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12-16-13, 10:09 AM   #2
spiel2001
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 7,724
I'd like to follow up with a final statement...

WoWInterface.com and the rest of the MMOUI sites would not exists were it not for the sweat equity and passion of the addon authors who create the addons that this web site and others like it distribute.

Every single penny of advertisement revenue and every single donation these sites generates for their owners is created on the backs of the addon authors who contribute their work product to these sites. Every cent of profit these sites earn, every penny of every paycheck paid to every employee of these sites was earned as a direct result of the work product of the authors who provide the addons you distribute.

I guarantee you that every check paid to the staff of these sites is larger than the sum of money all of the addons authors on these sites, combined, make in the same period.

Similarly, nearly every user interface enhancement that has been made to World of Warcraft since its vanilla days was, at one time or another, the idea of an addon author. Countless WoW players play this game with addons because it enhances their game experience. Many would not play the game were it not for those addons. Blizzard, too, has profited greatly from the ideas, the creativity and the community the addon authors have created.

Yet, the addon authors are prohibited from profiting from their work in a fair market. Both Blizzard and the sites such as WoWI profit from our labors while simultaneously demanding that we give everything of our efforts away without even the right to control who uses our software or the right to ask for fair compensation for our effort.

When WoWI removes all advertisements from its sites, and is only permitted to ask for donations on Blizzard's web site, I will accept their support for the model they back addon authors having to adhere to. When Blizzard removes the monthly fee for World of Warcraft and only advertises for donations on Microsoft's web site, I will accept their admonition that I am not allowed to seek compensation for my time and effort.

If I should be happy doing this for no other reason than my ego, then so too should WoW Interface and Blizzard. Of course, neither does.

nUI has nearly 800,000 downloads here on WoWI. There are over 30,000 posts in its forums with who knows how many imprints over the years that nUI has been hosted here. There are over 36,000 people in the "nUI+ User Group" on this site and who knows how many others who use nUI without being a part of that group. nUI has profited WoWI greatly over the years and I have always been respectful of both WoWI and the user base.

To be singled out for telling the truth that there's a growing number of abusive asshats in the gamer community and banished for having done so is pathetic. I said nothing of the good people of this community, the nUI community or gaming in general. I spoke directly to those who are rude, crude and abusive... and to imply that they don't exist is to delude yourself.

Unless and until good people are willing to stand up to those who would abuse others, we are doomed to decay. I will not be a part of that.

Frankly, I say emphatically that Blizzard and WoWI both are being two faced and hypocritical in the extreme. While simultaneously seeking to make it as difficult as possible for addon authors to freely market their work, they profit from it. While chastising me for my (paraphrasing) "bad behavior" they are coddling and perpetuating the bad behavior of others.

As much as I'm being told that I should have to suck it up and accept the rude behavior of certain elements of they user community so that the silent "good users" are not being punished, they are doing the exact same thing... WoWI closing these forums and Blizzard threatening to block nUI because of "rule violations" (again paraphrasing) punishes all of the good nUI users because of the "bad behavior" of one person.

Pot meet kettle.

So be it. WoWI has made up its mind. Blizzard will do what Blizzard's going to do. I have no control over it. In spite of the fact that I uploaded free copies to both WoWI and Curse not two days ago, in spite of the fact that I have said time and time again that there are several ways for people to get nUI for free and in spite of the fact that I have repeatedly stated that my only intent was to limit the access to nUI from people who are abusive to me, this is the result.

I can do nothing about that.
__________________

What people don't get is that I am, ultimately, an artist at heart.
My brush has two colors, 1 and 0, and my canvas is made of silicon.



Official nUI Web Site: http://www.nUIaddon.com
Official nUI Support Forum: http://forums.nUIaddon.com
My day job: http://www.presidio.com/

Last edited by spiel2001 : 12-16-13 at 10:46 AM.
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