JimKerr

You must have missed the final paragraph. I’ll repost it for you:
Of course I found out that it *wasn’t* private, so I removed it. But the original use I find unassailable. I mean how can someone learn to code without dissecting other’s code?

I don’t see how I was in violation of copyright. I mean, I very well may be missing something here, and I really do want to know the nuances, so please humor me. Here’s how I see it:
I downloaded Root’s wonderful index.php and css files to a private server, that only I had access to. I was examining his code to see how he manipulated his sunken effects and how it worked with his various boxes. At this point, I assume that this is the same as if I had it on a box unconnected to the Internet. There is absolutely no personal or commercial use at all. It’s, for all intents and purposes, private to me and me alone.
Of course I found out that it *wasn’t* private, so I removed it. But the original use I find unassailable. I mean how can someone learn to code without dissecting other’s code?

Root says:
“I have made it absolutely clear from the outset of this dialogue (I hope) that I have no problem at all with *my* design being used at all.”
Root said earlier via his first e-mail:
“If you like my design (and I am flattered) that you have chosen to use it – then the best way forward might be for us to put this theft onto a commercial basis.”
Again, I’ll let the peanut gallery judge whether this is a contradiction or not.
I still stand at fault for not making the directory *completely* inaccessible, even though I thought it was *practically* inaccessible.

I’ll take my lumps for that. Ignorance isn’t an excuse, but that’s the only excuse I have… I didn’t think anyone but me would see me tinkering with Root’s sunken effects and the corresponding css changes.
Still, I should have sent him an e-mail saying something like “Root, I copied your css file and index.php to learn more about sunken effects and how those boxes lay out on the screen. Do you mind?”

Hey guys, I’m the nasty fellow that completely ransacked and stole Root’s index.php and css files. Although I have to say that anonymous hit the proverbial nail on the head. I took those files to use as a “workbench” since I liked them, and my only way to work on something like WordPress is via my Cedant server. The files and directory were completely unlinked to anything outside the directory. The only way to find the site is via a totally lucky Google search. I’m sure that Root found my site via his server logs, which hit his links via my own accesses.
Anyway, I admit that I should have cleansed his personal information, but I didn’t think it was too big of an issue, honestly. And when Root sent me an e-mail about it (only today, by the way), I e-mailed him back and said I’d do it ASAP. I find it disturbing that rather than go to the root site and contact me (www.p2mag.com), Root decided to call Cedant, post here, and do everything but contact me.
When he finally DID contact me, he found a respectful and apologetic person. To wit:
Dear Jim
If you look at http:www.p2mag.com/kfg/ you will see that you have stolen my file index.php from my domain https://www.atthe404.com/blog, together with the content extant at that time and the inline css.
This is clearly an unsatisfactory state of affairs. You are a commercial organisation of some quality. This is at best unseemly. At worst it is actionable in tort for damages. I notice that you have installed WordPress yourselves, although it does not appear to be connected to the interface or mysql as far as I can see. If you like my design (and I am flattered) that you have chosen to use it – then the best way forward might be for us to put this theft onto a commercial basis. I look forward to hearing your proposals as to compensation and credit.
Best Wishes
Root
Here is my response, sent shortly after receiving his e-mail:
Simon,
As you can see from the site, it doesn’t work at all since half the elements ARE linked to your site since it isn’t a “real” site at all. It is a demo site unlinked to any external source. It has no content. It has no posts. It has no real commercial or even personal use as a web entity right now. As you can probably see where I’m going with this… I am practicing with CSS design and php in the process of working toward designing something nice. It wouldn’t even be on the Internet other than the fact that I don’t have an internal mysql or Apache server to work with, so I have no choice but to put it as an unlinked folder on an unrelated site.
Anyway, I really liked the design of your site, so I figured I would start with that rather than using the basic WordPress template.
I don’t intend on copying your site design in any meaningful way. What I liked the most was how you created the sunken effect, and that was what I have been playing around with, primarily with different colors.
I can certainly see how you would be distressed that there’s a live, crappily made, unfinished, demo “version” of your site on the Internet. I didn’t think it would be a problem since it is unlinked to anything (other than phantom links to your own site). However, if you would like, I can password protect the directory on the server and make my little workspace even more remote.
In closing, I would like to state that I really like the design of your site, especially the consistent sunken effect that you use. Bravo. I will be certainly using a consistent variation of that effect on this site I’m kind of bumbling around in building, but please be assured I’m not going to take your template, change the logo and mysql database names, and then use it as my own. I’m a rank amateur to CSS and PHP, so I was using your work as guidance and inspiration more than anything.
All the best,
Jim
In closing, I think that the person who said this was a mountain out of a molehill was correct. I respectfully wait to see if you all disagreee.

I find this thread interesting for its complete lack of vision as to what the original post was concerned with, which was bad blog trends. Trends are things that the masses embrace over time. Some design elements can be trends in blogging, but bad grammar and bad spelling isn’t a blog trend, it’s a cultural trend.
No one here has mentioned any of the more interesting trends that I see: The increasing commercialization of blogs, whether it is Weblogs, Inc. or Nike paying Gawker to create blogs around Nike brands. Or how about the trend toward mass-utilization? A number of technology writers point to blogs as the next personal web space for the common user, right up there after their e-mail address.
That said, I don’t find any alarming or bad blog trends that merit serious discussion at this point.

Too cluttered, but I guess that’s the price you have to pay for all the information you’re trying to deliver on the page.

I assumed multiple blogs as in “individual unique blogs all run from a single wp install.”
I’m hosting a number of blogs and have simply installed WP once for each blog and created a new Mysql database for each.. I thought that in the future, multiple blogs meant that WP would support a central blog install directory, which individual blogs would be able to tie into via config files. (Like how AW stats handles multiple web sites from a single install).
Not sure if I’m describing this correctly, but I don’t much care…I’m happy with how it is currently. A WordPress install takes all of 2 minutes anyway. So unless server space is a factor, I don’t think that things are fine.

Nice and clean. How I like’em. I’d like to see more of your work if you’ve done others.

Strong. Nice work.

How’d you get that cool fade-in effect?

Great site. Proof that standing out does not requrie lots of gizmos. One of my favorites.

Love the color scheme, but this just looks like a mess in Firefox. Lots of overlapping things and stuff.

I think this may be the most clean and efficient site I’ve seen yet, and I’ve looked at everything in this thread. Very strong work.

Not sure if you changed your style lately, but isn’t this a style you can download from the WP styles website?