Hacking DownloadCovers - New Tool to Download Covers Easily

[djtaz]

see when it comes down to it you really dont want the people getting the covers for free.

I dont mind people getting covers for free , if they use the site to do it,
I have to protect the site - as you saw in the last few days its been up and down , and thats due to overuse on system resources and the hosting company shutting it down

if i dont protect the site its gone , so im protecting the site.

 

[neardark]

dont you realise you will use less bandwidth with this tool. when someone goes to the site they need to load a diffirent page for every cover and it also has to load all the images with that and everything else on the page, with the tool they download the cover, nothing more using less bw.

Why can't you see that, are you blinded by the $$

 

[djtaz]

I think you should make sure the site will last before asking people to donate, And if you really are worried about the cost, move the site to the hosting site that only charges $11 a month unlimited BW and storage, then we will see what your reason for making people pay was.

The bandwidth is sorted , its system resources that are the issue , which im now trying to restrict by order of the hosting company.

The letter i got from the hosting company says the following :

Dear Taz Manian,

I have unsuspended your account again. I told the other admins on the clock today not to suspend your account, as you are addressing the issue. I also put a note on your account to the same effect. I apologize that this mixup occurred.

Also too many apache connections has nothing to do with bandwidth, the original suspension only had to do with server resources. Basically the amount of connections and how much work they were being forced to do, was using every ounce of processor and ram on the server, which isn't allowed.

A vps would be a valid upgrade, as you would have your own dedicated apache server, however if that server were to also run into the same situation, of using all of the server resources, you could also be suspended


I have to restrict access to keep the site from suspension - im not risking that again.

 

[neardark]

"The bandwidth is sorted"

how can it be sorted, and why are people still having to pay if it's sorted?

 

[neardark]

if you need to restrict you site, it's pointless having it, move to another host then you will have no more reason to charge or worry. why don't you move I ask myself? because it's about the money.

 

[djtaz]

"The bandwidth is sorted"

how can it be sorted, and why are people still having to pay if it's sorted?

Its sorted because i upgraded the limit on it - and people DONT HAVE TO FU&&ING PAY.
Why cant u get it into your head - THE SITE IS FREE - or at least it was until i had to stop it until this came along and i can open it again after re-coding.

If you want to have the extra features , then u get the membership.

I still provide all covers for free in the same way as all these new sites poppup up do , i dont see what the difference is ?
I do charge for the extra features but its not a requirement

NOT A REQUIREMENT to get free covers.

 

[djtaz]

if you need to restrict you site, it's pointless having it, move to another host then you will have no more reason to charge or worry. why don't you move I ask myself? because it's about the money.

Any host i move to will have issues with system resources being overused.
Before this tool came out , could you download any cover you wanted for free from my site ? (yes is the answer)
Will you be able to do the same again soon (Yes is again the answer)
Does any other site let you download any size images for free ? (no is the answer - limited sizes and less flexible)

 

[Slade.AU]

I don't usually wade in on these sort of silly arguments, but give djtaz a break.

It's his site, he can do with it what he pleases. If he wants to charge for access, then he can charge for access. Whether I agree with it or not is not the issue. The issue is, it's his site, therefore, he makes the rules.

I appreciate that he may not have created all the images himself, and you may feel he's leeching off other peoples work, but hosting does cost money, and the images were provided free to djtaz mostly because charging him to use them would amount to copyright theft (the images / covers are copyright to their respective owners).

Anyway, I've said my bit. Personally I'll get my covers elsewhere as I'm loath to pay for something that realistically shouldn't be sold in the first place.

 

[cyrex]

Also too many apache connections has nothing to do with bandwidth, the original suspension only had to do with server resources. Basically the amount of connections and how much work they were being forced to do, was using every ounce of processor and ram on the server, which isn't allowed.

Why not simply limit the number of connections at the same time instead of blocking everything else? Just an idea.

QUOTE(djtaz @ Jun 30 2009, 01:14 PM) I do charge for the extra features but its not a requirement

If i may ask.... what are the extra features?

Don't get my questions wrong ^^ i'm simply not up to date.

 

[neardark]

"Anyway, I've said my bit. Personally I'll get my covers elsewhere as I'm loath to pay for something that realistically shouldn't be sold in the first place."

exactly


do a poll and see how many people think he should be charging.

