FF CD-ROM download

I've put the Forgotten Futures CD-ROM on my site in a password-protected directory - in the end it seemed simpler to do it as a simple zip of all the directories etc. rather than an ISO disk image. It's a 450mb file. If demand is high I may look at hosting it elsewhere, but this seems a good starting point to see if the idea of offering a download is viable.

I'm thinking £2.00 off the normal registration fee or re-registration fee for UK users, £3.00 off for the rest of the world. E.g.

• £16 instead of £18/£19 for a first time buyer
• £10 instead of £12/13 for a previously registered user who buys the CD for the first time
• £6 instead of £8/9 for a repeat buyer.

It's a big price cut but it'll save me money and a LOT of hassle with disk duplication, posting, etc.

Anyone who registers will be sent a username, password, etc. for downloading it, good for say 48 hours. If for any reason they need to download the same release again that'll be free, but they'll have to get a new password. After that they'll get password access to the next release of Forgotten Futures a month before it goes on line generally, rather than being sent a CD. I'd probably do that as a zip of the distribution CD too, but I'll need to be careful there - a few hundred people downloading it the same day would not go down well with my hosting company! I think it may be possible to upgrade to a high-bandwidth plan for a couple of months for each release, then revert to the current plan.

Does this sound about right?

Later: Now done and working correctly as far as I can tell.

Small pre-fanfic queries

Does California have any common birds that collect shiny things to decorate their nests?

Did American comics of the 1930s / 40s give away, or sell, toys and other objects related to the comic?