Downloads System

[Eddy Matthews]

As most of our long term members will know, we have always had a problem trying to maintain control of our files that are available for download....

Since we run on a host system, we are restricted in the amount of space we have, and also the amount of bandwidth we can use per month - Bandwidth is the amount of data that is sent to people by the website, and that can grow out of all proportion if we leave the files as a free for all.

So, because of the actions of a small minority of members who seem to think they can grab everything in sight but give nothing back in return (not even a few messages on the forum!), we have been forced to revue the situation every now and then, otherwise Paddleducks would exceed it's bandwidth allocation and cease to be available!

Because of all these things, we have now changed to using a file credit system, which allows us to keep track of the amount of data being transfered and to maintain control of it... I will attempt to describe how it affects all users below:

#1. New users, those with "Newbie" status, can view the file listings, but will not be able to download until they have posted a few messages, this is simply to show that you have an interest in the site - So an introductory message telling everyone who you are, and a few more posts will soon get you access.

#2. ALL users are awarded 50 credits, so once you have risen above the "Newbie" rank explained above, you can download a few files. When those credits have been used up, you will no longer be able to download, so chose which files you want wisely!

#3. Extra Credits can be purchased for a modest fee by clicking on the "Buy Credits" option in the Download manager. You need to have a PayPal account to make payment, but PayPal is free to setup, and only takes a few minutes to do - www.paypal.com

#4. Those users who have made a donation of £10 (10 GB Pounds or more) to help with the site costs, have Unlimited credits and will never be prevented from downloading. This is our way of saying "Thankyou" for supporting us!

#5. Finally, you can gain extra credits by uploading useful files - These MUST be paddler related. Our host restricts uploads to a maximum of 2Mb per file, but larger files can be sent to us via email or post, and you will be credited for them axactly as you would if you had uploaded them yourself. BUT BE WARNED duplicate files or junk which is uploaded simply to gain credits will quickly see your account being blocked from the Downloads manager - And once that has happened, the block will NOT be reversed, no matter what excuses are given - So abuse it at your peril!

Regards
Eddy

[Harold H. Duncan]

Well done Eddy,
nice system you have devised, and you have my full support for this.
Keep up the good work, and hopefully I will have some more input to the forum soon, with some revisions to the ps Koheroa Hull (now that I can access this area of the hulk, I have found the drawings are not accurate), and I can recommence construction of the 1:48 scale r/c model I started last year.

kiwi

[Eddy Matthews]

Thanks Kiwi,

Sadly because of the abuse by a few, we were forced into this - I believe that the majority of our genuine users will understand and support us, it's either that or Paddleducks will cease to exist. So there wasn't really much of a choice to make!

Regards
Eddy

P.S. It will be good to see some progress on the Koheroa!

[scotfriend]

Hi Eddy,

well done, and as Kiwi said, my full support for this, we dont need thief's here keep the good work going.


regards Hans

[Bob Golder]

Common sense Eddy.  You have my support as well.  How did you find time to watch the Monaco GP?

[kiwimodeller]

Eddie, this seems to be a solution to something that has been a problem for some time however I am always scared of new things, mostly because I do not know what I am doing at this keyboard. As somebody who has not used the downloads much but who does not have anything to contribute in the way of plans or drawings to upload ( and probably would mess it up uploading if I did) I am just a little concerned that I will waste what credit I have. On the occaision when I went looking for engine plans I found I could not open them until they were downloaded and then I found that they were not what I was looking for, in some cases the title does not really describe what you are getting. I asked a question and you explained that it is not possible to preview them so the only other idea I can come up with is to ask if you could do a "Downloads for Dummies" post to give some guidlines on the best way to select and then download what we want. Our local stationer today unpacked a fancy new machine that can take digital imagines from disc or can scan printed copies and blow them up to AO size and also on to continuous strip so at last I will be able to get printed copies full size without having to drive 60km. Anything you can offer to make it easier would be appreciated. My old man always used to say that every time he found a foolproof way of doing things somebody invented a better fool! Cheers, Ian.

[Eddy Matthews]

Ian,

Sadly there is no way we can allow users to view files first - For the simple reason that if you view the file, it's already on your computer in your browsers cache, so it defeats the whole point of the download system. All you would need to do is locate the file in your cache directory and there you have it...

Apart from that, it would also mean we were back at square one with the bandwidth problem as the full file would have already been sent just so you could view it....

I can't add much to the descriptions for the steam engine stuff as it's all a black art to me - I can't describe what I don't understand

If anyone comes up with a workable solution that gets round all of these problems I'm perfectly happy to listen, but so far this is the best we can do...

Regards
Eddy

[hucksdad]

Eddy:  When looking at the plans in the download section, would it be possible to put a small image or images of the vessel or engine, etc., in question next to the actual download ?  As a new member I have downloaded many of the files simply because I did not know that particular vessel and wanted to to see what the vessel looked like and if it was a paddler I might want to pursue.  I have no problem with a small fee being charged for a complete plan download, but the only way to even view an unfamiliar vessel or plan is to download it.  A brief "review" note might be helpful as well.  Something like "good beginner model" or "good wheel construction detail"  might be helpful to some people.  I have downloaded plans when a simple profile image would have told me it was not a plan I was interested in at that time.  Just a thought and keep up the fine work.  Thank You!

Hucksdad

[Eddy Matthews]

I've added some images to the Plans section which should help a little - Bear in mind they are vastly reduced images and are only there to give a "taster" of what the main file contains.

Eddy

[Harold H. Duncan]

Hi Eddy,
Just checked out your little 'thumbnail' views on the downloads.
What can I say but, brilliant. If that doesn't do the trick for members, then nothing will.
Things here just keep getting better and better, so congratulations once again.
Don't know how you fit so much into your day. Down here we only have 24 hours each day, and its just not enough. Maybe at your end of the earth, you have 48 or more each day.
Keep up the fantastic work, we all appreciate it
cheers
kiwi

[Eddy Matthews]

Thanks Kiwi,

I do try my best to respond to constructive criticism... Though as some files are pure text it's impossible for me to add any meaningful image, and no matter what I do I will never please everyone!

Of course I need to keep images small - Otherwise our bandwidth climbs (again!), or the less honest users simply enlarge the image to save downloading the full thing!

While I remember, you can click on the images to view a larger image - But bear in mind it's still vastly reduced in size and quality compared to the original!

Eddy

[hucksdad]

Eddy:  I briefly checked the downloads page and saw the images.  That is exactly what I was driving at.  You're right, it is just a "taste" of what the download is about, but it might help solve the problem.  I saved one of the small photos and was able to blow it up on a photo/image viewer program to a size where I could get a pretty good idea what that particular paddler looked like.  It will definitely help me decide what I might be interested in studying and what I am not interested in at the moment. Keep up the fine work! Thank you!

Hucksdad 

[Talisman]

Hi Eddy,

Keep up the fantastic work, we all appreciate it
cheers
kiwi

Ditto!!
You really do a great job Eddy, well done!

[Tug--Kenny]

Much improved, Eddy. Thank you for that. It helps the decision process when searching files. A lot of work for you which must be applauded.
 

Cheers

ken

[Eddy Matthews]

I'm slowly working my way through the steam engine stuff and adding images.... Some of them I cannot do, either because it's pure text which would be pointless, or because I don't have the software to handle the files, CAD, PDF etc... It will probably take me a day or so to complete all the files.

Eddy