You know, maybe it is because I am new here, and was not here for whatever good old days there were when so many of you felt you were in the sort of community you envisioned... but I just do not get it. Honestly, what is the difference between the store having a banner ad at the top of the page, or in the middle of the rightmost column? It is a graphical link to products that are for sale. No one forces anyone to go there, or to purchase. I have heard now fears that this will devolve into making money off the backs of the community? How is this? You either buy if you wish, as I have done with PhilC's works, or you do not. It is voluntary, and not a soul held a gun to my head to make me give up the cash to Phil. That was when it was on BBay, which I found to be an aggravating annoyance, since I had to leave the site to go there. I did not like leaving the site. It felt rather like having to travel across town to go to the mall. I wished the mall was next door. Speaking of communities, what does that mean? What is this place? It is a little virtual city. It has it's residential district and town square (all the cool forums where we hang out and banter), it has it's community storage area (our free stuff), and now in the center of town, best and most conveniently located right next door to where we all live, is the mall. Cool by me. Sometimes it seems as if what is REALLY wanted by some of you, is for you to be compensated for just having been here? To be given a percentage of sales just for having been here. But is that fair to PhilC? I mean, he is the one who worked his butt off making something I wanted to buy from him. Not you. Why should he have to give a percentage to all who are just here? As to the Forum itself making money... it offers a service on several levels. Most of the service is free to all. The brokering service is just another service being offered. I cannot imagine that Renderosity will get rich off this. This is not Zygote, where thousands of a model are sold. I think more this is an effort to cover overhead costs so as to go on offering a free service to you all? Or would you rather the site be shutdown, because the hosts want to see something coming out of it for themselves, after their long investment in the bandwidth that they could give to another group? Some people hate change. I am a bit like that myself. I was immediately suspicious when Aunt Jemima got a new hairdo and (god help us all) earings! I mean I fretted for days over the meaning of this... were my pancakes going to taste the same now? Why did Aunt Jemima change when I liked her fine as a fat old black lady in a turban? But then I stopped giving myself gray hairs, tasted the pancakes, and they are still the same :)

Good point. When Jack and crew took over, they were up front in saying that a storefront was in the overall plans for Renderosity.com. I think it's a good idea, and I doubt that it will cut into the FreeStuff.

Hey D :o) YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE to remember that I had said that in the beginning!! thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!! Jack

wyrwulf has a great memory.. ;) I should have a new free item out this week... Free stuff isnt going away.. Clint Hawkin-Z GraF-X

See, Jack! I told you I was still around. This is my home and my family, and I do what I can to help.