View Single Post
Old 04-29-2006, 12:35 AM   #17
DonathinFrye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Name: Donathin Frye
Location: Columbus, OH
Home MUD: Optional Realities
Home MUD: Atonement RPI
Home MUD: Project Redshift
Posts: 510
DonathinFrye is on a distinguished road
Send a message via AIM to DonathinFrye
Two things.

What huge number in relation to this thread being started? Matt started this thread and the very, very vast majority of MUDers who comment on this topic(and even in this specific thread) support that the wishes of the DIKU team be honored, despite Matt's own personal point-of-view and agenda; in our community, the vast majority has spoken on this subject time and time again, which is the reason why breaking the DIKU license is considered unethical and socially unacceptable.

Secondly, and finally, DIKU is a gift - it is a free gift given to people who enjoy this RPG hobby as something other than a method of capital gain. If you enjoy the online text RPG hobby as a method of capital gain, you are simply asked by the team not to use their work for that capital gain. It is their wish, and really(beyond giving credit where credit is due), their only requirement for using their work. We are, as a community, lucky to have DIKU - if people seem to take a very strong stance on what the MUD-Community has deemed a social norm(respecting the DIKU license), it is because it is the least we can do in return for the use of the code.

In summary, though it's been said time and time again; the community here, largely, expects that MUD-designers will not use DIKU codebase a) to make capital profit, and b) without crediting the DIKU team. If you do not abide by these social guidelines, it is very possible for you be under ethical scrutiny from the community. Infact, as with all social ethics, it should be expected; trying to change this, fundamentally, is no different than me lobbying in America against equal rights for women in the workplace - no matter what my reasoning or point of view is, I am likely to be met with strong social resistance.

It's sociology, and human-kind has survived this way for many thousands of years.
DonathinFrye is offline   Reply With Quote