Workaround for the NF block

[spike]

moron is right
ross, no one is "forcing" you to use gameranger

[Mr. Lothario]

     Ross, you're sorely in need of an economics lesson. First off, GR is a nonessential service. You will not die or go homeless without being able to play games through GR. So saying you are being "forced" to use GR is pure crap.

     Second, you and others need to learn what "monopoly" means. There are two things to understand here. 1) GR is a monopoly because there is no competition. 2) The lack of competition is not a result of GR being a monopoly. If Evill was buying out other Macintosh game-matching services and shutting them down, or if he was otherwise exercising his <sarcasm>massive economic power in the market</sarcasm> to keep people from using other Macintosh game-matching services, THEN the use of "monopoly" as an epithet would be justified. However, that is not the case. There's no competition, even though there are no significant barriers to entry into this market, so GR is a de facto monopoly. If you don't like that state of affairs, go code your own competing app. Then GR won't be a monopoly.

     Finally, making money is a legitimate and reasonable goal for a business. Evill has NOT been making money for years, and now he wishes to. Note the following points: 1) YOU are CHOOSING to use GameRanger. 2) You are ALLOWED to use GameRanger EVEN IF you don't pay. 3) IF YOU PAY, you receive in return UNFETTERED USE of GameRanger and NetFone, PLUS extra features. 4) IF YOU DON'T PAY, you are COSTING Evill money and giving him NOTHING in return. 5) GameRanger is a PRIVATELY-OWNED service, and as such Evill has FULL RIGHTS to do WHATEVER HE DAMN WELL PLEASES without needing ANYONE'S permission.

     In summary, shut your god damned cry-holes, you leeches.

[tasty]

I don't know what the law in Australia is, and I'm certainly not commenting on the morality of such a lawsuit, but it seems to follow the same type of legal case that Microsoft lost. Company restricts competition in conjunction with its own software that is the industry standard, thereby creating a monopoly. Wasn't that the same basis for the MS antitrust suit?

[Ross Koepke]

Uhm, Loth, I haven't used GR for over 7 months. Anyhow, GR has shut down two competitors that I know of.

"MORON! MORON! MORON!"

Seriously, could we cut the crap?

[Mr. Lothario]

     If you don't use GR any more, why are you going to such great lengths on this issue?

     Aww, did my summary hurt your feelings and make you ignore the rest of the post? How about some responses instead of whining?

[|MP|Buccaneer]

Not exactly Tasty.

Microsuck was pissed off that people were choosing to pay for Navigator over using IE for free.

Microsuck then sabotaged Navigator, so it wouldn't work correctly with Windoze.

It was found that 1) Windoze, for all intent and purposes was a monolopy, and 2) Microsuck was abusing that monolopy in order to effect the IE vs Navigator issue.

That's where the anti-trust came in.  Windoze wasn't trying to secure it's own position, it was using it's position to give leverage to another product.  

The trick is, you have to look at the products, not the company to really understand what was going on.  Treat it like 3 players, not 2.

GameRanger is only trying to help itself, not another product (it's own in voice doesn't count, because if you pay, NetFone works too).  Also, NetFone was not developed or advertised to work with GameRanger.  Netscape was made to work with Windoze.

[Ross Koepke]

Aww, did my summary hurt your feelings and make you ignore the rest of the post? How about some responses instead of whining?

Nice try on the flame. Please don't flame me anymore. Now onto the other responses you asked for.

Ross, you're sorely in need of an economics lesson.

Yeah ok, and when you have 3 successful businesses going simultaneously, then you can call me. I eat economy books for breakfast.

First off, GR is a nonessential service. You will not die or go homeless without being able to play games through GR. So saying you are being "forced" to use GR is pure crap.

Ah yes. Just like you don't need a computer in the first place, or an operating system. Microsoft was still sued for a monopoly in a non-essential service. I'm forced to use GR as a feature of the games I buy such as Rogue Spear.

Second, you and others need to learn what "monopoly" means.

A. A company or group having exclusive control over a commercial activity. (Yep, this is GR)

B. Exclusive possession or control (Yep, this is GR)

There are two things to understand here. 1) GR is a monopoly because there is no competition. 2) The lack of competition is not a result of GR being a monopoly.

So we first need to learn the definition presumably because we're using it the wrong way, and then in the next sentence you say that we are correct. Wow.

