Dabz pays for the forum himself, and he like's it to be free for all to use. If people wish to donate there is the option to donate using PayPal, or rather there was, with the new forum set up it might have been lost for a bit. You don't have to donate, and you won't get any special forum ranks or priviladges if you do, its purely up to the individual if they wish to donate or not.
As you said, if people find they have to pay for something before they can even see what they get for the money may well put them off joining the forum, and as we welcome everyone that may work out to be counter productive, with the cost of living rising people are reluctant to pay for something unless they can see what they are getting first. Having said that if Dabz did decide to make it a subscription site, I would be happy to pay, but as a current member I know what i am getting for my money, and I would think its worth paying for.
