Lee Noga has proclaimed cookies to be "violating". So no cookies for you!
Fighting about this isn't going to help, guys.
Squirt - You know from talking to me that some people *are* doing research on their own, they're just not talking about it much on the boards. Many of them feel that by doing so, they're making themselves a target.
If people close up shop from a letter like you did with Rentweb, then think of it this way - it's less competition for the rest of us. Tough love I know, but business is business.
I would like to think that M$ and IMPA are working together. It makes me all shit-grinning happy to even consider it. Letting people know that this might be happening has a dual effect though that you might not have considered...
You're assuming it will make the webmasters feel empowered and find the guts to stand up to Acacia and support IMPA. For some, that is the case.
For the lazy folks out there though (and believe there are a lot of them), it will signal an "okay" to sit back on their ass and get lazier. After all, if M$ is helping fight things and especially if they're helping fund things, then we've got nothing to worry about and it's all taken care of, right? Trust me, that IS how these folks think. They want everything done FOR them and this looks like the perfect opportunity to be less involved and let M$ handle it.
I'm just playing devil's advocate with ya. I can't trust that M$ and IMPA are working together until I see it in actual admission or fact - assumption is a dangerous thing in this business. But I can sure as hell hope.
ANY work that you're doing should first and foremost be aimed at helping YOU. If it is, keep doing it. If it's not, *then* you have to make the decision as to how much time you're going to spend on it. But don't expect other people to have the same drive and determination that you do... there is a reason why there are leaders and followers. Not everyone can be Patton.