RE ... I think the lion's share of them remember a much earlier version, and were already long gone by the time MFIF was shut down, driven away by a combination of factors which arose more or less contemporaneously with Ted's sale of MFI to TechTracker ....

Yes indeed. And as much as the participants (especially in the Lounge) then formed a motley and friendly crowd, eager to share, the bonhommie broke down and the family broke up, with the ship-jumpers finding a new island of solace. As much as I liked helping out the cat-wranglers who left, I chose to remain behind. Loyalty rarely makes me uncomfortable.