Dear eLL Mobile (and others)

This has been a long time coming. I didn't want to do this; I did not want to appear like a self absorbed attention whoring bitch. I did not want to do this simply because I do what I do for goodwill, and for the love of it. I do not seek name, profit or fame. I simply wish that somebody somewhere (including myself) may someday find use for whatever I have done here.

I was saddened today to learn that eLL mobile - among others - have been profiting off our (myself and afxal) work with the iPhone iOS thaana font pack and the alQuran dhivehi translation mod. Perhaps "profiting" is too mild a word to describe it.

I understand that you are a business venture. I have no problems with you installing them on your customers phones. I have no problems with you using our repository. I don't even have a problem with you charging a small service charge for the process. You are most welcome to do so. what I do have a problem with however, is your interpretation of the term "small service fee". 

Sure it incurs bandwidth costs and time (time=money afterall,) but I hardly think that 100Rf to install the font-pack is a fair price. I can get 20, I can get 30...I can even understand 40, but 100? that's pushing it.  I can only imagine the kind of profits you're making. To top it off, you actually had the nerve to claim that you "developed" it, and that you are "developing" solutions for 3.1.3 devices. That it would take about two more months to complete it. Now if you really are working on your own solution, please accept my apologies. Let me know if you need help - I would be glad to share my own experience.

Not only have you failed to respect the hard work that we put into this, you have failed to recognize it. You have even gone to such lengths as to remove the repository once you're done installing, and removing the link to my blog. I put the blog link there for a reason. So that people can know where the translation came from, and they could report problems. The idea is not to garner attention, but to get feedback. Feedback that could have helped improve things.

I am not waging war against you. I am not starting an anti-campaign against you. I just wanted to let you know that your blatant disregard for the spirit of community has deeply upset me. I am not seeking compensation or apologies or anything of that regard. A simple thank you initially is all the compensation that I would have ever demanded. What I am asking for, what I really want - is a little respect. Not for me or afxal; but for the people whom you are so blatantly exploiting.

Are we really to feed off each other? are we truly that lost? Have we forgotten the saying that what we give will comeback to us tenfold? Have we been so corrupted by "business" that we have forgotten the value of a common, simple courtesy?