Suggestion: Stop Requiring Forum Reputation/Money To Download

From my understanding, it goes against the license of a lot of older software to require payment to acquire the software. Gatekeeping legacy software is also very detrimental to preservation purposes. These, and other reasons, as well, have compelled me to make the suggestion for this site to stop requiring forum reputation or money to access the downloads. It's really sad to see so many people online tell me that this is the website that I should use in order to find downloads, since it's actively gatekeeping the software that other people created.

I know this suggestion will fall on deaf ears or that my thread will probably be deleted or that I'll be flamed for making this recommendation, but I think that the way this website currently is is not only disappointing, but it's ethically wrong.

No, it won't be deleted, you are entirely entitled to your opinion.

I've kept the site running and 100% ad free, since it was founded in 2000 - something I am particularly proud of. It is funded entirely out of my own pocket with contributions from two of the other founders of the site. The bulk of it though is - and for most of the sites history always has been - funded (subsidised) by me personally. My circumstances changed in 2017 and subsequent to that if the site doesn't generate enough funds to sustain itself each year, I'm no longer willing or able to fund it and it will go offline.

In the years prior to 2018 when donating was voluntary and downloading was a free-for-all, I paid the larger and larger and larger bills required to fund that free-for-all. At the same time, donations to the site under this model were not even covering a fraction of its running costs. Since 2018 and the (reluctant) change in policy, member contributions have risen to a level that is far closer to meeting the running costs.

There is no such thing as free in this world. Someone has to pay the bill. All that free Google storage is paid for with your data privacy and ads. Storage on archive.org is funded via philanthropy. As you indicate, you have the option to earn a reputation by becoming an active and valued member of our community. Someone who shares, learns and contribute to the discourse and wider knowledge on legacy CE devices in a productive a way. If that is not for you, then respect to you, we give you an option to shortcut that, one that benefits everyone who visits our community. So while I appreciate your point - and if I wasn't the one footing the bill, I'm sure I'd feel the same way. That is however, the reality of the situation.

I'm not a greedy corporation, I'm not a faceless invisible individual pulling the strings and manipulating down trodden Windows CE users while I smoke expensive cigars and laugh villainously at the spoils of my own tyranny. I do not sell you data, I do not leak your data to Google, Facebook or other data brokers. If you think I am any of these things, well, I'm sorry that I have left you or anyone else with that opinion.

In reality, I'm here every single day, for free - as I have been since September 2000 - trying my best to help people. I'm here deleting the SPAM that tries to turn this site into a corrupted cesspit each and every morning. I'm trying my best to combat hackers, keep your data safe and secure while writing hundreds of thousands of lines of completely custom code to offer things to our community that they find valuable as well as useful. Since 2018 it is the financial contributions of 0.49% of the people on this site + my time + plus the unpaid time of the mods on this site that have keep the site online.

And I am immensely grateful to all of those people who contribute monies and time to the site for allowing that to happen.

+1 for supporting C:AMIE and his great efforts to maintain this great and useful resource.

Since I feel that I get a lot of value from being a member of this great site and very helpful community, I am glad to make annual contributions to express my support of this site.

As C:AMIE says, you're entitled to your opinion. But it boggles my mind how many people expect they deserve everything for free on someone else's nickel, or in this case, shilling.

Just my 2¢, or should I say, tuppence.....

Thanks OP. You inspired me to make a donation.

FWIW, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the current policy. I don't intend to flame you. But C:Amie has done a lot of work to make these files available and to design a site that helps you to find them. I've really enjoyed this place over the years, mostly because the people here are good-natured and helpful.


Edited by Mobi 2023-07-07 2:56 AM

I agree it would be wonderful if it was free but someone (namely C:Aime) puts a huge amount of time and money into keeping this resource going, I started donating a few years ago, the forum alone is worth it and the addition of the download library is a bonus, much of the software has long since disappeared from the wider internet.

Long live HPCfactor

Look on the bottom left, it says 1999-2023. That's how long HPC:Factor has been there, after all other sites eventually perished.
Of course it would be nice if everything is free to access for everyone, but someone has to cover the hosting bill for it.

I saw lots and lots of Windows CE software archive sites appear and disappear over the years, HPC:Factor has just always been there, and hopefully will be for a long time to come, thanks to donations from me and other enthusiasts

nthing the thank you to C:Amie for this amazing place and for keeping it ad free.

No flame or hate for the OP, but you're mistaken about the ethics. It's perfectly OK in my mind to charge for the medium of distribution (in this case, BANDWIDTH!). And, we've ALL seen C:Amie take down software to comply with the request when the author made any complaints about it being here.

Edited by thenzero 2023-07-07 11:10 PM

I honestly kinda love the option of being an active member of the community in order to access the downloads. I would have been involved anyway because I'm currently obsessed with these funky little devices, but I like that it gives me that option.

I think it is worth noting that requiring forum reputation or money is not a byproduct of or related to gatekeeping. Those two requirements are simply to have access the download system. They would be in place regardless of the type of files contained on this site.

Every file here is available elsewhere on the internet absolutely free of charge. HPCF in no way probibits or inhibits anyone's access or discovery of those files elsewhere. But you might spend days or longer to find them. What is the convenience of a vast repository versus your available time worth? It is a matter of choice.

It is worth noting that many of the full version applications contained under the "exemptionware" clause were in fact released solely to HPCF through the generosity of the original authors as a gesture to support this site rather than just open the software to the public domain, and HPCF has written permission to do so in those cases.

Crait, I hear you and understand what you are saying and believe. I RESPECTFULLY just don't agree with you is all.

Oh wow I had no idea! That's so cool.

I also didn't know that and also think it's really cool!

I think I'll disrespectfully disagree

I always respect people’s opinions even though I don’t agree and I appreciate that you brought this up for a discussion.
We’re just very passionate about this website and we really are a great community once you get to know us.
That said, welcome to the forum.

I have done that in the past with some websites that would like to mirror my software that I've made, but I would never allow that for websites that charge money for my free software. It's gross.