You continue to fail to see the point. AH as a product is an online game. The client is all but useless for anyone without the online part. So they're not giving anything for free. People can download and use the client for free, sure. But it's not a functional product all by itself. In software world 'giving away' means allowing users to use and redistribute a functional piece of software or even access its source code. Allowing users to download a client for a web service is not considered as giving anything away for free ![Smiley :)](http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Also when you BUY software, you BUY the source code. You do not BUY any other software, you pay for the limited or unlimited right to use. In fact when you think you're BUYING a cd record from the shop you don't even get to own the media in reality.
I would suggest you to stop and study the definition of growth. Investing is not growth, in fact quite the opposite if it doesn't produce positive returns.
Let's say a company makes now 1000 bucks a month. They invest to a fancy new server which costs 7000 bucks. If they still continue to get only 1000 bucks a month they've basically just lost 7000 bucks which is negative growth due to hardware depreciation.
WOW!!! Twist-o-logic is on full power today!
If you can download the software for free, install it for free, download missions for free, and play those mission any time you want for free, it is FREE. There are a number of people on these boards doing just that.... which is a step up on you who doesn't even play any longer.
Again I didn't say I didn't agree with you about the growth. However YOUR opinion with what is growth for HTC may not be what HTC's opinion of what is growth. Thats all I'm saying. If it was my company there would be more techs working the coad to bring more technology into the game as well as changes in how things work in the game to bring about changes in game play. There would be a lot more advertising in magazines, on the web, and yes tv. I would have a team whose job it would be to bring in subscriptions, period.
But I don't run HTC, and neither do you. All we can do is suggest here on the boards or in an email to HTC and hope they read what we write. You on the other hand, with your blinders on tight come in here demanding, or barking about how bad HTC does things and then EXPECT them to bow down to your words of wisdom. Whos the fool?