Are we talking about open source software here or free addons/graphics/styles like the ones found here? Often people taken on "free" project to generate good names for their company, products, and to further their own goals. I am thankful to anyone who wishes to release their work for free. But rarely these days is anything free. Most people want recognition and money.

There are people who do it becuase they love the community, or want to give back. Or perhaps releasing the software just because they can. These people are fewer and fewer between these days. Hopefully a trend that will change for the better.

I was referring more to the scripts/styles graphics released here but you could also extend this to open source/freeware/donateware products. But to point out about the comment you made about "not charging people enough" and "people further their goals" it's not a bad thing but your right in saying (or atleast I think so) is that they are becoming fewer and fewer these days. The way you conveyed it is that you regretted charging the little amount you did during the vb2 3 days which is why this kind of thinking is why there are fewer and fewer people that give freely. again, I'm not saying it's a bad thing charging, I have no problem in purchasing a high quality product and people do need to earn an income from their talents but if everyone adopted this path we wouldn't have a thriving community with an abundance of scripts/styles (I won't say graphics because I think compared to IPB resources the graphics don't compare) because of the neglection of this area for many years.

The good thing about this community is that alot of people here help freely. expecting no gain and more importantly spending their time to enhance other peoples browsing experience. I have no problem in purchasing a solid product from a reputable person/company but free and commercial can be as good as one another or work very well together (you only have to look here and every vb board to see that). But I also don't have a problem using a free based product that is just as good and I like to think that I give back quality products as well as thousands of members here do.

I think I'm about to cry now. I think I might go release something. :(

My response was specificly to some work i had done for a style company from the vB2 to vb3 days. They were commericial products to begin wtih. The time and effort it took to convert the styles to vB3 was time consuming, esp getting little things right. Though this has nothing to do with how i feel the community here has gone. It was a comment about people not realizing how much hard work goes into something.

I see paid requests for 5-20 dollars all the time that are 1-5 hours worth of work.

I would be very interested to know what you think is a reasonable price for a excellent and exclusive skin?

Yeah -and usually those posts the OP has posted "Should be easy work. Won't take that long." As if they know LMAO - If they did know - they'd have done the damn job themselves.

Anyway - that's generally why those posts go unanswered and the OP posts back several days later "Anyone help with this?" https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/

Jacquii.

In regards to the original subject of this thread, I must say I'm shocked to learn that people rip other's work...truly shocked :eek:

...Sarcasm? :p

ROFLMAO - More sarcasm ==> I absolutely L-O-V-E it https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/

DM, might be an interesting 'article' thread if you wrote up what steps you took exactly to register your TM'ed items (what types of TM you chose, steps you did to go about it, etc.). :)

That is something that I see over & over again people completely ignoring. The same holds true for people charging for stuff like BlackBerry themes that contain copyrighted & trademarked images -- the sellers simply have no rights to the images they are using to make money with.

That reminds me... when vB4 is released, let's talk about an upgrade or two of some styles. :D

$40 an hour is not cheap. That's above market rate in the UK. Although experts can charge more, and do.