rup icon ic (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} rupiconic) wrote,@ 2005-06-09 23:09:00 |
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| Current mood: |  silly |
| Current music: | ruben studdard - flying without wings |
HOTLINKING WILL SEND YOU TO HELL
just so we can clarify things, i went to a website and FOUND out what hotlinking is.
i dedicate this to all my icon and graphic makers who had to suffer the throws of ...BANDWIDTH THEFT *blood curdling scream*
i'll show you a simple example of hotlinking
~ * e t a * ~
i don't think it could be any clearer than this
WHAT IS HOTLINKING AND BANDWIDTH THEFT?
Bandwidth theft or "hotlinking" is direct linking to a website's files (images, video, etc.). An example would be using an
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transferred from a website to a user's computer. When you view a webpage, you are using that site's data transfer to display the files. Since web hosts charge based on the amount of data transferred, bandwidth is an issue. If a site is over it's monthly bandwidth, it's billed for the extra data or taken offline.
A simple analogy for bandwidth theft: Imagine a random stranger plugging into your electrical outlets, using your electricity without your consent, and you paying for it.
HOW DO I KNOW I'M HOTLINKING?
Think about how you display an image graphic in HTML on your web page:
< IMG src=*image.jpg* height=*350* width=*200* >
This tag tells the site to request the image.jpg file from the same server as the rest of the site. But if you were to hotlink an image from an outside server it might look like this:
< IMG src=*http://notmysite.com/image.jpg* height=*350* width=*200* >
Every time the page is loaded, the outside server has to use it's bandwidth to display the image. To avoid this problem, don't link to files on servers that don't belong to you. To share images and files on your own web page, upload them to your own server or to one of the many free website providers.
WHY SHOULD I STOP HOTLINKING?
Hotlinking can have a lot of undesirable consequences. One outcome is the so-called "switcheroo". If you've linked to an image on someone's server, what's to prevent them from changing the image you linked to? This can have humorous results. Since most sites, forums, etc. have strict policies about offensive images, it wouldn't take much for an aggravated webmaster you've been stealing bandwidth from to shut you down completely with an unwanted "switcheroo".
Displaying an image or file that doesn't belong to you is often a violation of copyright, making you open to litigation. The owner of the copyright could utilize DMCA law to have your site shut down and your information given for use in legal proceedings.
yeah, i copied and pasted, but at least it makes more sense now, hopefully.
remember -
it's a no-no *shakes finger sternly*
this message has been brought to you by me.
<3 - rupiconic
edit:
if you don't feel like this is the right definition to hotlinking, go and post your OWN. don't waste hours on end arguing with me about how it's wrong. i went out of my way to do this.
I LOOKED IT UP ON A WEBSITE.
i was only trying to help.
however, just because there are idiots that won't go away, it doesn't mean i'm taking this post down because it is helpful to other people.
honestly, if you don't like it, you can go to hell with the rest of the hotlinkers. i'm tired of being nice.
