Site finances

[DOSGuy]

Hi folks.

You may notice something new in the menu: the Partners section. As you may be aware, Classic DOS Games has been entirely user-supported up to this point, which has meant running a deficit since Day 1. Normally it was just hosting expenses, but then I had the idea to create a DVD to offer people in exchange for their donations. I was just going to buy a DVD burner and a label kit, but buying a color laser printer ended up being the only reasonable way to have color labels.

Why was that so important to me? Partly because I'm insane, but the donations were very generous, and I wanted to have a quality product to send to people. The printer was a huge expense, but I figured that I would have the rest of time to get the money back. I hope others will want a DVD in the future!

When I started the site, I made a decision not to include pop-ups or banner ads because I hate websites that are full of annoying, flashing, sometimes talking(!) advertisements, and I'm sure that you do, too. That commitment hasn't changed.

Thankfully text links aren't intrusive, which is probably why they are more effective. I received an offer which provides significant financial assistance to the site. I checked them out and found the website to be safe, and offering a service that may be of interest to Classic DOS Games visitors. There may be other partner links in the future. I will not be providing a breakdown of the value of each link agreement on the Donations page in order to protect the confidentiality of any businesses that are generous enough to sign agreements with the site. Suffice it to say that the site is still in the red, but not nearly as much as it was before.

I truly appreciate the support of everyone who has contributed financially to Classic DOS Games over the years, and I hope that everyone can appreciate the lengths that I've gone to to make the site a valuable resource that is uninterrupted by distracting advertisements. I think this solution allows financial assistance from external sources without compromising your browsing experience.

[DOSGuy]

Okay, there are a few more paid links now. That's probably the extent of how many there are going to be. I've always been open and honest about everything that goes on on the site, so I'll let you know what I was thinking.

When I initially proposed the idea of a Classic DOS Games DVD, I got a lot of emails about it, which was exciting. I thought that there was more interest than there apparently is, and I ended up buying a color laser printer for the purpose of printing DVD labels. Two of the people who contacted me about ordering a DVD backed out, and I only got $140 worth of orders, which is still pretty amazing when you think about it. It took me forever to actually get the printer, and I ended up printing all three labels on the store's laser printer while I was waiting for them to fulfill the order. There have been no orders since the printer arrived, and I have never even turned it on. Suffice it to say, the printer was an expensive mistake.

I also wasn't expecting to be unemployed right now. There was a bizarre incident at work in which I was accused of being a security threat. Long story short, shortly after contract extensions were announced, one of my coworkers reported something that I had said in jest as though I had been serious and management called a disciplinary hearing. My union called the charges ridiculous, but my employer said that my coworkers were afraid of me. Rather than fight the union, they decided to pay out the last 15 days of my current contract and told me that I was no longer welcome to work there. I wasn't being fired, and no disciplinary action was taken against me, which means there is no black mark on my record so that I can work for other government agencies in the future.

The bad news is that, because I wasn't fired, my record of employment shows that I resigned! Employment Insurance rejected my claim on the grounds that I had left work voluntarily, so I won't be getting any financial assistance from the government. I've been looking for work since September 28, and selling off my investment portfolio (at a loss) to pay my bills. I ran out of money a few weeks ago, and I didn't think that I was going to be able to make it to December.

I had always been told that Classic DOS Games was worth money, but I never needed to find out how much until now. One of the advertisers hasn't paid me yet, but if and when I get the money, the advertising arrangements will be enough to pay off the printer (the credit card bill for which is due on December 6). I had to borrow money to get all of the bills paid this month, but now I'll be able to pay it back.

So, before I say anything else, let me be clear about one thing: none of the money that has been donated to Classic DOS Games, and none of the money from the advertisers is going to be spent on me. That's a promise.

As always, I'm going to be 100% transparent about where your money goes. I paid for all of the site's expenses from my own pocket, and I'm only going to keep the money that I spent. If all of the advertisers pay up, there could actually be a surplus. Once I've finished the accounting (received the money), I will calculate the surplus and we'll talk about how the money should be spent as a community.

For the first time in Classic DOS Games' history, site revenues could actually exceed expenses! I honestly never expected this to happen. So, now what? It's not my money, it's Classic DOS Games' money. I'm open to suggestions. How would you like the community's money to be spent? I have some suggestions, but I'll leave the floor open to discussion for a while first. I'll provide an update as soon as there's more news to discuss.

[she's long gone]

No offense mate but I would say... what do you mean it's not your money!! Obviously I have no objections to you plowing it back into the site but I think who said you shouldn't treat as yours, especially being out of a job, should be pummeled.

[DOSGuy]

It may be different for the advertising revenue, but I think the donations belong to the site. I can't just ask for donations to help with site expenses and then spend it on myself. I don't feel like I have a right to ask people to give me money. If you enjoy Classic DOS Games and want it to survive, you can give money to Classic DOS Games. If you want to give money to me, give it to charity instead. Sure, I could use the money, but there are a couple billion people who need it more than I do.

[DOSGuy]

Okay, I've made some updates to the Donations page on the site now that all of the advertisers have issued payments. It currently looks like the site has an overall surplus of about $200, but there are some expenses that I haven't found receipts for yet. The final result will probably be $100 or less, but we definitely have a surplus.

