16 hours into the launch and we’ve already had 2,500 successful/completed downloads.
Talk about explosive response.

Oh, and … all of this was from just ONE discussion thread on just ONE forum. I’ve got at least 10 more places I could ‘announce’ RP at, but I’ll leave that for now.

A little history? (I’ll keep it short)
RP started out as a normal project. We intended to make it a simple link generator and sell copies of the script. 1 month into coding, and we decided to use it on RP. 2 months into coding it, and we had implemented major features!
The guy behind all of this? Dman   (I’m just overlooking the operation, management, marketing )
Since then, 6 months into coding, this project (known as pD – Project Downloader) has come a long way. From something very simple, to something really complex and advanced. And this is where it is only starting!

Current Status
Completed. We beta tested the entire thing for 1.5 months and fixed a lot of bugs, implemented a lot of new features. And we’ve got quite a few more features that are planned and WILL be implemented within the next month. I cannot give out an exact date. But it’ll be before January 2010

(Slightly) Technical Stuff
The public area is on it’s own server (http://public.rapidpremium.net). The private area is on another server. And as and when we grow, we might add another server for the private/public users.

Server Specs
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz (Dual Quad Core = 8 cores)
12GB DDR3 Memory
1TB SATAII HDD
10TB monthly bandwidth allowance
100mbps connectivity
Cost: $200 a month

Yeah,  the only thing that’s holding the potential of this server back, is the connectivity. 1Gbps and we’d be really doing great now. The data-center wants us to pay them 6 months in advance for the port upgrade eligibility. Neh.. not doing that. Cannot afford it!
So, I’ve talked to another data-center who might possibly be able to match this offer. If they do, then we’re in for a ride!

So, will we litter our site with ads and more ads?
Nope. While we cannot stay ad-free, we will not make RP a joke, either. Most of the generators are set up with one aim – make money. Our aim – try and recoup *some* of the cost if possible, and keep it alive.
Why? Because this was an experiment. An experiment that has now turned into a serious project. I won’t lie and tell you there’s nothing in it for us. We’ll obviously end up making money (and hopefully a nice profit to pay back for the time we spend in maintaining and growing this site). But we’re *not* going to flood you with viruses, adwares, spam, etc so we can make a few measly bucks and write home about it. That is *not* what defines me (Hamza) and/or Dman.
Added to that, we’ve got a nice community of members (who’re like a family to us) to back us up

Plans?
Quite a few..
- Implement a few reporting features in the back-end
- Add support for uploaded.to, zshare, filefactory, and depositfiles
- Fix the contact page on public downloader
- Clean up the forums, generate invites, and set up the points system (for private accounts, *hint*)
- Improve a bit on the index/front page (http://www.rapidpremium.net)
- Can’t remember the rest now…

Do we intend to sell the script, ever?
Maybe. Depending on how well RP performs, we might sell copies of this script. They’ll be VERY limited (maybe 5 or so at most), they’ll be protected (Ioncube + IP/Domain Authorization), and they’ll only be sold to people we WANT to sell them to. We don’t care if you have the money to buy it. If we feel you’re someone we cannot trust, you won’t get it, sorry.

Price? Depends really. Not decided yet.

Use the public downloader (http://public.rapidpremium.net) for now. Have fun. RP is a VERY serious venture. We’re not like most of the webmasters who’re out there to make a quick buck and run off.

The FBI stuff on the main page was just an April Fools joke

I don’t really know whether I should consider it a success or not – but I aimed to get at least 100 e-mails of ‘despair’.
I got only 67!

So.. I’ll say.. almost successful?

Over the next week, I’ll be putting up some of the most interesting e-mails I’ve gotten, here

With that said… the forums are back up and in business.
Unlike the other posts, I want to keep this as short as I can. This blog needs to go back to what it was originally intended to be. So major announcements on forums… really important ones on the blog and forums.

Starting today, you’ll see a variety of stuff on this blog – from quite a few authors

Meanwhile… have fun in the forums.

Cheers,
Hamza