[HD2 Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting and Genera] jagpoag:
Again, donations and paying a FEE for service are two different things.

Second, your "AC guy" uses parts that are CLEARLY MARKED (you know who made them) and does not try to mask what he is doing as "all of his own work" from the making of the parts to creating the boards needed to run your AC does he?

These people are all the same man. I've called and talked to them myself a LOT. Now before you start making comments about me not having anything better to do allow me to share something with you. I own a PC repair shop and have for 13 years. I also do a lot of "tech" work for businesses around two counties. With that said, I do NOT like to see people out there posing as something they are not. I deal with it on a daily basis man and it's not even close to being funny. These people that post the ads we are talking about are the same idiots that run around claiming to be "computer gurus" just because they can pop a Windows DVD in a drive and click NEXT until the install is complete. They do more harm than good 90% of the time, FACT.

A lot of these people are doing as I've said before. Running around with just enough knowledge on any given subject to make something "kinda work" like it should once the "service" is completed. They have an arrogant attitude about it all and try to convince people that they are some sort of tech god. Now, arrogance I do not have a problem with. KNOWLEDGE I do not have a problem with. HOWEVER I do have a problem with a person that jumped on google and found out how to jailbreak an IPhone (wow you can plug in a phone and click a button) running the streets trying to profit from it while acting like they are Steve Wozniack.

Are these people giving a part of this money back to the open source community or the DEVs here at XDA? Of course they are not doing that. If you read the GNU Projects statements, you will understand that charging for service is not frowned upon IF you are giving back to the community to help further the project. Of course I feel the need to again say, GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE A DONATION AND IS DIFFERENT FROM THE COMMUNITY CHARGING A FEE FOR SOFTWARE.

Donations are OPTIONAL.......I hope some of you get a dictionary for Christmas

I will say this, at least you have the brain power needed to reply without calling names and telling people they have no life. Thanks for that at least..lol. All of us are not going to see eye to eye on this subject but if you make a stupid comment or start trying to be something you are not just to PUSH your "point" on the rest of us, I will flame away with no problem.

Before anyone tries to bring up this argument:

"so I guess selling your phone that is already modded would be 'bad' in your eyes also"

Actually, I do not see a problem with THAT. You are charging someone for a phone that just happens to have the software running on it. You modded your phone because you wanted to, not because you wanted to make a profit, right? Now if you just buy up a bunch of HD2s and throw android on them TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY by saying "I HAVE SOMETHING YOU CANT GET ANYWHERE ELSE", yeah that is wrong and YES there are people doing that also.

The POINT to all of this is simple people. If you want to charge some moron that cant tie his own shoes for modding the phone, FINE. Do not act like you are the one that made the software and do not try to hide the source from the person. Give them the URL for XDA and give them to chance to say thank you to the DEVs that just put money in your pocket. It is not just the point that they are charging, it is that 99% of the time they hide where the software came from because they want you to believe they are the ones that made it to start with. THAT is not only taking credit for someone's work but also making a profit from it. I really do not know any other way to explain it.