Hardware Websites are Dying.

[Dputiger]

I kid you not. Before I write this post I'm going to divulge something--I'm one of the lead editors at Van's Hardware (www.vanshardware.com). I do not claim to be unbiased or totally objective in the following.

In the last six months, numerous websites have collapsed--among them, Tweakfiles, 3Dfiles, and VoodooExtreme. Others, such as Anandtech and Tom's Hardware have drastically changed how they do business in order to remain solvent. Times are drastic.

There are a large number of sites which have begun asking for donations--Van's Hardware is among them. Others include amdzone.com and I know Tweak3d.net has asked people to click their banner ads.

When you see these requests, please don't dismiss them--or just wait for someone else to do something. Tech sites need money--and we need it badly. So please, take a moment and visit these sites--take a look at Van's Hardware or Amdzone.com--and if you feel they are worht a dollar or two, please send it along. I realize one of the sites I named was my own, but believe me, its not the only site out there worth the buck.

To you, it's a dollar--but to us, its the only thing keeping us functional right now.

Just give it some thought.

[Joel Kleppinger]

You might include www.2cpu.com as one of those sites.

As a webmaster myself (no one actually knows the site), one of my concerns is actually growing big... because the hosting cost goes up the more people that show up. And no, it isn't easy to recover those costs any more.

So yes, you do carry a valid point. Still, creative people find ways to make money. Necessity is the mother of invention (although boredom can be as well. )

[Dputiger]

Joel (you know, I alwasy find it funny writing you--since MY name is Joel)

You are right. Needless to say, we are getting very inventive. Anybody wanna by a picture of my dog?