[Sunhelp] A message from Amazon.com about my new Wish List

[Amy]

On Sat, 18 Mar 2000, Erik Parker wrote:

> Bill,

i'm not bill, but since i'm the token practical-minded, so-called
non-understanding computer-despising anti-old hardware grump, and
significant-other of bill, i'll add my two cents in.

> I have mixed thoughts about this. I'm guessing you don't make money off of
> sunhelp.org.. But it sounds like you might be asking for something in
> return?

to say sunhelp isn't a profitable venture would be an understatement.
housing (is that what you call it?) fees from the local isp for the boxes 
cost hundreds of dollars per month. if he didn't get hardware exchanges,
the site wouldn't exist (thank you fred, jim, and tobias--you're all
angels). add in the time involved (which takes away a significant amount
of sleep, work, and quality time with yours truly) and what you get isn't
something that's "profitable". i'd venture to say the site loses
three-four hundred a month. more if you count in the time that he spends
on the site instead of being out and about working for various companies.   
to be honest i don't think about it because i'd start to see the money
that doesn't come into this household, and the money that sunhelp is 
losing, i'd demand he yank it. if it wasn't for the very nice people who
helped us out with sam, the site would've been gone in december due to
financial difficulties. for what they did, i am eternally grateful (and my
mother is probably rolling over in her grave because i neglected to send
proper thank-you notes).

anyways...

> Not that I wouldn't love to get things in return for some of the sites of
> made and spun off. But I don't really expect it, or ask for it.

neither is bill. he's just saying if you like it and are feeling
especially realistic and kind or whatever, you can send your thoughts by
that means if you so choose.

i hate to be a royal cynic, but all too often people use and abuse
resources without any realization of exactly how much goes into it. and
typically, they give jack squat in return. _not even_ a "thanks".

hell, all we got from sun microsystems, inc was one of their attorneys
threatening to start lawsuits left and right over the site's content. that
should give you some perspective. (funnily enough, it was the first time
they've officially contacted us, outside of all the field engineers that
continually email to express their thanks and their questions)

mostly, all he wants is a "hey, i like this and i find it useful". i think
he just pulled the wish list idea from some other site and thought it
would be nifty.

hopefully this answers and alleviates some of your concerns and questions.

--amy