Finally, making money is a legitimate and reasonable goal for a business. Evill has NOT been making money for years, and now he wishes to.

I refer you to GameRangers own site: http://gameranger.com/adv/
And until GameRanger Technologies publishes a public financial report, you don't know a flying fuck what GR's profit or lack thereof has been both before and after premium was instituted.

Note the following points: 1) YOU are CHOOSING to use GameRanger.

Actually I'm not using it. I just heard about this and was infuriated at his business practice, which is why I became involved.

2) You are ALLOWED to use GameRanger EVEN IF you don't pay.

Yes, so if Apple released a free version of Mac OS X, which you need to use a mac for the most part these days, but if you ran it, it would disable your monitor, unless it was an apple brand, would this be fair? Hell no.

4) IF YOU DON'T PAY, you are COSTING Evill money and giving him NOTHING in return.

This is Evill's own choice. I could be giving him money through looking at ads.

5) GameRanger is a PRIVATELY-OWNED service, and as such Evill has FULL RIGHTS to do WHATEVER HE DAMN WELL PLEASES without needing ANYONE'S permission.

HAHAHAHAHAH!
 Wow you are so damned wrong. Just because he isn't a corporation doesn't mean he can do whatever he damn well pleases. There are many laws of regarding fair business practices in Australia, and that's what I'm researching now to see if the australian courts could find him guilty of breaking one or more of these.

And quit flaming me.
Constructive comments are welcome though.

[Acri]

Lothario is right
Koepke is dumb
Morons complain
Till their tounges go numb

Loyalty speaks
Through the mouths of a few
Bottom line is: Kevill
owes nothing to you

You use this service
Which is totally free
It offers a place to sit
And voice-chat (for a fee)

It is like an outdoors caf?
Where you can sit for free
But don't bring your own food
That right... was never given thee

You can eat at the tables
If you pay for the chair
You may sit for free
But honestly, is it fair?

Spend a few dollars
To have a good time
Buy yourself customer rights
Plenty of hours for a dime

It ain't really expensive
If you think for a while
It's worth every penny
And it shows good style

Koepke, your next post
The one under this
Is a big crap of bullshit
and a gallon of piss

Obviously you can't
appreciate art
And please stop trying
You were wrong from the start

[Ross Koepke]

That was good acri. How long did that take you?
Seriously, I liked everything but the first stanza.

[alaric]

Well said, acri.

Koepke, cram it. You know not what you speak. What Scott did wasn't in the best taste, but he was within his rights.

As for the rest of your brats complaining because you can't get everything for free: Pay Up or Shut Up.

Jesus Christ, you're all starting to sound like linux users.

[Acri]

Yeah ok, and when you have 3 successful businesses going simultaneously, then you can call me. I eat economy books for breakfast.

Business number one:
Being a prostitute
Business number two:
Pimping yourself
Business three:
Cleaning up after yourself

[Ross Koepke]

Business number one:
Being a prostitute
Business number two:
Pimping yourself
Business three:
Cleaning up after yourself

Yeah, it's great when the only thing you can do is flame me.

Actually Business one (most profitable) is assembling and selling high-performance PC's at low prices. I undercut the average computer company by $1280.

Business two is website design and programming.

Business three is computer repair.

In the first business I have 3 employees, business two and three I run solo. I make $4,000/month on average.

[|MP|Buccaneer]

ok, and when you have 3 successful businesses going simultaneously, then you can call me. I eat economy books for breakfast.

And when you get your MBA from the old Maze and Blue, you can stop talking out of your ass.

Ah yes. Just like you don't need a computer in the first place, or an operating system. Microsoft was still sued for a monopoly in a non-essential service. I'm forced to use GR as a feature of the games I buy such as Rogue Spear.

1) learn more about the Microsuck anti-trust suit before talking about it.

2) you are not forced to use GR.  Not by a long shot.  The games have their own way to join built in.  GR is a value added service.

A. A company or group having exclusive control over a commercial activity. (Yep, this is GR)

B. Exclusive possession or control (Yep, this is GR)

I want you to pay close attention to the word commercial there.  Evill has not screwed the paying customers, he has only limited what he gives away for free.

Furthermore Evill has shut down two other start-up services that I know of by threatening to sue them. The creators were young kids in high school and college and obviously could not afford legal costs to fight him, so they had to shut their services down.