I was hoping that there would be more money left over so that the options would be more fun, but the nice thing about sponsorship agreements is that they are a regular source of income. With no major purchases expected in 2008, by the end of next year we may have more interesting options.

So, what to do with $100? The only thing I can really think of that advances the cause of DOS gaming is to purchase registered versions of a few games to compensate the authors for their work. If no one has any other ideas, I'll write up a proposal in the next few weeks.

[she's long gone]

If it were me, I would either --

a. save it for a rainy day or to buy something cool later that I haven't thought of yet.

b. try to find out about some games not available for download anywhere, and use the money to buy a shareware or registered version.

[Qbix]

I'm surprised about the amount of money the advertising links bring in. Way more then I expected. Good for the site though.

I'm not sure about what to do with the extra money. Buying games from it, will not directly benefit the site. (as you can't put them online). It might stimulate the dos shareware movement. It might be wise to spend it on compagnies/producers that still actively make dosgames in the hopes that they will make more dosgames.

[DOSGuy]

True, it doesn't benefit the site. I would either keep the games, or buy them on someone's behalf (Perhaps as a prize in some sort of contest? No one entered the Pharaoh's Tomb Custom Levels contest). The benefit would be to the authors, who deserve to be compensated for their efforts. Many shareware authors made little to no money on their games.

[leilei]

they seem to cover the same c64 games (WTF THAT'S NOT DOS) the other site does. I dont' want to name them because they contain illegal downloads of copyrighted full games.

I thought you knew better with your legal policy, linking to such shady sites just throws the good image of the site out the window

[DOSGuy]

That sort of reaction is why I created this thread. As usual, I want to be totally open and honest about the decision I made.

I have been unemployed since September 28 and have had a very difficult time paying my credit card and line of credit on time. I wouldn't have been able to if my mother and a close friend hadn't loaned me some money, and naturally I hate to borrow money. I stopped spending money to the best of my ability, but that laser printer came due on my credit card and I thought it would sink me.

I had never intended to allow advertising on Classic DOS Games, and I'm not proud that I did, but the offers came at a time when I really needed the money. They are, of course, not permanent. I'm not allowed to discuss the nature of the deals, but these were very short term contracts. When the contracts are up, I'll have the luxury of refusing money from any website that doesn't match the ideals of Classic DOS Games.

I respect that not everyone will be happy with my choice, but I ask you to respect that I have responsibilities, and I wasn't in a position to turn down such a large amount of money. I don't talk about my family on the site, but I have one! I jeopardized my ability to take care of my family by spending too much money on this website.

The good news is that three more Classic DOS DVDs have been ordered, so the printer is slowly paying for itself. The DVDs don't include those links (that was part of the contracts). The site is generating honest money, and people are getting a lovely DVD out of it. I can live with my choice, my family can live with my choice, and the links that you refer to could be gone in a few months. I'm willing to put up with them, and I hope that Classic DOS Games visitors can put up with them, too.

[DOSGuy]

If you've been playing DOS games for the last few years, you've probably used DOSBox at some point. DOSBox is an emulator that allows DOS games to be played in almost any operating system. The program is free and the project is open source, with every line of code written by volunteers. Like us, they have hosting expenses and depend on donations from people who appreciate their efforts. I certainly do!

Like many similar projects, DOSBox.com uses Google Ads to generate revenue to help make up the deficit. The hosts of a project as useful as DOSBox, and as critical to the popularization and preservation of DOS games, deserve to be rewarded for their efforts. If you have ever used and enjoyed DOSBox, please consider making a donation of whatever feels reasonable to you. As for Classic DOS Games, our donation is under our navigation bar. The Google Ads link on this site will directly support the DOSBox project and our common mission. Every click helps.

[DOSGuy]

I thought you knew better with your legal policy, linking to such shady sites just throws the good image of the site out the window

I had a discussion with the owner of those sites and indicated that I wouldn't be able to continue to link to them unless all illegal games were removed. They indicated that they had already attempted to remove all illegal downloads from the site, and said that if I could identify any illegal games that remain, they would appreciate a list so that they can be removed. I can see a few, so I promised to review the sites and compile a list of games that should be removed.

I could claim to be busy, but you all know that I'm not, so I'll admit to being lazy instead. I took a look and my first thought was, "leilei would know what shouldn't be here". I won't dump my responsibility on you -- I'll do the work if you if you'd rather not -- but if you're willing to make a list, I'd certainly appreciate your effort. I value your steadfast dedication to upholding the rights of copyright holders, and especially your incredible knowledge of DOS games. I share that value, but when it comes to knowledge of DOS games, I bow to the master.

[leilei]

I could claim to be busy, but you all know that I'm not, so I'll admit to being lazy instead. I took a look and my first thought was, "leilei would know what shouldn't be here". I won't dump my responsibility on you

Unfortunately I am currently rather busy on several projects

[DOSGuy]

That's fine, I can handle it. I know that it was a concern of yours, so I wanted you to know that the situation has been resolved. If you ever see a game on any site linked to from Classic DOS Games that isn't legal to distribute, let me know.

[ThreeHeadedMonkey]

several projects

Hey, pretty cool stuff!