DarkBlizz

The unsupported alert is as annoying as Clippy from MS Office. This message should only be displayed once, or placed inside the launcher window as a label, not a popup every time the user click on a non-official map.

Quote from: DemonStalker on March 10, 2010, 08:50:46 PM
Actually, most people use RS and MU because they get rewards points every time someone downloads a file.  People make their livings uploading stuff to these sites.

Good point DemonStalker, though in the context of the community here, we shouldn't encourage people to be greedy and make inconveniences for others. It is doubtful that people can "make a living" by posting ads-full links, other than for some extra cash.

I'm not saying people distributing their own works should not benefit financially from it, it's just that the creators' motivation should be derived more from the appreciations by others, rather than financial gain. And to make others appreciate one's works even more is by allowing them to obtain it hassle-free.

As a distributor of a product, you want to deliver to as wide an audience as possible, and as a downloader, you want to get the product as easily as possible.

So why do people use inconvenient file host services such as RapidShare or MegaUpload?
First of all, the reason they are inconvenient is because they: limit how much a user can download, require tedious captcha inputs, demand the user to wait as they shove ads in the user's face, and rams the extortion subscription down the user's throat.

Now why would people put up with it? It is ignorance. Ignorance of the vast numbers of much better alternatives that are overshadowed by the much more forum-saturated RapidShare and MegaUpload links.

So this thread's purpose is to help by informing both the uploaders and the downloaders of the excellent file hosting alternatives which do not have the annoyance of said web tyrants.

One-Click File Hosts:
http://www.mediafire.com (200MB)
http://www.filedropper.com (5GB)
http://www.speedyshare.com (200MB-2GB)
http://www.snapdrive.net (500MB)
http://www.sendspace.com (300MB)
http://drop.io (100MB)

File Hosts with Manager:
https://www.opendrive.com
http://www.fileden.com
http://www.4shared.com

You may find more file hosts at http://www.filehostingreview.com/File_Hosting

Now that you know of several great file hosting sites, next time as a releaser, upload your files there, or as a downloader, request that the file be uploaded where you won't have to waste minutes or even hours of your life waiting for the site to unlock your IP address (or without having to pull your router's plug).
Thank you     

File Auto-Downloader: http://mipony.net
For those who have to use those frustrating sites for downloads, this manager program will wait the timer and notify you when download is ready and download automatically if no captcha input is needed.