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I'm not daft enough not to see a difference between a flame and a regular conversation. I questioned the motives why this thread was even started. Nonetheless, some of you really have swallowed the bait.
I have no affiliation with IRE whatsoever - I don't play their games. I still think it's silly that you have spent years fighting over their definition of free. It's true that all MUDs like to advertise being free (it's an advantage compared to games which force you to pay a monthly fee), but let's face it - the world has changed since the 1990s. The "de facto" standard meaning of "free" seems to be that it's limited in scope, or has a catch. "Free cell phone with 36 month subscription", "Free email (if you watch our ads)", you name it...
As Matt has pointed out, the FTC agrees with the usage of "free" as in allowing someone to play (free of charge) even if there is a commercial revenue model behind it (pay for advantages). It may be misleading and understandably somewhat annoying for MUDs in which the admins pay everything out of their own pockets, but it's legal and accepted nonetheless. Except on this forum...
Gore (admin of BatMUD)
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