My $.02, on a sleepless night, so I hope this makes sense.

Rarely, if ever, is anything "free". Anything of value usually costs somebody something.

And so, in this forum in particular, I lift my virtual glass in a digital toast -

For all those who have made a creation available to the community for no cost (or low cost) to the community, whether it took a few moments or countless hours to create, whether it was roughly made or finely honed, who have made it available for a few moments or for years on end, whether it was a slight enhancement or a massive project, whether it was with open-ended permissions or contained a highly restrictive EULA, for a wide spectrum of software or a single system and version, from anywhere in the world, with much altruism or with an agenda (within reasonable bounds), and whether I was able to use it or not -

You have my sincere gratitude, my deep appreciation, my full respect, and my heartfelt thanks. You didn't have to share, but you did. And for that, I salute you.

Cheers!

And a second thanks goes to all the individuals, organizations, and companies who have provided the infrastructure and bore the costs of making these creations available. You also deserve recognition, in that your sharing allowed others to share, thus enriching the community.

And double the thanks for all who both created and bore the costs of distribution - your continual generosity is an example of the better nature that is worthy of attention.

with high regards,

Steve