 

[djtaz]

Also too many apache connections has nothing to do with bandwidth, the original suspension only had to do with server resources. Basically the amount of connections and how much work they were being forced to do, was using every ounce of processor and ram on the server, which isn't allowed.

Why not simply limit the number of connections at the same time instead of blocking everything else? Just an idea.

I do charge for the extra features but its not a requirement

If i may ask.... what are the extra features?

Don't get my questions wrong ^^ i'm simply not up to date.



You can zip all of the files you want into one downloadable zip file
You can use the loaders that have username and pass in them to auto download files (and keep them up to date)
Ill soon be adding things to the site (if i ever get the time after as the last few days have been spent trying to reduce resource usage only to be killed again by this app - why dont they use another site ?? )





Posts merged

QUOTE(neardark @ Jun 30 2009, 12:23 PM) do a poll and see how many people think he should be charging.

Can you download cover for free from my site ? (before today that is, but ill fix that when i finish work)

Posts merged

QUOTE(Slade.AU @ Jun 30 2009, 12:19 PM)

Anyway, I've said my bit. Personally I'll get my covers elsewhere as I'm loath to pay for something that realistically shouldn't be sold in the first place.

You do know that you can download all the covers free by clicking them one by one .... in the same way as u would do on any of the other sites ???

 

[redia]

djtaz,

I have patiently read all the mess and fuss about wiiboxart, and you know what my position is..
there are multiple sites offering the covers :
apart from yours my favorite is : console-cover --- custom, high quality, 5 downloads per day. I only use discarts from them...
cc-console, wii.ds-scene, gbatemp, .... also host most of the covers.. but no 3d, and not named correctly, ...

people whining are only frustrated because they now have to pay the HUGE and ENORMOUS amount of 1euro to help the scene going on, OR do it manually.. which is totally unacceptable. don't you realize that they are going to hurt their fingers !!!

duh.... a bunch on whiners ! that's all they are.

from what I understood the problem now is more on the resources used when creating on the fly packs with specific size.

well I have two possibilities in mind (I know I am no genius, just sharing my thoughts)
1- we now know the standard size of most loaders :
160x224 / 160x225 / 130x224 / 130x225 covers
160x160 / 130x160 discart
and so on...
why don't you host the actually resized imaged directly for exemple :
www.wiiboxart.com/gx/covers/xxxxx.png
www.wiiboxart.com/gx/3d/xxxxx.png
www.wiiboxart.com/coverflow/covers/xxxxx.png
www.wiiboxart.com/coverflow/3d/xxxxx.png
and so on or
www.wiiboxart.com/covers/160x224/xxxx.png
www.wiiboxart.com/covers/160x225/xxxx.png
thus the only process would be the packing.. and there I do not know/realize the impact it has on the server as you did not give us any information

2. you know I have created a little while ago my own coverdownloader / resizer. (I will wait until things are settled to see if I can adapt it to the new site to come)
the principle being pretty simple.
it creates/maintains a local repository of all the covers/discart/.... on my harddrive.
and then resize the images locally depending on the loader I want to test
I could separate the two and provide you with a small app that you would make available on your site for people wanting to resize the images.
or even modify it (when you are done with the site) to allow the implementation of the user/pass.
I did that because I noticed that not only people download the images, but they do it 200 times because they keep on switching from one loader to the other, formatting their SD, and so on...

anyway I am supporting you in your decision, hopefully people will grow up a little bit and end up understanding where you are coming from / or sharing the burden by mirroring your site.

Cheers,
R

 

[djtaz]

I plan to make preset images , but i havent had time to do ti with all the shit recently - im only one person and im trying to keep the site alive at the moment moreso that move forward.

I have already done a set of full covers for pal , ntsc and ntscj so that if people request more than 200 resizes the get the link to a premade zipped file of all the covers instead of the server having to do it.
This , i hope , can greatly reduce the resources on the server , but then an app like this uses the resizing function once again and puts it back in the red so the site can be closed.

Ill do my best , but when your constantly up against a wall of negativity its hard to move forward

 

[Slade.AU]

Anyway, I've said my bit. Personally I'll get my covers elsewhere as I'm loath to pay for something that realistically shouldn't be sold in the first place.

You do know that you can download all the covers free by clicking them one by one .... in the same way as u would do on any of the other sites ???

