to help keep this forum going i think we should ALL donate a reasonable amount of money. Dont just sit back and think "ill let other people do it" because then no-one might donate. Thank you for your time *p_ete2001 bows*

Thank you for bringing this up, p_ete2001.

You know it seems with the increased use of the internet that there is a perception that it all ought to be free to the user. A lot of people have that idea. What they don't stop to think about is that someone pays.

Porfiry has toted the load a long time. He has paid for each and everyone who reads these words or visits these forums. Only, he is a student, like many of you. Stop and think for a moment, could you pay for this site and go to school also? Porfiry has asked us, the members of this site, to help share the load. I am certain that he has done so because finances are a drain upon him when he needs it the most. You have not heard him bitch about the load, he had simply done it because it is what he likes. Times change and so do circumstances.

Your help is needed. There has been no set fee mandated. He has simply asked for you to give what you can. If you enjoy the forums, please contribute in the interest of keeping it online.

what happened to the ad's.

Originally posted by yumyum
what happened to the ad's.
I was wondering the same thing.

wet1,

Only, he is a student, like many of you. Stop and think for a moment, could you pay for this site and go to school also?This implies that porfiry is a POOR student. We don't know that do we?

My post was never meant to imply anything personal about Porfiry. His finances are his personal matter. That he has stated he could use some help indicates just that.

It would not matter if he were filthy rich, to use a cliche. We enjoy the use of these forums simply because he has paid the bill for us so long. Until recently, he has never asked, to my knowledge anything from his members in the way of financing. That speaks for itself...

Well Cris,
Is necessity all that matters? I certainly don't operate this site out of some necessity, I operate it out of genuine good will. Similarly, it's not necessary that you donate, but it's reassuring and heartening to have good will reciprocated with good will.

If you don't want to donate, put me on your Christmas card list or something. I'll consider the two equal. :)

Take care,
Dave

Porfiry, wet1,

I think you misunderstand me; I wasn’t making a criticism, but just expressing a lack of knowledge.

I have no problem donating more funds but I don’t know how much or how often. I would much prefer to have some idea of the needs of the site so I can more accurately gauge what is a useful donation.

Perhaps a monthly announcement providing bandwidth usage and costs would significantly help us understand what is needed.

I am uncomfortable using a resource that is of cost to someone else and I will feel happier paying my way.

I do not believe there are any true altruists in the world and I am sure, Dave, that you receive some benefit for financing and running the site, not necessarily financial, perhaps just the pleasure of owning such a resource. So in this respect it is very difficult for me to judge what is an appropriate contribution.

I spend significant sums of money on some of my other hobbies and I don’t expect others to pay for that. If this is your hobby then is there any good reason for us to help you finance your hobby? Without us of course the site would be dead, so you need us as much as we need you. However, I have an interest in seeing this site survive, and if you need financial help because your income is too low then I will gladly help even to the point of financing the entire site. I am rambling a little here because I don’t properly understand your needs or intentions.

I do have one real concern and that is what happens to the site if something happens to you? Have you appointed someone who could continue to run the site in your unplanned absence or otherwise? Or will the site have to die? There are many here who spend a great deal of time on this site and derive great pleasure from it. Having created such a wonderful vehicle I think you also have some responsibilty to those whose lives are affected by this site.

In short – please let us know your plans, intentions, needs, and commitments and I will help in the best way I can so we can both achieve maximum pleasure from this great site.

Best regards
Cris

Porfiry: If someone sends you a Christmas
card with a donation to sciforums in it does
it double the donation? :p

also porf
will you eventually make the database available to a "museum" to archive so humans a hundred years from now can see how we lived? (maybe little tim has to do a project on how the ancients lived)

*i am not sure if i am joking

chris
excellent points. i think i saw some sort of counter that indicated "current donations" on another website

i don't think it would be the best idea to put up here how much SCi costs per month to porfiry... because then people will think that is all he deserves, while we are forgetting about the past three years that he's been supporting the forum.

Thank you, NightFall. That has precisely been one of my points...

I hope Dave was able to make some profit from the site in those first couple of years before the dot com crash. Adverts did work in those days.

Knock off the shit!

Do you ask to see the cost sheet when you contribute to NPR (or
its equivalent) and only then decide how much you'll contribute?

Knock off the profit/schmofit bit!

Can't you decide for yourself how much enjoyment you derive
from dropping in and having your say? How much is that worth
to you?

This board has been, as far as I can see, a gift to all of us. Let's
be thankful and contribute what we can, if we can.

Sorry, but you really ticked me off this time. :cool:

Dave can make a profit if he gets at least 140 subscribers or so. Right now I don't see that happening.

well Joeman, at this piont, you can just take my av, cuz obviously paypal just stole my credit card number. cuz its not showing up on my online visa account, and while i recieved all other email from paypal, i never got a confirmaiton email... great. :confused:

Originally posted by NightFall
well Joeman, at this piont, you can just take my av, cuz obviously paypal just stole my credit card number. cuz its not showing up on my online visa account, and while i recieved all other email from paypal, i never got a confirmaiton email... great. :confused:

Paypal doesn't steal your number. It is run by Jeff Bezo's Amazon.com I believe. You can call them up and ask them what the hell is going on. Maybe you entered your credit card number wrong or something.

i hope you're right. not like they could get much use out of it anyway. lol. im rying to use the paypal customer service right now... ehh... trying..

PayPal is run by eBay.

either way i finally got it to work. lol. i guess i just had to get the acount activated first.. kindof odd.. but ohwell... :( :)

Chagur,

Do you ask to see the cost sheet when you contribute to NPR (or
its equivalent) and only then decide how much you'll contribute?I dunno. What is NPR?

Can't you decide for yourself how much enjoyment you derive
from dropping in and having your say? How much is that worth
to you?A lot. Like I said, I suspect I can quite comfortably finance the entire site so that no one would need to donate, and I wouldn’t want control or ask that everyone convert to hexadecimal. I’d just want to ensure continuity for my own benefit. I was really curious to know exactly how much the site costs.

This board has been, as far as I can see, a gift to all of us. Let's
be thankful and contribute what we can, if we can.Perhaps you see my problem, I have no limit. But then neither do I want to throw money away unnecessarily, I’d much prefer to pay the minimum necessary to ensure the site survives, and where the minimum could be everything.

If Dave makes a profit then I think he deserves it. If he doesn’t want to share financial information then that is his right and to be expected as you indicate. I can but ask.

Sorry, but you really ticked me off this time.Sorry my friend, it wasn’t intended. My comments were intended as objective and not emotional.

Then why didn't you simply PM Profiry?

As for the subscription aspect, why do you
think I inquired about the estate/trans-
fer aspect? Hey, I'm soon to be seventy
and who knows? And what the heck, one
of my kids knocks around here. It would
be like gifting him with a subscription to
a favorite magazine that he'd enjoy for a
while after I decided to say 'Thanks for
the fun, but it's time to say ado.'

NPR - National Public Radio

As for the 'profit' aspect; I long ago de-
cided it was a 'labor of love' so to speak
when he graciously declined my offer to
fund the spell-check a while back. Believe
me when I say he isn't in it for the money.

Take care :cool:

Chagur,

I like to know what is needed rather than simply do what someone says.

Cris,

I realize where you're coming from ...

Let's just let it go at that.

Take care :cool:

Duh!

Like the sigs and avs are constant (to a degree) ... The content
changes. Does that lighten the load for your poor mind?

Appropriate measure? Hmmm ... Tough! Learn to live with it!