New Owner of Amiga.org to be on Amiga Roundtable.

[Wayne]

I just posted this elsewhere and don't feel like retyping it.  It sums up all I have to say (and repeatedly said) on the matter, so here;

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On Monday, Nov 30, 2009, jorkany wrote:
>  
>  Maybe so, but I don't see how you will have any say in it once the
> domain  registration has been transferred.

Frankly, you're right (and even more frankly, I'm ok with that), but what everyone refuses to accept is that the new owner(s) sunk what is -- for the tiny and excessively verbal Amiga community -- a huge chunk of change into keeping the site up, live, and as it currently is.  

If you will actually stop to consider and accept that, the fact that they won't do anything stupid to destroy the property they just bought should be relatively obvious.

Not everyone buys a property in order to tear it down and build a parking lot.  I know that between Amiga Inc, Genesi, Hyperion, and a host of other companies it's par for the course, but the only thing that keeps Amiga.org going is you guys.  Without you guys, there isn't a site to worry about and the new owner(s) know that all too well.

They bought it because literally I said "I think I'll just shut it down one day soon".  As such, I'm absolutely confident in their word that they don't intend to screw it all up or sell it to Spanish lesbians.

Wayne

[Wayne]

I'm just curious about something.

Botched announcement aside (and that's what it was), is there ANYONE IN THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY -- hell, even on this planet that you guys would NOT be having this little melodramatic hissy fit over?

If everyone can name me that one person, I would probably faint dead away.

Face it.  The Amiga community is nothing if not overtly melodramatic in a very real way about every little thing, so if anything, I find this just another source of amusement in the road.

I'm not trying to devalue your concerns as much as I am simply trying to share a bit of perspective over the whole thing.  The fact is that I am "retiring" and SOMEONE had to either step up or the site would simply disappear one day.  

Yes, probably to be replaced by Spanish Lesbians so I could put it on sedo.com and sell it for money, but the point remains the same.

The site is here, nothing has changed, life goes on.  There is no single person, group, or entity on the planet you guys would not have freaked out over, so please, can't we just move on to the next little micro-melodrama and go back to enjoying the Amiga?  Pretty please?

Wayne

[Wayne]

I can't stop thinking about this, and finally see it from your perspectives.  Let me say that I understand.  I get it.  

Whether you love me, or think me the Anti-Christ (as some have said), Wayne Hunt is a known evil that you've all dealt with for 15 years now.

As a webmaster and forum guru, I have my own quirks.  I have my own pet peeves, I am insanely predictable when it comes to getting certain buttons pushed, and for a lot of the same reasons each time.

Now comes the day that I've chosen to move on with my own life, and you guys are left hanging by the botched announcement of the owner(s).  You're all pissed, you're all concerned, and yes, even a little scared of "the future".  Again, I do get it.

Enter a new era where you have to not only figure out the new guy(s), but learn their quirks and peeves.  

It's a scary thing, and I just want to say firmly and openly that I get that.  

Just please take me at my word that -- money aside -- I would not have sold this site to anyone that I thought would have done it -- or this community -- harm.  I wanted above all else, for the site to continue and even improve if we could get the right person(s) to run it and make these improvements.  

If I felt otherwise, I literally would have put it on the open market to see if I could sell it as an adult domain, gaining myself FAR more money than I received.

I'm not asking you to forget your concerns.  I'm not suggesting in any way that you're not validly concerned.  I'm just asking that you each take a moment to consider things from my perspective as well as I am from yours.

Everything will be ok..

Wayne

[Wayne]

The only melodrama I see here is a new owner who agreed to go on a hyped show to "reveal him/herself" and then was a no show.

Again, I understand that as well, though the proportion scale is broken for some.

I need everyone here to understand that -- if anyone -- I share a large bit of blame in said non-announcement, as it was my suggestion which ultimately lead to the ART situation to begin with.  When pushing for it, I did not realize that the new owner(s) were intending more of a desire to remain private, so I fully accept the mea culpa.

I wish it could be different now, but it's not.  It literally is, what it is, so we can sit here blowing it further out of proportion, or we can all just call it a non-event and go back to our normally scheduled lives realizing we're neither better nor worse for it.

BTW, Even though I sounded like an idiot (I take things way too frivolously and I apparently sound like Kermit the Frog), I think the ART came off well with a lot of help from Joe Torre, and I look forward to the opportunity to participate in another some day.

Wayne

[Wayne]

Amiga_Nut

It's answers like yours which only serve to prove that there is a legitimate reason to wish to remain anonymous in this community sometimes.

No one here has any inaliable "right" to know anything at all about the owner(s).  This is a web site.  A public service which I worked to build with the help of the community itself for almost 15 years to serve the community. Nothing more, nothing less.

My identity is known today only because I wished it to be so.  I could have just as easily remained in the shadows all these years and were it not for public appearances, and no one would care.

The "simple fact" as you so oversimplified, is that since I haven't actually OWNED an Amiga in years, I was ready to find different things to do with my life rather than worrying about "the next drama fix" around here.  

