guess Lockheed Martin got duped by Microsoft! They should've just pulled the abandonware card and demand MS give them FSX's code for free.

 

Well why not? They make fighter jets after all =P.