Re: the Hy-Bro neck is in!
Projects like this require front line management and DarkMatter and LtKojak both bravely stepped up to that role. Regardless of any shortcomings, serious kudos to them!
Never in my life have I met a "perfect" manager who I thought did everything the way I would do it. Furthermore, we put a lot of pressure on and place a lot of demands on our fellow "bros" concerning these projects, despite their power being largely limited by those higher up the chain (most of the delays this time around really aren't LtKojak's fault, for instance). Love 'em or hate 'em, a good manager maintains an eye on the end goal and keeps the larger group moving toward it.
Sadly, this forum has become less and less forgiving of its own patrons and it's unfortunate to see that respect has taken a backseat way more often than it should.
I also agree with GilmourD's analogy of "herding cats"... I understand that the process as a whole has endured some notable bumps and bruises, which in turn has soured a lot of interest. However, I don't think LtKojak or DarkMatter ever got into this with the intention of taking advantage of the system or alienating fellow members.
As I've mentioned before, the "forum pickup" is a grand idea, but it's getting harder and harder to create without polarizing the masses or upsetting lots of people and there is no tried-and-true design method that has been followed to ensure continued success. Even SD has dropped the ball from time to time and, not only are they the ones this project relies on most, they're the whole reason we're here! So a certain degree of patience and flexibility is a requirement in efforts like this.
As always, if you have a custom design in mind and you want it NOW, then call the Custom Shop.
Otherwise, please try to be supportive of your fellow forum bros, hold your tongue if the words won't help, and be glad that we might **eventually** have access to something cool and original that non-members may not.
