I got you the first time ctcentralinfo. However, I stated my point in the first response and I was planning not to elaborate further. But, the issue has become an exchange, as you try to insist your point. Instead of trying to understand our perspective, you repeat yourself in your response to GauGau -- as if that will make the point right. [You were presumptuous into thinking that we did not understand you.] Is it possible that you might be the one who is not getting the point?
Gaugau elaborated further and I hope flux will incorporate the safeguard Gaugau suggested.
I want this mod by flux. I have to start rearranging the architecture of my entire website this weekend and that will be a big job that will take a very long time. The reason for this is that the CPMFetch that Vuud created worked if the mod is in the same domain (or subdomain) as the gallery and the website where the photos will be added outside of the gallery. I made that work now thanks to Vuud's very kind replies to my inquiries when it was not working properly. Unfortunately, the Fetch design (in my hands at the moment) will not work when Fetch and the other site are in different domain (or subdomain). That was also stated in the FAQ section of CPMFetch.
Maybe this issue with CPMFetch will be resolved by Vuud or someone else who knows programming, at some point. In the meantime, a way around it would be using this mod that flux is developing -- or at least I think I can.
Now back to your point (in the first response to my post):
If you want to prevent folks from hot linking to other site, just creat rules for linking to your site, if they don't comply just deny them access.
You are placing the burden to the owner of the site -- who if (s)he did not want any of his/her creation stolen has already placed a copyright note. If the photos are not copyrighted, i.e., released through "Creative Commons" (although some have restrictions), why not take the responsibility of dowloading those photos yourself and store them in your site? Then you can use them however you want -- there is no need for you to hotlink, as already pointed by Gaugau.
The plain and simple truth is that you will not want to take the extra work to do the right thing. Your own admission -- "hotlinking". What a fast way to have a "photo gallery site" filled with photos, without the extra trouble.
Please put this in your head and try to think about it when you have time to reflect: Even those who would give away their website contents for free would not want their bandwidth stolen and that is especially true for photos (and other multimedia) because they use a lot of bandwidth.
However you try to sugarcoat your words, technical jargon or hide yourself in any technology, it is outright stealing -- because you cause other people to pay money for your "hotlinking". Have you ever looked at how much it costs when a site exceeds its bandwidth?
English is not my native tongue and that may be the reason why I was not able to express myself clearly enough to get through to you. Please allow me then to repeat myself, if I have not made my points clear enough the first time. To quote you:
YOu are not getting what I am saying. A disclaimer will be put up. YOU the owner will check the link. If it is not from a site such as photobuck will get deleted.
Here is a better suggestion. I am not familiar with the software or technology you keep suggesting. So, why not ask the developer to place a script whereby if it does not see the statement: "Hotlink allowed!" it will not do any hotlinking. If this cannot be automated yet, why not take the trouble of manually visiting sites that you like and see i they would explicitly allow "Hotlinking".
Hotlink only those sites that would say so. In this alternative, place the responsibility in your hands -- do not pass the burden to others.
Maybe you have all the time in the world to be babysitting your website but most webmasters do not have your luxury. They only find out that some other websites are hotlining when they exceeded their normal bandwidth usage. If you have a popular site worth hotlinking -- do you honestly believe you will have the time in the world to be sitting there wasting your time blacklisting sites, that can be from all over the world? The plain answer is no.
Because of the attitude that you espouse as a site developer, some webmasters have taken draconian measures instead. There are ways to fool "hotlinking" bans of individual sites, or it will cause added inconvenience for webmasters will multiple websites. To counter this, I have read of instances where the webmaster banned an entire webhosting service because those IP addresses are "static".
As a result, because of attitudes like yours, you will cause problems to others sharing a webhosting service with you, as well as added work to your webhosting service itself -- to rectify the banning of their site -- simply because you would not want to follow rules. These, aside from the points that I raised earlier already.
Take the responsibility of following the rules (at least the ethical rules, for decent people) -- do not let your irresponsible attitude become a burden to others.
If you are a decent person, why not link the main site of the websites that you think are worth visiting?
However much you have persuaded yourself that what you are doing is legal and ethically right, it does not make your actions legal nor ethical, in the eyes of others. At least two people here already think differently. True, it is technically feasible and doable; but it is not legal. And, even if it is legal (which I doubt) it is not ethically right to do so, because you are costing others money.
Unfortunately, no one can teach you anything about ethical responsibilities if you do not want to listen.
cgc0202
N.B.
I must admit offhand that when I was new in developing my website I never realized what "hotlinking" and related stuff meant nor understood their implications. Gradually, I begun to understand them.
One of the reasons why I am developing my own photogalleries is to rectify these mistakes.
And yes, as I suggested to you above, I am downloading those photos that I liked that have been released through "Creative Commons". My website is not commercial, so that my use of the photos are within the restrictions indicated in the "Creative Commons" agreement. And yes, the entire process takes a lot of work. I have spent months so far poring through thousands and thousands of internet photos and sites, to select a few hundred so far.
I have downloaded copyright photos too. One of the reasons why I have not released my site URL yet for the photogalleries was because I want to get permission from other people who had copyright notices; and at least to have the decency to inform even those who released their photos under "Creative Commons" agreement that I wish to use their photos for my website.
Once I have created a credible site, I may then invite others if they are interested to share photos. Here, as the webmaster, I have to make sure that all individual copyrights are respected. More important, as a webmaster, I take the responsibility of ensuring that I have the resources that I can indeed afford to finance such an undertaking.
Maybe you ought to consider the same option -- if you wish to do the right thing.