My $0.02
It should never be there, I mean not “off” but deleted.
The option to enable ads is supposed to be there so a blog owner can enable ads if they want and they don’t have to add the code themselves. The adsense id should be blank, and the option to enable it should be set to off by default. I’m not removing the feature just because some people don’t like the thought of a blog owner wanting to make money off their content.
The only question presented here is if it should be enabled by default. No. It shouldn’t.
Any further questions/comments about this can be emailed to me at chris[at]coggburn[dot]us as I typically don’t monitor this forum.
I don’t mind if you are making money on your site. But I do find it disgusting putting your code in a distributed theme. Period.
Then by all means don’t use it. There is nothing sleazy or disgusting about it, especially if the ads are off by default. I have used plugins where the author has asked to support him or her with the ads – no problem, it is the least I can do for using their code at no cost to myself. If anyone feels the desire to click on an ad, then obviously I have been of service to them and to the code author, as well as myself for the benefit of using the plugin/theme. Now, if it cost me or the site user, that would be a horse of a different color! 😉
Pleaae, let’s move this off the thread before it really gets into the bashing. The question has been asked and answered, time to move on.
Obviously you don’t understand moshu. I wouldn’t be making money if it’s disabled and my adsense ID isn’t in there. Understand what you’re talking about before complaining.
Before deleting ads from a theme, you should check the theme license. There’s certainly nothing “sleazy” about someone including the ads if they are up front about it and are otherwise providing the theme for free. OTOH, if the theme license says the ads must stay, it is “sleazy” to remove them.
