Re: Steve Mentzer: Pirate. You are no longer welcome.

[pfg@yallara.cs.rmit.EDU.AU (Paul Francis Gilbert)]

nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates) writes:

>Note: the following is a fairly long posting, but I and many others
>feel that this is relevant to the Apple II community at large.

>In article <55ojr1$48i@client2.news.psi.net>,
>Steve Mentzer <smentzer@pacbell.net> wrote:
>>Check on my FTP site... follow the links at 
>>http://home.earthlink.com/~smentzer to access my FTP site at home..

>   Well, if you can spell 'earthlink.net', that URL used to head off
>to your home WinNT3.5 box. [It doesn't anymore, for reasons that'll be
>very apparent in a minute.]

>   I dropped by this ftp site, and the contents were most interesting.
>For someone claiming to "support" the Apple II, Steve Mentzer's ftp
>site had copies of JUST ABOUT EVERY COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE GS
>SOFTWARE.  The latest stuff from Shareware Solutions II
>(Convert.3200), the complete line of the Byte Works products, a lot of
>Softdisk and Softdisk GSs, most of the GS+ Magazines, AWGS, ProSEL,
>Proterm, and the like. Plus, a few of the more popular PC games in
>their commercial (not shareware) versions: Quake, Abuse, Duke Nukem
>3D, etc.


When I first read your article, it was with great scepticism. Frankly, your
posts normally seem to fanatical for my liking. [witness your attempts to
have asimov closed down]. After having read your article, I wasn't so sure. If
you were correct, this Steve does seem to be a "bad" guy

However, having just read his reply article, I've cancelled my original post,
because he does raise a good point. Don't take this the wrong way, but you
are being, well lets say "high strung" to keep things nice. I'm willing to
listen to anyone, and the points he raises (ie. the stuff about baits for
"you and your cronies" were his words), are at least as valid as yours.

The whole point is, that you do seem to project an image of one who goes off
half strung in fits of self-righteousness. I'd urge you to at least 
investigate things fully... download files to ensure that they are what they
claim, at least ATTEMPT TO TALK TO THE GUY TO MAKE SURE IT"S HIM THATS DOING
IT.

I'd urge everyone to read Steve's reply, and not not just kill-file him on
the basis of Nathan's first article. But on the side, I agree that that //GS
software that's being sold shouldn't be pirated, and that serious //GS pirate
sites should be shutdown.



--
Paul Gilbert           | pfg@yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au
Bach App Sci, Bach Eng | The opinions expressed are my own, all my own, and
Year 3, RMIT Melbourne | as such will contain no references to small furry
Australia	       | creatures from Alpha Centauri.