Paid compensation for site downtime

[theljstaff]

As many of you are aware, LiveJournal underwent an attack last week which resulted in some downtime and caused other accessibility issues during this time. While the attack is over, some intermittent issues remain which we are in the process of fixing

Comments

What about permanent members and downtime?

[phyncke]

As usual that does nothing for permanent members. Can we please have a few icon slots? Anything? We could not access the site either and that was also frustrating. You are not serious.

This is totally frustrating.

And don't say that permanent members don't deserve compensation for the same frustrations that everyone else have. That is just not true. This has been just as frustrating for me as anyone else...

LJ always forgets this level of member when it does this kind of thing.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[waitingtohappen]

but if x = 0.999... then 10x = 9.999... and 9.999... - 0.999... does equal 9. if she was assuming x=1, 10x-x would equal 8.999...

admittedly the second proof is incorrect though.

i'm a paid user and very grateful for the two weeks extra :)

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[keristor]

Nope. Look at it this way:

Let x=0.999 (no recurring things, we'll get to those). Then 10x=9.990, and 10x-x=9x=8.991. Do the same with more fractional part, and you find that (for instance) when x=0.9999999999 9x=8.9999999991. Taking the limit as the deviation from 1 (ε) tends to zero x tends to 1 but never gets there, no matter how many 9s you stick on the end.

So, in answer to one of your original questions, 0.999... is always less than 1. Since the universe is finite, not infinite (and a lifetime of either a person or an organisation is a lot less than that) taking away even a small fraction always leaves the total less than it was by a measurable proportion (indeed, by the amount which was taken away divided by the original amount).

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[splitcomplex]

You're responding exactly how I expected Phyncke to respond: With a complete lack of understanding about how infinity works.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[hanashibeta]

Given that few (if any?) permanent accounts have been around long enough to have yet justified the upfront cost, I won't disagree that users with permanent accounts are still losing some value, even if that value is much more difficult to quantify than what is lost by regular paid members. I must, however, disagree with your mathematical argument. The second "proof" was perhaps begging the question (or at least begging a similar question to which people tend to have the same intuitive objection) and thus invalid (regardless of any nonsense about ε), but the only thing wrong with the first was that steps were omitted that were obvious to the writer but not to all readers. In a mathematical forum, the proof would have been okay, but since this is LJ Maintenance, something like this might be clearer:

x=0.999...     (define x)10x=9.999...(multiply both sides by 10)10x - x=9.999... - x(subtract x from both sides)10x - x=9.999... - 0.999...(substitute defined value for x)9x=9(evaluate both sides)x=1(divide both sides by 9)0.999...=1(

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[moriar]

It's been about five years since I got a Permanent Account, and at the time I did some math to determine the break-even point. (Ignoring inflation, etc.) Came out as five years, for a $150 up front. This was using the rates from 5 years ago.

Looking at current rates, it's about 7.5 years of $20 Annually to break even against $150 up front. So, at some point there have been price drops and I'm not [i]quite[/i] at the break even, though I should easily be there in the next year or so.

Anyone have the old pricing charts, so we can do a comprehensive pricing calculation?

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[phyncke]

Cute. Part of what they are appeasing here is the frustration. How about the fact that permanent users are never compensated in any way at all. Does that seem fair to you, clever person?

I am well aware there are no limits on my membership. I expected toolish comments like yours. I also got some sympathetic people down below who got that we always get shafted in these deals. Always. I don't think you get that I have prepaid for my access.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[splitcomplex]

No, they are appeasing the monetary loss, which is why free users such as myself got nothing either.

You prepaid for an infinite time of access. I'm so sorry that infinity minus one is still infinity. Math is cruel, isn't it?

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[phyncke]

We can disagree about why they are appeasing people. I deserve some appeasement too.

Me=frustrated person also.

End convo.

Someone above commented the same as you. I think you should friend them. You guys would totally get along and have great comments together. Really...I am serious. I am fixing you up with them.

But I disagree with you and yet see the infinity of my permanent membership which I totally paid for and enjoy! I got that before I asked for my free gift!

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[splitcomplex]

I disagree that "we can disagree". I'm stating a fact. You're whining about something you wish were true. Paid users are being compensated for something they lost. How far up your ass do you have your head buried?

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[phyncke]

And now you resort to rudeness. Good plan.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[splitcomplex]

Politeness and correctness are not synonymous.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[phyncke]

Proper discourse is always appropriate. You have issues if this matters that much to you. Caps and insults. A new low.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[splitcomplex]

You're the one who's whining about not getting compensated for maybe three days of inconvenience, bb.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[sparr0]

Unless permanent accounts can be transferred they are only good until you die. So permanent members are really just lifetime members, and have lost exactly as much usable time off their membership as paid members.

Re: What about permanent members and downtime?

[splitcomplex]

In that case, I'll go right on ahead and submit a post to suggestions that LJ should magically extend the life of every permanent account user every time they get attacked by anti-free-speech zealots.