[wp-hackers] Text ads in themes

[Roy Schestowitz]

___/ On Sun 10 Sep 2006 01:26:34 BST, [ Kaf Oseo ] wrote : \___

> Charles wrote:
>> Glass houses, stones, etc.  Live and let live, blah blah blah.
>>
>> http://waxy.org/archive/2005/03/30/wordpres.shtml
>
> Should I take your response to mean you believe the theme author
> should realize the use of text ads is a big mistake*, perform a
> (very public) mea culpa over it, and then pull the ads from all
> current and future themes?
>
> Otherwise I don't follow the purpose behind the reference.


I  think Charles flagged a possible case of hypocrisy, but I
have  always  stuck with the assumption that each person  is
permitted  to make impulsive mistakes, especially at the age
of 21.


> * An honest and to a degree an understandable one, as the goal
> was no doubt simply to gain a little compensation for his time
> and effort.


Please  do  criticise me if I'm wrong, but as I said  in  my
previous  message,  I  actually  think that  it  verges  the
unethical  (no notification), adverse to openness (no option
for  removal), and a wee bit greedy. I wouldn't like to find
KDE  peppered with all sorts of links any time soon. Windows
Vista,  on  the  contrary, does take this approach  (ads  in
login  screen and, more latterly, links to Windows Live  all
over  the  O/S). My speculation is that there will  be  many
last-minute  changes  to tackle antitrust laws,  before  the
product hits production and ends up on the shelf. Unethical,
closed,  greedy  (and not competitive). Even the  shills  at
Microsoft Watch have criticised the move. And to return back
to  topic,  I think WordPress (Automattic) should have  been
contacted  before some supposedly viral content was embedded
in  the  theme.  WP  1.5.0 was criticised at  the  time  for
HotLinking  an  image, which could raise  spyware  concerns.
That was benign, but enough to stir up a storm in a teacup.

Best wishes,

Roy

-- 
Roy S. Schestowitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Biophysics
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