Oleg and Team.

[msalama]

did that not do anything for your trust of certain players?

Not overmuch... their Internet connections, however, were sometimes a bit untrustworthy

And yes, there were 'tards printscreening and cable-pulling before the crack too, of course. But that still doesn't lessen the fact of the basic situation being different now - and if you can't accept or understand that, fine, your business.

how would you know about the state of online play?

How would I know about some good friends still flying online telling me about the general swing of things in the circles I used to frequent while I was still active myself? By e-mail, among other means... HTH