Quote:
Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
There, I've started cleaning up my mailbox and disabled the PM functionality as I can be reached by e-mail.
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Screw that, Mr. Spoelstra! I find the tool much too valuable... besides, it's all text, no pics.
And think about it for a minute -- old messages do NOT take up bandwidth, only disk space, which isn't an issue here. Ergo, the only bandwidth used is in the transmission of NEW messages, and as those are text-only, the cost to us is minimal.
Our bandwidth is used in three primary ways, in order (I can identify these by page-traffic and file identification):
(1) Viewing threads... regulars here tend to look at threads they're interested in, and ignore older ones which have slipped to the bottom of the listing. Lurkers tend to be much more active as they go through everything.
(2) Embedded images in those threads. Say no more, for they are an integral part of this community.
(3) FTP & POP mail. These are mine. I download backups now twice a week to ensure forum integrity if we ever go down again. The POP mail is also mine, although at present I can't track just what percentage. Most is text, but it's all related to MLU in the sense that it is the owner's identification. Together, these make up only a small proportion of bandwidth used.
I repeat, I find PMing far too much of a valuable tool within our community-at-large, and as such am loathe to encourage any restriction on use, voluntary or not. SUNRAY therefore instructs you to turn yours back on again...
Carry on, sir!