I know you are all very confused right now, and nobody has any clue what's going on. I will try to explain things as best I can.
Please bear in mind that Robot and I are limited with what we can say about this, and we may not be able to talk about it for a long time, which only makes it harder for us. If and when we can lay it out for everyone, we assuredly will.
By the time you read this, Typhoon as we all know it will be gone. All of the old data has been removed, and there are no traces left of what our great site used to be.
For reasons that we honestly cannot explain right now (so don't ask), we have found it absolutely necessary to shut down all torrenting activities on this site. Although we cannot explain our reasons, please believe that we are doing this with your best interest at heart. It was a very difficult decision for us given all of the time and effort we (and all of you) have put into this site, but we feel it is the only course. At some point, we must simply accept things for the way they are, and move forward.
We are planning to take the site in a new direction, away from the files that drove it before, and make it a discussion forum instead (for the time being). We realize that there are umpteen forums already out there, but this was the only thing we could realistically do, outside of simply disappearing. Robot and I did not want to pull another WDMA and vanish off the face of the earth, because we value the community that Typhoon is far too much to simply turn our backs. I can only hope that you, the userbase at large, will feel the same, and not turn your backs on us. We understand if that is your decision, but you are all very important to us, and we don't want to lose the best thing we've got going: you.
I happen to be a very sentimental person, and I am not afraid to admit that last night I was in tears about all of this, and at the prospect of losing all of the friends I have known over the years of our operation. This very message is incredibly hard to type without simply falling to pieces. I will admit that my reasons for trying to keep people here are completely selfish in nature, for I would miss everyone terribly if the userbase simply disappeared, and I can't bear to think of that as a reality. I can only hope that the community we have all forged together is strong enough to stay intact, and that people will realize the community is truly what it is all about.
As we are completely changing what we will be doing in the future, we don't exactly have plans for what direction the site should go, and that is where, again, the userbase comes in. We are planning to hold some kind of discussion, probably in the forums or elsewhere, about what direction you would like to see us take. Obviously, we will not be going back to our old ways ever again, but within the realm of legal enterprises, we're open to anything. Want us to become the best social networking website on the planet? Let us know. Want us to just have discussion forums, and let the community run things more? Tell us. We have also contemplated doing a shoutcast session in a week or two, with all of the mods and admins hosting, and letting people suggest things on IRC while we discuss them, or maybe even making a shoutcast show a more regular occurrence.
Also, just a few other notes about the site and some of the things that were going on before we shut down. Firstly, our donation drive has been officially canceled, as well as all plans of buying a new server. All donations from when the drive started up until the last we received will be refunded in full. I have to do this by hand, and given the sheer volume of donations, it will take some time, but it will happen. Robot and I are not running off with the money; it is not ours to keep for we cannot deliver on our promises. I hope that everyone who donated will be patient, as they will receive all of their money back in due time. Secondly, the T-shirts are still going to be printed and sent out, and instead of keeping part of the proceeds for the admin beer fund, we are letting grom keep all of the profit to help his shirt business in the future. This is also not the end of the t-shirts, so don't fret if you didn't get one, there will be more in the future; they will be a memento to the greatness that once was Typhoon. I will wear mine proudly, in remembrance of all that we had.
Whether you choose to stay with us and help form the community into something new, or leave for greener pastures, we understand your decision and stand behind you. Just know this: we will never forget you and the things you have contributed, and the way that each one of you made the site that little bit better. I know that I will remember each one of you for as long as I live.
ocean and Robot Machine.
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