What would you do if the forum had a subscription fee (to post classifieds, etc)?

Harry.Major, I know Furtwangler outside of this forum, I believe that you do not.

If you feel the need to just spout off, then please.......be my guest.

Now, where'd I leave Ernie and Bert?

I don't know why thats relevant, or why you want to be personally offensive. I thought I had the right to interpret what people write, just like you did. Does knowing some one in the flesh alter what they right?

I genuinely find what you just said really fucking off and deliberately malicious.

Harry, this is completely irrelevant to the present discussion, but you do realise that the 'free' in 'free software' doesn't mean 'free of charge', don't you? ;)

And some of the issues you talk about have been addressed upthread, actually. It's a bit of a pain if you come to a massive thread like this late, but it is often worth reading it fully.

Oliver: I don't feel its irrelavanet, so I said it.
And I'm sorry if I repeated earlier points. But I guess that means more then one person agrees. I'm sorry you feel that disagreement should be confined. Plenty of people said yes from the beginning, you haven't been having a go at them.

**VB: **
I know what you are getting at, and I think your comments are totaly fair. I also understand how you feel I am valuing you at zilch, BUT. I'm not. What I like is that untill now no one has tried to use the forum as a business. Okay people have made dosh from it, but on the whole every contributes for free. Its a bit like a little gift economy. I think I value you higher because of it, because everything is free and you like others are doing it for the good of the community, not financial reward. I think thats amazing. Yes society is based on money, but the internet is increasingly providing information / communities / buisness without financial transaction. Or at least lessening its impact. And before you ask, yes I practise what I preach, I'm heavily involved in free provision for art education, and take no money for it myself.

Your position is different to your examples because the fee you would take come from the contributers, not from buisness advertising or a service charged. Wikipedia staff may take money, but they don't get it from the average user. Same with facebook or other social networking sites, staff make money, but not from the members.

Like I mentioned before thats my more ideological stance. In reality I'm not that bothered if you do, but in principle I don't think you should. And it seems I'm not alone on this. There seems to be a real sentiment of not making a profit. The members seem willing to pay, and suggest you shouldn't have to, but I don't think we should pay, for you to make money, when we all provide the content.

I guess I'll leave it there, I seem to be repeating myself and others, and people don't think I should be allowed to do that, so I'll just shut up. Just know I value you highly VB, its nice you do it for reasons other then money. Thats a model I like.