Yeah?  Which two?  And what was the exact threat?  That they used his code?  Without support, what you just spouted is slander.

Finally, making money is a legitimate and reasonable goal for a business. Evill has NOT been making money for years, and now he wishes to.

I refer you to GameRangers own site: http://gameranger.com/adv/
And until GameRanger Technologies publishes a public financial report, you don't know a flying fuck what GR's profit or lack thereof has been both before and after premium was instituted.

Or, you could just ask Evill, like some have.  And he could tell you, like he has done with some.

But you ignored the point.  Evill has the right to make money.  It is the goal of most business, isn't it?  

Saying that we don't know his P&L is just a smoke screen by you.

Yes, so if Apple released a free version of Mac OS X, which you need to use a mac for the most part these days, but if you ran it, it would disable your monitor, unless it was an apple brand, would this be fair? Hell no.

Actually, HELL YES.  As long as Apple said "Hey, as a reward to our paying customers for purchasing our branded hardware, we are allowing you to have OS X free of charge.  This special version of OS X will only work with pure Apple systems (no third party hardware)."

As long as they disclosed it, it would be more then fair, it would be a GIFT.  Also known as an INCENTIVE.  Yes, another common business practice.

This is Evill's own choice. I could be giving him money through looking at ads.

Yes, it is his choice, just as it's his choice to limit which features work for the free accounts.

There are many laws of regarding fair business practices in Australia, and that's what I'm researching now to see if the australian courts could find him guilty of breaking one or more of these.

Research away, problem is, you are basing your argument on false premises.  You can't fault a free service for not providing all the features it does to it's paying customers.  Or knowing limiting the features on those "demo" accounts.

[-SW- Baz]

so acri,

are you just some chinese haiku-writing slut? if so i despise asian porno, sorry

go get a life you incompetant, poet-wishful, moronic invertebrae

a tip: if you spend time writing GOOD poems for girls (if you know any) then u might be able to get someone who actually GIVES A SHIT about what you have to say.

[Ross Koepke]

Yeah?? Which two?? And what was the exact threat?? That they used his code?? Without support, what you just spouted is slander.

FYI - It's libel, not slander. This is written.
I don't remember the names of the programs, but yes in the first one the threat was that they used his code, which was the code that was necessary to launch a game and get it to connect to a server.

Yes, it is his choice, just as it's his choice to limit which features work for the free accounts.

Oh, right. I must have somehow forgotten that NetFone was a feature of GameRanger. My mistake.

[Acri]

Tis a poem about Baz
That I am writing now
With his head up his ass
He types! Wonder how...

Baz, obviously
Has gotten no clue
It is hard to see clearly
With one's head jammed in poo

Alaric, on the other hand
Understands my gift
I shake his hand
And give Baz's a twist

[|MP|Buccaneer]

1) Voice Chat is a feature, netfone is one of the possible ways to do it.

2) Actually, it's both, if you know the proper definition of slander.  Slander is slan?der
Law. Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation.


 A false and malicious statement or report about someone.
So, if I were bringing suit, it would be for libel, but since I'm not Evill, to me, it's just slander, a false and malicious statement.

Thank you for taking the time to learn this.

3) You didn't answer the who's, just one why.  And that why is a perfectly acceptable reason to file a lawsuit.  His code is copyrighted.  

4) Not much in the way for supporting your case.

[-SW- Baz]

Tis a poem to acri
That im writing now
Sucking on a cum daquiri
While his boyfriend makes the vow

After the cocks
Acri goes to check the posts
He closes the gay porn box
It is baz! the one he loaths!

Put together another quick verse
Then back to the bedroom with the guys
To heterosexualism, he is averse!
On this day, i hope he DIES.

[Ross Koepke]

Slander is slan?der
Law. Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation.

Did you somehow miss the "oral" or are you just ignoring it? Nothing on this forum is oral.

And that why is a perfectly acceptable reason to file a lawsuit.? His code is copyrighted.

Maybe you fail to realize that every program that launches a game and connects it to a server has to do it nearly exactly the same way as every other app.

[Acri]

Bashing homosexuality
Is the method of the weak
It used by a million lamers
Even as we speak

I do not doubt
That you are a lamer too
But with double digit IQ
What are you gonna do?

The poem you wrote
Where you wished for my death
Was far less repulsive
Than your horrible breath

To help evolution
It would be a good idea
If you removed both your testicles
It keeps the gene pool clear