Its sort of like so many other technologies. When the forum started, i'm sure the internet was also a new novelty. But as the forum grew, it outgrew the initial expectation they thought it would, and now its antiquated in a lot of ways, and as the technology of the internet has grown, the forums technology stayed where it began.
And what exactly does your membership buy you? You get a magazine every couple of months that has most of the same stuff the Home Page already has on it, and you get to put a member# beside your username on the forum. Is that really worth $28 bucks a year?


Class III CNC Machinist/Programmer