STEPHEN FRY

Stephen , in an age where the personal touch has been replaced by automation and the human voice by robots , it is a delight that you take the time to shsre in the tradition of JBS , indeed you are quite as prolific. Whether it be Gordon Browns handwritten letters or you taking the time to share, such attention is bacoming a rarity. People matter and matter very much. There are very few who take the time. And all too few who appreciate it.

Stephen Fry said:
I will certainly get out my chequebook and pay for the forum upgrade (without too much self-pity you should know that we’ve already spent six days on forum coding, at the cost of delays on other Samfry projects and there is still much more work to be done) but I would beg you to be patient.
[...]
But above all I want you to be happy, and I hope you can be happy in the way one used to be happy in grotty student accommodation. We never complained in those days about stained sofas, stuck doors, creaking floorboards and drippy walls. As we age we tend to get a bit fussy about things – I’m just asking that for the moment you put up with a bit of inconvenience and hope you can regard it as a lark. It is certainly not a sign that we don’t care.
[...]
My love and thanks to you all.
To the future
x Stephen

Dear Mr Fry, Stephen!
I think people may not be aware of the expenditures associated with running this website. Still, you don´t charge us to use this friendly playground. This is most generous of you. A little patience in return is definitely not asking too much.
The Forum will soon have grown out of its teething problems, no doubt.

I like your concept of the "grotty student accommodation", something I can relate to. In fact, I have experienced worse (like sleeping on the floor for two nights because the furniture had not been delivered to my first UK flat in time ) So, sitting on a (virtual) stained sofa won´t scare me off! It´s the company that counts, and Frymasons are a vibrant, kind, inspiring bunch of people. In fact, I have found a REAL friend on this Forum, for which I will be ever grateful to you. And for everything else. All the best to you and Andrew Sampson. GS

Thanks for keeping us abreast, Andrew. (Said with extreme gratitude, and because I've always liked that phrase.) We certainly don't want another insicorsat episode. Thanks to our dutiful mods for keeping the place as fluffiful as possible. Cheers to everyone's hard work!

One recent niggle that you might have to add to your fix list is that no one appears to receive email notifications from the threads they've favorited.

It's a relief to know people can be shut down quickly. That episode, I can't even say the name, brought about by the person Fryphile bravely names, haunted me for days.

Good move team!!!!

Many thanks xxxx

And to think...if we all just helped our Mr Fry provide us with this wonderful media and chipped in a pound/dollar/peso/krone/rupee, how fast would the solution be? If every one of your twillion spent a quid, wouldn't that be a revolution! Stephen, where/how can we send money with the hope of just helping to keep the site going and improving, with no thought for purchasing a product or leaving you feeling like you have to spend your cash? Could you put a "donate" button on the site please? It would be such a small gesture of thanks to do my bit.

As an appreciative "newbie" I'd be up for lesleywesley's suggestion. Thank you Stephen for ALL your hard work. x

I personally am not offended by critques of a site. It doesn't, by default, make anyone 'sour' nor a 'savage'.

I have only read general references to the costs of running this site. How about a cost breakdown for the people here? Put the facts out as the facts actually are, in detail. What are the costs of running this site per month? Perhaps if people were more aware of the financial specifics, they would..well, they'd be AWARE. Personally, I consider that ' a good thing ', not a bad one.

With that awareness, the people/members can decide wether they think the value matches the output and either help out or not, without stigmatization either way.