Ignoring POOPERSCOOPER's infantile posts, there are a few questions and issues popping up here that need some explanation, so here goes.
1. All the concentration here on cutting down on the bandwidth usage is completely pointless. Successful growing sites will be using progressively more and more bandwidth, no matter what you do. Limiting it and removing some features might work as a temporary solution, but that's it. Eventually, it'll start growing again. And no site should limit itself on account of bandwidth usage, especially one that doesn't really host any larger files.
Bandwidth usage here isn't really that big of a problem. The amount of people on the site is, and that's the most taxing thing in the whole process. So, stop concentrating on how to save bandwidth, because short of killing off some users, you can't really do it.
2. Since this post has gone up, $70 in donations has come in. Saint has been short on money and couldn't pay the part of the hosting bill these last two months that I have to charge him because the shitty Google ads bring in only a grand whole of about $5 a month, and he won't let me put up popups, which would at least generate SOME income. All because he wants to give you lot a more pleasant browsing experience.
So, again, the retarded comments about how much money has been made can go to hell along with the idiots making them. This site is making 0 income with advertising, and up until today (saving the RAM upgrade, where I think 2 people from Codex donated), hasn't received a single donation. I, on the other hand, have to pay the hosting bill for the server every month. Do the math.
3. (Special) avatars / signatures for people who donate are a good idea, and I hope Saint will implement it. Not because it would lower bandwidth usage (which, as I've explained before, is not really an issue in our case), but because it would get a group otherwise collectively highly unlikely to do anything for the site in terms of supporting it, to rethink their philosophy. I understand how it is - as long as you're just an user, you don't give a shit about how the people who run the site manage to keep it up every month. Not getting everything on a silver platter unless you do something for the site, however, might get them to spare a few moments to think about it. And maybe even contribute a buck or two.
4. The "but I don't have a credit card" excuses are completely pointless, so please don't make any more. You can send me or Saint cash or a check directly via snail mail to pay the bills. If you don't want to, or can't, that's fine - just say so. But don't say "oh, I WOULD donate, but I can't because I don' have a credit card". That's bull, and you know it.
