«

[Tom Henrik]

Do you use the option that says "Log me on automatically each time?"

I have only logged on manually ONCE! :?

so there should not be an abandonia IRC channel???

[mika]

In my opinion that is the wrong way to think. If that was the case, none of us should use the internet in any way what-so-ever as we might be sharing files in one way or another. Actually then writable tapes, CD's and DVD's should also be banned as they could also allow this.

Don't forget that abandonware itself is also borderline legal/illegal. Only like 3 games (that I know of) have actually been released by their copyright holders into abandonware, the rest have just been left alone and are therefore in the gray area which we like to think of as abandonware. If any of those companies decided tomorrow that they wanted to stop people downloading their games, they would have all the legal rights to do so. Trust me, it happened with Lucasarts and Sierra among others.

I'm trying to say 2 things:
1. You can't just ban anything that might be used by someone with bad intentions (especially when they could just as easily meet in any other IRC chat room)
2. We're already dealing with gray-area stuff, so I don't see how Abandonia's name could be muddied, especially if we state in the chat room (or on the site) that warez will not be tolerated.

PS: Don't misunderstand me and think that I'm promoting warez. I believe in abandonware and believe that game authors (and all other people involved) deserve money for what they have created, and am therefore against warez, but if a game can't be bought anymore, then to me that's abandonware.

PPS: I think it would be cool to be able to chat to other Abandonians about something we all obviously love.

[mika]

Another point: Most people in this forum have a link to their ICQ and Messenger addresses. These would also allow you to exchange files. Does this mean that we should close the forum?

If we close the forum, I think the site would be going down again, as there won't be much members anymore and especially a nice and working community. But that's just my suspicion.

[mika]

Well actually that was a rhetorical question :P

[cosmogreen32]

If someone wants to chat in realtime, that's great. And I personally don't mind if the room is named Abandonia chat room. But if it would allow exchange of illegal files that are not abandonware, I'm strongly against it. And the difference between warez and abandonware is in my opinion in morality. If publishers don't expect to get any more profit from the game, than there's no loss for them in other people obtaining the game. Abandonia has risen high above warez scene and it would do no good to involve it's name in such activities. I may be somewhat hypocrite in this matter as I don't always avoid illegal software, but I would hate to see this site disappear.

[Titan]

Look.. i think you missunderstood a few things here...
First of all; IRC is fantastic.. been using it for 11 yrs now.

BUT... a DC hub is NOT a good idea..
If you decide to open one anyway, do NOT list it in any PUBLIC hub-lists.
If we close it, and require a password, that is an ENTIERLY other thing...
IF the operator can keep it 100% free of any illigal content, Abandonia could lend it's name to it.
But.. the second someone gets in there, and have Q3 in his share, it will bring the hub into trouble also.

I'm not against any of this, trust me on this. But as an Administrator, i have to see to the best of the SITE, regardless of my OWN oppinion.
And in this case, there isn't much debate about it.
If a DC hub gets up and running, and all the rellevant information is posted here, for public display, it equals to the SITE promoting it, and thereby opens the site up for targeting by whoever wants to file a lawsuite against the owners.

IRC-chat... there is the option in the server-side software to turn OFF file-transfere. IRC isn't that EXCLUSIVE to P2P-sharing in the same way the DC-protocols are used.
Shure.. i guess an IRC-server would only add to the glory of Abandonia, as long as there are active Ops. Also transferes over IRC are a ressult of an more active action, and therefor more the users responcibility.

See it like this:
DC - a Fileshare with chat
IRC - a chat with P2P capabilities...

[cosmogreen32]

Yes, this sounds reasonable enough. Still, I don't understand why it has to be called Abandonia IRC server when it's not mantained by Abandonia authority? We could give it any other name, like Abandoned Games ChatRoom or something and it would be just as good. Using Abandonia's name seems inappropriate.

[mika]

I don't see why not. This would promote the IRC chatroom to be used by the users of the site and of the forum. I think it would be better if abandonia itself could host the IRC chatroom, but I'm not sure if the hosting people would allow it. Then again, maybe with the new dedicated hosting, maybe they would. And it would be up to us to manage it and moderate it (of course we could/would have certain users who would be channel ops).