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Blizzard Shuts Down Popular Fan-run 'Pirate' Server For Classic WoW (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Blizzard is threatening legal action against the popular "pirate" servers for World of Warcraft. The Nostalrius servers have been operating for nearly a year, running version 1.12 of the original World of Warcraft as it existed in 2006. Admins say that 800K registered accounts and 150K active players were working through quest progressions reproduced to precisely match the game of a decade ago. Nostalrius' team says its French hosting provider has been issued a formal letter asking it to shut down the servers or face a potential copyright infringement lawsuit as hosting private servers is explicitly against Blizzard's Terms of Use. Blizzard says the rule "isn't an issue because of 'lost' subscription fees from players choosing these illegitimate servers over the real WoW servers -- it simply boils down to the fact that private servers are illegal, and that's that." Nostalrius' servers will be shut down on April 10, but the team says it "will still be publicly providing everything needed in order to setup your own 'Nostalrius' if you are willing to."
On first read (as a non-player of the game) the headline looked like a severe weather event had caused the server to go down (leading to the thought that this might help the game's owners find it if the routes to it were somehow hidden, as with Tor).
Did anybody else have this effect?
It's yet another example of poorly-worded articles that assume the casual reader has deep background knowledge of the subject. I consider this to be an annoying property of Slashdot. It's not fatal.
But it would be nice if posters recognized that not everybody on /. is as deeply immersed in the subject as they are - and that the not-so-clued-in faction includes many who might be interested and perhaps have something to contribute.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Blizzard Shuts Down Popular Fan-run 'Pirate' Server For Classic WoW
I honestly thought it had been done in by freak weather conditions.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
I just edited the EULA to say Blizzard owes me a pizza before I accepted it.
Ahh, but their EULA doesn't supersede my SPLA, which is clearly printed on the side of my computer.
It boils down to this.
By allowing your software to install on my computer, you, the software provider, agree to the following terms and conditions.
Your EULA is null and void.
Your software is fit to be used for any purpose I choose and if it fucks up my server, you will be held fiscally responsible.
The copy of "your software" installed on my machine now belongs to me. I can do anything I want with it and you have no legal recourse available.
If you attempt to prevent me from doing what I want with my software in any way, shape, or form, you will be held accountable to the tune of $5,000,000.00 USD an hour until I regain control of MY software.
Any attempts by you to supersede my SPLA is strictly forbidden and falls under the penalty clause described above.
If you do not wish to submit to my SPLA, then you must follow the following method to notify me.
Fill out a postcard with "We do not want our software to submit to your SPLA.", addressed to my home address, which you will need to hire a private investigator to determine.
That postcard must be stuffed into a self-addressed stamped envelope to be mailed to the post office with the U.S. Zip Code of 00001. That has to enclose another stamped envelope addressed to the post-office at zip code 00002.
Repeated stuffing of each envelope so that zip codes increment from 00001 to my zip code without skipping any zip codes in between.
Failure to follow these procedures will also activate the penalty clause.
Your notification must reach my home address within 15 days of your decision to disagree with my SPLA, after which you cannot cancel the SPLA and you will forever more be bound by my terms and conditions.
Any attempts to bring legal efforts against me will also activate the penalty clause, though it will be doubled just because you chose to piss me the fuck off.
Yes, Clinton sucks
Doubtful, or Bill wouldn't have had all those girlfriends.
Just another day in Paradise