I haven't been to the site in a long time. I much prefer my usb loader to get the covers for me. I'm sure, for you, that can be a problem. Lots of people downloading lots of covers all of the time.

The way I see it, the loader installs the game and gets the cover from a site. Having to go to a PC to get the cover and transfer it across (whilst a very minor task) is one additional step that I'd rather avoid if I can.

I personally don't see all the fuss. You do what you want, it's your site. And if it's only $1 Euro, then it's not a big ask.

 

[neardark]

$1 Euro from maybe 8000 members = 8000 Euros and he stated that most are donating 3 Euros, so potentially it has gone well by the paying for the site stage to the funding his bank account stage.

it may not be at 8000 members yet, but potentially it could be, will he ever say I have got the monthly charge covered, I'm no longer charging, I doubt it, and that's where it becomes morally wrong.

 

[neardark]

it's funny how all these people plead poverty yet had the money to think, hmm I think I will create a cover site and pay for it. but then the the eyes go all $ $ and the charging begins

Posts merged

you know it would be better if he would just admit the truth that he wanted some cash for his effort. that would be more acceptable.

 

[redia]

but then an app like this uses the resizing function once again and puts it back in the red so the site can be closed.

Ill do my best , but when your constantly up against a wall of negativity its hard to move forward

I might have not expressed correctly the use of the app.
the idea is you stop offering automatic resizing.
you provide one single size.. and a local app can do the resizing for the noobs.

but as I am writing I realize it would be beneficial for people downloading on their comp, but not on the wii..
duh... lol
R

 

[Spidy1000]

but then an app like this uses the resizing function once again and puts it back in the red so the site can be closed.

Ill do my best , but when your constantly up against a wall of negativity its hard to move forward

I might have not expressed correctly the use of the app.
the idea is you stop offering automatic resizing.
you provide one single size.. and a local app can do the resizing for the noobs.

but as I am writing I realize it would be beneficial for people downloading on their comp, but not on the wii..
duh... lol
R

This suggestion would however also mean, that the site can no longer be used as download site for usb-loaders as not all loaders use the same size covers....

Offering all needed sizes used at the moment would be the best way to avoid resizing on the flow.
This would force usb-loader coders to use 1 of the standard sizes you offer...

It's not perfect, but it is workable...

 

[ThaKillerKlown]

I think its a good tool and the means to prevent people using this tool is entirely up to me from the sites point if view.

It just means i have to recode the site now and move all of the images around to stop it working , but thats my issue and doesnt take away from the expert work on this tool , failing that , the hosting company will shut me down as they have over the last few days , so i dont really have a choice.

Its either fix the leak on the site , or the sites gone , either way , this tool shouldnt last too long but good work on it. well done.

THIS +1

QUOTE(neardark @ Jun 30 2009, 05:23 AM) "Anyway, I've said my bit. Personally I'll get my covers elsewhere as I'm loath to pay for something that realistically shouldn't be sold in the first place."

exactly


do a poll and see how many people think he should be charging.

He isnt charging for covers, he is charging for bandwidth... You know, the service that gets the covers to you. Jesus Christ why is it so hard for you people to understand this? I donated... it was a whole dollar and a half, OMFG I hope I don't starve. If I were TAZ I'd close the damn site to EVERYONE and make it a pay site only. Fukk you ungrateful a$$holes.

 

[neardark]

I think its a good tool and the means to prevent people using this tool is entirely up to me from the sites point if view.

It just means i have to recode the site now and move all of the images around to stop it working , but thats my issue and doesnt take away from the expert work on this tool , failing that , the hosting company will shut me down as they have over the last few days , so i dont really have a choice.

Its either fix the leak on the site , or the sites gone , either way , this tool shouldnt last too long but good work on it. well done.

THIS +1

QUOTE(neardark @ Jun 30 2009, 05:23 AM) "Anyway, I've said my bit. Personally I'll get my covers elsewhere as I'm loath to pay for something that realistically shouldn't be sold in the first place."

exactly


do a poll and see how many people think he should be charging.

He isnt charging for covers, he is charging for bandwidth... You know, the service that gets the covers to you. Jesus Christ why is it so hard for you people to understand this? I donated... it was a whole dollar and a half, OMFG I hope I don't starve. If I were TAZ I'd close the damn site to EVERYONE and make it a pay site only. Fukk you ungrateful a$$holes.

Something tells me your between the age of 5 and 15 lol