[Scotty]

Unfortunately your interpretation is not the 'correct' one, and I'm going to have to ask you stop promoting what amounts to piracy.

[Dragon]

Just how did you determine what is the "correct" interpretation? Laws? They might be different between two countries, you can't even quote international treaties, because there's usually at least one country that didn't ratify any given one. Some authority supposedly versed in this? Link to the source.
My interpretation is that free is free, even if the links don't work. I don't care what corporations (especially now PGI or MS) say about that, and it's not just limited to this issue. If you say something, you'd better have a darn good reason to withdraw your statement (hint: whims and greed are not good reasons).
So, from my POV, it's not piracy, but saying "screw corporations and their whims". They gave permission, withdrawing it later like they did was underhanded and wrong.

[Scotty]

Just how did you determine what is the "correct" interpretation? Laws? They might be different between two countries, you can't even quote international treaties, because there's usually at least one country that didn't ratify any given one. Some authority supposedly versed in this? Link to the source.
My interpretation is that free is free, even if the links don't work. I don't care what corporations (especially now PGI or MS) say about that, and it's not just limited to this issue. If you say something, you'd better have a darn good reason to withdraw your statement (hint: whims and greed are not good reasons).
So, from my POV, it's not piracy, but saying "screw corporations and their whims". They gave permission, withdrawing it later like they did was underhanded and wrong.

Having strong feelings on the subject does not make you legally in the right.  MechWarrior 4, its expansions, and even the MekTek version of the game are no longer free to distribute.  That's the end of the discussion line in this direction.

[Dragon]

Legally, maybe. I'm was talking about moral rights the entire time. But just because something is illegal doesn't make it wrong, it simply means you're gonna be punished for it if caught, fairly or not. Generally, a lot of things that are morally wrong are also illegal, but there's a lot of things that are legal, but shouldn't be done anyway, and also quite a few of things which should be legal, but they aren't (a regrettable state of affairs).

[The E]

Legally, maybe. I'm was talking about moral rights the entire time. But just because something is illegal doesn't make it wrong, it simply means you're gonna be punished for it if caught, fairly or not. Generally, a lot of things that are morally wrong are also illegal, but there's a lot of things that are legal, but shouldn't be done anyway, and also quite a few of things which should be legal, but they aren't (a regrettable state of affairs).

There is no "moral right" to a free MechWarrior 4. Get that idea out of your head, and this thread.

[jr2]

Also, the .mtx files are just zip files, If you don't trust the installer exe, just rename the files with .mtx extension to .zip and unzip them the old fashioned way in the right order according to the revision numbers.

.mtx files are just zip files

zip files

* -Joshua- growls.

All that bloody...

Anyway, thanks Dertien .

What if I told you that iPhone .ipsw files were also just .zip files?

[X3N0-Life-Form]

Hey, it looks like soon-ish, the .vp are going to be replaced by .zip files as well