|
I really don't think there is going to be much of a swing. This site provides something that Curse doesn't, and that's a community. I know that's something that is a strange concept to people that try really hard to avoid having to go to websites to get their addons, but it's here. The people that frequent this site love it, love the community, and love the people that work on the site. You will be hard pressed to find more community minded people than the ones that populate WoWI from the staff down to the most infrequent of visitors. It's hard (impossible?) to just throw that away, especially over something as silly as an auto-installer.
That aside, the fact that WoWMatrix is no longer working GUARANTEES that more people will visit this site. Everything here is not available at the Curse site. People will flat out have to physically go to both sites. Some authors prefer this over Curse and vise-versa. I don't know how many people used WM, but it has been stated in several threads since the anti-WM action was taken that many of those people don't like Curse. That means they are coming here. Or they could go without addons at all, which seems to me like a pretty dramatic reaction to having to click a few extra times.
This site's income will do nothing but increase with this change. Profit? Maybe not, but hopefully this will guarantee that they will break even at least.
The bottom line is, as has been said roughly 43289042839042 times, the change had to be made. WM was killing this site. Rather than let that happen, they made some changes. I'm sorry everyone that used WM has gotten so lazy that the slightest clicking motion makes the concept of manually installing addons feel like they are doing tai-bo, but get over it.
The staff of this site have nothing but the community in mind when they make changes to the site. They know what goes on behind the scenes better than any of us. This change WILL help the community stay together or they wouldn't have done it. That is absolute fact. It has nothing to do with lining pockets or trying to monopolize the ever-so-lucrative market of free add-on sites. This community means as much to them as it does to those of us who are a part of it. The problem is the WM defenders for the most part don't get that (or get it and don't care) and are just worried about their frail wrists breaking from having to add their mods to a favorites list.
I know you keep mentioning your "simple" friends (your word), but I really think people like that are in the minority. I truly, TRULY believe that most of this is just laziness. People don't want ads, they don't want to go to websites, they just want to click and be done. They don't care about the cost as long as it's free to them. They could install addons manually. I know it's hard to believe, but there was a time before the ace updater. It can and has been done before. People need to understand that there is a chance that there may never be a one-stop shop for all their addon needs, and if WM was the only way to do it, I hope there never is anything like it again. Maybe someday Curse and WoWI will be able to pool resources and allow for it, but until then, people are gonna just have to suck it up. And exercise their wrists and clicking fingers.
|