[no subject]

>Yes, this means that whenever somebody other than the author uploads
>software to Genie or Delphi, the staff contacts the author to make sure
>it's okay. If the author cannot be contacted, the software is not
>released. Period. This is the diametrically opposite position of an ftp
>site such as Asimov which allows anything to be uploaded and released as
>long the author and/or copyright holder doesn't object.

Who is this fellow stirring the soup of controversy, anyway?  

>I'm sure a lot of people reading this have no idea who I am or why I
>should care about this situation. I care because I have been maintaining
>the software library for the A2 RoundTable on Genie for over 5 years,
>and on Delphi since the A2 Forum opened 2 years ago. I want to make sure
>the readers of comp.sys.apple2 know the truth about Genie and Delphi,
>and not some fictitous account written by someone who has no clue.

Ah, so we actually have the guy in charge of the file libraries for
Genie and Delphi.  Hmm, the plot thickens.  Appartently, it is the
policy of Genie and Delphi to validate every upload, making sure
contents of things they put in their library are kosher, and the
copyright holder/distribution status of software is respected.  In
other words, no warez.

Ah, and of course the thread continues with Rubywand's next post:

>     The only mention of Genie and Delphi here is in the observation:

>"Besides, unlike the situation with hidden for-pay archives on Genie,
>Delphi,
>etc., everything is out in the open." 

>It is a simple statement of fact, is it not? 

After Tony's polite, carefully and professionally worded reply, this
terse comeback to me reads more like:

"Tony, you may have spent the last five years serving the Apple II
community by personally screening tens of thousands of uploads,
downloading, unshrinking, validating contents, making sure things were
well indexed, categorized and sorted, but that's beside the point,
because _I_ think you're a pirating, money-grubbing scoundrel hiding
behind the elite walls of your fee-based subscription online services"

Now I might me accused of putting words in peoples mouths here, but
how else is one supposed to interpret such a statement?

The Rubywand post goes on:

>     All of this would be easier to believe if the Genie/Delphi archive
>contents were open to public scrutiny.

>     Has there been some change so that Genie and Delphi contents may be
>perused by any user whether or not the user is a subscriber? If so, why
>keep this a secret? If not, then you have labeled a simple statement of
>fact as "misinformation". This does not inspire trust.

>     Anyway, why not permit public viewing of contents without download
>privileges and advertise a URL for users to do this viewing? If your
>for-pay archives contain materials of interest to users, the archives
>might attract new subscribers.

"All this would be easier to believe", is it just me or does that
translate to "You lying bastards can't pull one over on me just
because I don't want to spend a couple bucks a month to subscribe to
your service!"

Oh, I guess you're just shut out of the vast conspiracy that is Genie
and Delphi, the biggest most fearsome warez organization to ever grace
the earth. <cough>

Hmm, sure, why not make the _complete_ file listings of all these
services available to _everyone_.  After all, those Apple II software
companies like Seven Hills, Byteworks, etc, that are getting pirated
blind by the Genie/Delphi conspiracy wouldn't mind if their private
beta test libraries on these services were thrown open to the world?
:-)  In case the sarcasm and paradox in the above sentence I shall
explain a bit more clearly...  Due to the professionalism,
trustworthiness and security of the Genie staff and file libraries, it
was quite common for Apple II software companies to use Genie as a
center of operations for private beta testing of new commercial
software.  Of course, now that nobody is willing to buy Apple II
software, just complain about the lack of it, and even if someone
spends a lot of their personal time to release something for FREE as a
labor of love they get nothing but criticism (Rubywand, you've _never_
done that to a <cough> Wolf3D <cough> Apple II programmer have you?),
I don't that service is used much anymore.  But it just goes to show
how those Genie/Delphi people will stab Apple II software authors in
the back for using their service.  ;-)

Of course, Tony Ward pretty much said the above in a later post which
I won't bother quoting.  It was, once again, very thourough, patient,
professional and well-written.  To which Rubywand replies:

>     Some of the criticism is justified. The same can be said of Csa2,
>our FAQs, our Apple II archives, KansasFest, ... or any other Apple II
>institution. There are sure to be disagreements from time to time; but,
>users can still work together to expand II computing and to make it more
>fun and more productive.

Hmm, is this an apology for calling Tony, Genie, Delphi liars, pirates
and slandering them up and down the newsgroup?  Doesn't read like it.
Reads more like (Well, you're right, and I'm still not WRONG and you
stilll deserve criticism.  Nobody's perfect, we'll have disagreements
(and I'll be right), but Apple II Forever, now don't make me look any
more foolish than I already look!)

Rubywand (whoever the heck you really are, not that I care), people
like Tony have done so much for the Apple II community over the past
several years it boggles the mind.  You are a obnoxious, whining,
elitest, stubborn fool.  Go ahead and continue your tilting at
windmills for all I care, but your idiocy, refusal to admit wrong,
apologize to people you should be thanking, griping about Apple II
development and then flaming, sniping and being ungrateful for the
efforts of programmers who (and least wanted to) do things out of
their love for the Apple II and II users make me sick.  I shall never
waste breath or words responding to a post of yours again, but do the
Apple II world a favor and take your ball and go home, it's what you
want anyway, except you seem to think the rest of the world needs to
hear about it.

Flame off, lurk mode back on, and damned if people like you don't take
all the fun out of idle thoughts of writing GS stuff again for kicks.

Nate Trost
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