Simply stated, I was ready to close this web site, and if need be, I was even willing to put it up as an adult site to try and make even more money from the sale of the domain name.

The current owner(s) -- who (for those of you who refuse to read or comprehend -- is NOT Bill Panagouleas) had the money to make it happen, and whether through their own influence, or at the request of Bill P, stepped up to make it happen.

That doesn't mean that they were interested in physically dealing with the day-to-day of Amiga.org.  For all I care to divulge, the new owner(s) could have simply been wanting to save a site that they, themselves enjoy regularly and simply didn't want to see it disappear.

There is no conspiracy, there's no need for 18 pages of drama, there's no need for the infantile stupidity that's being shown by some, but were it not for the over-the-top drama, it wouldn't be the Amiga community.  

My official take on it is that if you like this web site, then just shut up and enjoy the fact that it's still here and the fact that the owners have no intent of changing anything.

Another simple fact is that considering my current employment and economic status, selling the domain name / web site would have been unavoidable either way.

For the record, Panagouleas and the same moderators that have ALWAYS been running the site are now officially running the day-to-day.  I'm still hovering nearby because I have friends here, and until you all go to segwayne.com or whyzzat.com, I'll always be here.

Final facts:

Things aren't changing. Everything is status quo, so please.  Be happy and enjoy the gift that this purchase is to the community, considering that if they hadn't stepped up, you wouldn't be here right now.

Regards,

Wayne Hunt
segwayne.com

[Wayne]

Everyone is telling us that we can trust the new owners, they will keep their word.

Someone confirmed in this very thread that my account will be deleted "by the end of the week", as I requested. That was almost two weeks ago. Need I say more about trust?

As *I* said, accounts do not get deleted.  Anyone, including Bill P who said differently may be a little confused, which is why I'm still hanging around to teach them.  Whomever may have said differently needs to understand why things happen the way they do.

It has nothing to do with trust, though I'm thoroughly surprised someone as intelligent as you is taking part in all this sillyness.

Your account remains.  Whether or not you choose to use it (and I hope you do) is entirely up to you sir.  It has zero to do with politics and everything to do with the integrity of both this web site, and the data therein.

That being said, if you refuse to see reason or logic, I sincerely wish you good luck, and thank you for everything you did for this community and the Amiga platform.

Wayne

[Wayne]

Mick,

As someone who spent over 10 years working directly for an ICANN accredited registrar (directnic.com), allow me to point out that you're both canonically off your rocker and heading far away from the reservation.

ICANN regulations require legitimate information be held by the registrar.  True.  ICANN regulations require that legitimate information be held for each domain name. That "legitimate" information simply means a valid address and phone number of a person who can speak for the domain name. ICANN DOES NOT however say that the information has to be yours, or even the owner of the domain name.  

As long as the domain's owner CAN BE CONTACTED BY MEANS of the information on file, it is valid.  That means if ICANN wants to speak to the owners, I'll be sure to let them know.

ICANN also does not prohibit anonymous registrations, or better said, registration by proxy, which is why every registrar now offers a domain privacy option.

My name is still listed on the domain name's WHOIS information simply because the announcement of the new owner(s) has not been made.  Once it has, I'm sure the domain's WHOIS entry will change.

Until such time, flatly stated.  "I'm sorry, you're wrong, thanks for playing".  

Wayne

[Wayne]

@Schoenfeld

My father almost died and just had open heart surgery and I am out of town because of that. I have done little if anything on Amiga.org due to the serious unexpected heath complications my father had.

I sincerely hope he's doing better.  Best hopes for a speedy recovery.

Wayne

[Wayne]

Perhaps it's time to do it the american way... the privacy policy of amiga.org says who amiga.org is, and also suggests that deletion of accounts can be done by mailing Wayne.

Thanks for reminding me to update the terms of service.  It'll be updated shortly.

Wayne

[Wayne]

The divisions have started, battlelines drawn and it's between 2 of the biggest names in the community - All in the name of an anonymous owner ... go figure!

You realize that ALL of this is utterly bleeping moronic, right?

It's bleep like this that caused the primary reason for my desire to move away from any association with this community.  While there are still several great people left in the community, by large majority, we're left with the pedants, back seat lawyers, and spoilt children who feel they have some inaliable rights to a public service.

With sincere apology, I realize I've lost all sense of civility, but frankly, there it is.

edit: Jens' account is now closed.  Not deleted, but closed.  Any private information from his account has been removed and he will NEVER have access to it again.  The terms of service will be updated shortly.  Stupidity closed.  

I'm now removing myself from this thread because frankly the stupidity shown by some of you children has pissed me off.  Where I thought there was intelligent life, some of you have gone out of your way to prove I was wrong.  Happy now?

Wayne

[Wayne]

I really don't know why I'm bothering to point this out to the kids, but from the Privacy Policy, ala Terms of Service;

"You may request deletion of your Amiga.org account by e-mailing wayne@amiga.org from the e-mail account listed in your account."

"YOU MAY REQUEST".  

No such request has been made through e-mail.  Even if it were, it is still the right of the site to deny a request.  

The wording however could be, and will shortly be improved to denote such.

Wayne