Fundraiser (top banner)

[Eagle of Fire]

Today I see this when I log on:

Dear Abandonia visitors: We are the small non-profit that runs the one of the world’s largest DOS Games websites in the world. We have only 3 members of staff but serve 450 000 users and have outgoing costs like any other top site for example: our servers, power, rent, programs, and staff. Abandonia is something special. It is a library of old games for you to download. It is like an old gaming arcade with all the old games in their original format. Abandonia is a place where you can find great old games and have fun four hours and years. To protect our independence, we are dependent of our friends using the site. We take no government funds. We run on donations averaging around 6 USD (5 Euro). If everyone reading this gave the price of a cup of coffee, our fundraiser would be done within a few days. If Abandonia is useful to you, take one minute to keep it online for another year. Please help us forget fundraising and get back to Abandonia.

Strangely, the "Read More" option don't open when I click on it. I checked, I am allowing Abandonia.com in my NoScript.

Any news about this? I assume this is independently done by our host but it is still quite strange. Is Abandonia in trouble and in danger of shutting down?

I'm half guessing that Fifth will get back almost immediately on the subject by stating he have no idea until he contact them. But I guess there is no harm in asking. ;)

[Japo]

I didn't know Abovo was a non-profit, in case it's not a poetic license--as much as the concept of non-profit can be abused and is ultimately a scam in my opinion.

... And actually it's not true, as I suspected Abovo is an AB (http://whois.domaintools.com/abandonia.com) which is Swedish for limited liability company (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktiebolag).

[Panthro]

So when they say "3 members of staff" they mean three people paid by Abovo? Or do they mean Abovo itself?

[Japo]

They mean the 1 guy who does work on site, an hour every month, when he has free time from their other websites; plus the two suits who are just sitting and trying to make a profit out of this.

:lol:

[Smiling Spectre]

I can press "More", and it works. But not from first time, I suspect. I pressed about 5 times, impatiently. :)

And their PayPal on Swedish for some reason. %)

[TheChosen]

Well, I guess its official now: The actual staff members are not considered as staff members at all. I'd like to see the Abovo team try to run this site by themself's.

[Japo]

I can press "More", and it works. But not from first time, I suspect. I pressed about 5 times, impatiently. :)

And their PayPal on Swedish for some reason. %)
It works beautifully, you should all stop using Firefox :-P

[Eagle of Fire]

Well... If the Abovo "team" can't work Firefox out... We all shall be very worried right now. :p

[Lulu_Jane]

I think we can all agree that you're an outlier firefox user, you're using something like ver. 3.

It works perfectly in FF v.19

[Smiling Spectre]

Actually, I am using Opera. ;)

And more accurately, banner expands only after all this twitters and facebooks finished loading, but no second before that.

[Lulu_Jane]

Sorry Spectre, I thought EoF was having trouble with his browser, not yours.

That will teach me to post before coffee is ingested :)

[Japo]

Actually, I am using Opera. ;)

And more accurately, banner expands only after all this twitters and facebooks finished loading, but no second before that.
Hahaha funny, I am using Opera too... :E

I blocked the crapware long ago, Abandonia is too slow with it (thanks Abovo!)

[Eagle of Fire]

And more accurately, banner expands only after all this twitters and facebooks finished loading, but no second before that.
Which, I agree, must be why it doesn't work on my FF. Nevermind that I use an "outdated" version, it still work just as intended. I'm still surprised they are up to version 15 or something... Why would I need another version, this one work and never failed me... :unsure:

[Professor Oak]

Well, I guess its official now: The actual staff members are not considered as staff members at all. I'd like to see the Abovo team try to run this site by themself's.
That would definitely be worth watching.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Not really. I mean, there wouldn't exactly be anything to watch... :p

[Tracker]

Well, the most amusing fact is that Abandonia never looked any shadier than this, we'r beginning to be worse than those oldwarez sites since those barely ask for cash to work.
Still I'm sure the way they put a donation query in front of the download buttons is more offensive.
A lot of people fell for it and donated cash since they were mislead into believing they would need to pay to download games.

