Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:
However, given the way things are going, I can't help but question whether it is appropriate that the X0 site is still soliciting donations.
In fact, on a separate note, was it ever appropriate for X0 to solicit donations? The rest of us adhere to a strict code of accepting no financial compensation for our restorations or edits, and people have been kicked off the forum for it. Was the X0 granted an exception? Under the current circumstances, would it be that hard to remove the PayPal link from the site?
VERY good point.
Regarding the "appropriateness" of soliciting donations, I would say the XO team abided by the spirit of this community. The money sent to them was not a payment for a product, it was a donation to a restoration effort. In the end, I don't think making a donation has any bearing on whether you can get the end product.
The lack of any word from any of the team members makes me wonder if a LucasFilm Cease and Desist was delivered. But then, they probably wouldn't be accepting donations through their website if that were the case. Hmm. Something here doesn't feel right.
All this reminds me of the XO timestamp version that was supposedly leaked. The XO members went to great pains to claim that they were not the ones who released it.
Once again, I humbly request that the XO team release the raw XO captures. (We were shown pictures of the discs at one point.) If this project is dead, then the raw captures ensure that it accomplished something. If the project is not dead, the XO team can continue to improve the quality of the captures and release subsequent versions. Either way, the community wins, and the XO team is to thank for it.
