[Vendetta]

You throw around the word "libel" like the use of a 12th grade English level term is supposed to intimidate me. Your clever use of the word "ass" doesn't impress me, but it does belie your age. Also, if you're going to use adult words, use adult grammar. A college education will go far to facilitate this end.

Nonetheless, what I'm doing is expressing an opinion. A very first amendment protected opinion, so, since we want to be technical, I'm not committing "libel", I'm expressing a view based on opinion, founded on personal experience and the matter at hand. Therefore, you're entirely in the wrong here. It's a glass defense.

Furthermore, you don't need to vainly apologize to me for anything, because I know you're not sorry, you're just patronizing me. But that's fine, now that I have your feathers ruffled, my retort.

To counter point number one: It's ludicrous for you to claim cB was "independently" your own creation in design. You're using a standard bulletin board variant skin. Changing colors or setting up a CSS isn't creating something from scratch, just like, right now, BR isn't created from scratch. You're using the same format and styles as many other pages, so claiming yours is unique is a blatant lie.

I don't know if you're aware of this, but a site design is based, entirely, on your source code, so yes, you either 1) Replicated your source code based on some other platform, or 2) used a design template, and then took that template and modified it.

Either way, you didn't sit there and "create" a unique source engine for your site. This would entail creating an entirely new forum language altogether. You're using one already produced, open source, by someone else.

The very nature of createblog is dictated by this fundamental fact; something did not come from nothing, that "something" was already there, you just formed it to your own designs. You can attempt to argue against this all you want, but that's established fact.

As for your second point, you completely negated your first, and proved my entire argument. You didn't "borrow" anything from anyone, you just used it, and modified it.

Borrowing would imply you planned on somehow giving it back. But you didn't, did you? That would be crazy, you can't borrow and give back intellectual property, you just take it. At least try to be blunt about it.

In light of that, you're no better than I -- the difference between us is I have absolutely no illusions as to what I'm doing. If you feel offended that BR might emulate some of your design aspects, then get off your high horse, you did the same thing when you created your design, and from whomever you got it, probably did the same thing to their predecessors, and so on and so forth. Again though, we're different in that I'm not trying to hide it. I'm at least being honest with myself, and my consumer.

As for your final point, there is actually a scroll bar on the side of your window. I believe it was created with the advent of Windows 3.1... familiarize yourself with it's use on the first page of this thread.

I believe I've pretty summarily presented the situation at hand. And if I were you, I'd quit trying to justify myself, it doesn't do you justice, as I never try to present myself as some angel descended from the heavens to bring order to a chaotic world or "rectify" any situation that needs it.

I'm simply stating my opinion, and if you disagree, all the more power to you. I'd expect you to. But I wouldn't call it "libel", as I said. I think I can navigate the treacherous waters of justification quite adeptly. It's a shame you insist on keeping this public, though I confess I'm rather bemused by the entire affair.