P.S.: If you wouldn't like to see ads while using the forums, use http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/ instead of the one ending in /en/forum. Not that those ads are any subtle or have to do with the content of this board...

Sic transit gloria mundi.

[Smiling Spectre]

Actually, there is one catch in it, Tracker. If I am going to forums thru "main" interface, I will have regenerating login as long as I have page with "top banners" open. Without this page my login expires in 15 minutes and need to be re-entered.

[Japo]

Actually, there is one catch in it, Tracker. If I am going to forums thru "main" interface, I will have regenerating login as long as I have page with "top banners" open. Without this page my login expires in 15 minutes and need to be re-entered.
Are you sure? I think it stopped happening quite some time ago. I think Horseman changed it after a long time. Thank God.

[arete]

Also the wording is copied almost verbatim from Wikipedia. I just noticed it yesterday :lame:

[The Fifth Horseman]

http://blog.marketingzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/wikipedia-asking-for-donations.gif

[Smiling Spectre]

Are you sure? I think it stopped happening quite some time ago. I think Horseman changed it after a long time. Thank God.
Well, I am encountering it every day. If I am waiting long enough (about 10-15 minutes, I am not sure), password for forum expired. But after reloading page with "main" head, it regenerates back. Doesn't work without it.

[Japo]

I don't know if this makes a difference, but when logged out, try logging into the forum (/vbullet/), without going to the website first.

I haven't had to login in weeks... But at the website I'm logged out all the time, because the website modifies the forum profile at every visit.

EDIT:

I confirm that visiting the forum from the website frame logs me out and in again, overwriting the profile. My solution since long ago is not to log into the website ever (unless I need to do updating). As long as I don't, my nice vbullet login persists forever. I stopped playing the quiz because of this--and it doesn't work half of the time anyway.

No further comment... :palm:

[Smiling Spectre]

OMG. I even couldn't imagine such thing. Genius programming hits again! :palm:

[Frodo]

3 members of staff? I count 10. (http://abovomedia.com/contact.html) :whistling:

[Frodo]

And I killed this thread XD

[Eagle of Fire]

Not really... We simply have nothing more to add.

I note that the top fundraiser banner is still raised. (meh)

[GTX2GvO]

3 members of staff? I count 10. (http://abovomedia.com/contact.html) :whistling:

Of which only 3 of them can work with website code according to their position.

[Japo]

Yes but the name of the developer we know is not among them. I'd bet that roster is grossly out if date. We could check Archive.org, because it's unlikely that they had kept the same people as interns for years (though shit happens).

[Lulu_Jane]

The banner has been amended, the reference to non-profit organizations/government funding has been removed :)

The reference to staff is obviously to the Abovo employees, but I want every single one of you to know that you are valued and everything you do to help keep the site updated and the community going is appreciated :)

[Panthro]

:)I want every single one of you to know that you are valued and everything you do to help keep the site updated and the community going is appreciated :)

This is the point where I'd suggest a group hug, but alas the app for that has not yet been created.

[Lulu_Jane]

:D

Everybody put their hands on their monitor screen in 3... 2...

[ZMacZ Furreh]

If you really wanna get some cash incoming, make it easier...

Add Pay-By-Cash

yes they do take a small percentage, but it makes all the difference...

I HATE PayScam (PayFuq, you know the one..)

And Pay-By-Cash allows vouchers and lots of payment options...

All you need to do is add it, accept it, and empty the till once every while..

I use PaySafe cards a lot, and DIRECT CC payments (not through PayScum)...

I tried donating, but guess what ?...yes PayPiss tried their open account shit...so..no go..

It's either roll with it, or wait for a hostile take-over...ur choice..

Personally...I'm still hoping for a site that won't collapse either, by lack of business insight or overly active suits making all the wrong decisions and driving up the prices..
You're on the good side..there's room for a lil extra...use it...

ZMacZ Furreh

[arete]

You.re right. Payenemy sucks...