Questions about ToS and Windower

[Byrth]

This is direct proof that someone is using Windower, though. In general it's difficult to differentiate someone using windower and someone not using windower, unless they dug through the files installed.

This is untrue, and it's a huge misconception. If SE did any statistical analysis of the data that is sent to their servers it would be immediately obvious who is using the plugins like Spellcast, Gearcollector, Blinkmenot, Lightluggage, etc. I bet I could write a stupid little script that would sort through their data and label people who automate those functions and those who don't that's like 99% accurate within a day. They don't prosecute people for it because they're choosing not to, not because they somehow can't. Anyone who was around for the gardening bans knows they have no problem with banning a guiltless 1%. Whatever, bravo for SE.

.... welllllll.... these are the people who took almost a decade to invent moogle storage slips, which pretty much use a 101-level programming trick.

Honestly though, I have a friend who was a quasi-diehard anti-Spellcast guy for years. He switched and started using spellcast in his twilight days and loved it, then quit about a year later. The first thing he said when I told him FFXI might be coming out for PSVita last week, "That sounds great and it would be cool to be able to pick it up and play wherever, but spellcast won't work on it so I don't really feel like playing." Windower and its plugins are a huge asset to SE in terms of player retention and they apparently recognize it enough to not ban for it.