[MUD-Dev] "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG"

[Chris Gray]

> From: "Richard Tew" <rmtew at wiredgroup.com>

> Just because you create something which someone can abuse doesn't mean
> that you should facilitate them.  While not related to muds, examples
> that spring to mind for me are:
>
>  - The barcode reading gizmo which people reverse engineered and
>    proceeded to use for their own purposes.
>
>  - The cheap computer that was sold (I-Opener?), people converted it
>    to a Linux box or something.

<Chris blinks and shakes his head in amazement!>

You're serious? If I don't sign a contract limiting me in some way, then
when I've bought something, I feel completely free to do whatever I want
with it, within the general bounds of law and common sense.

> If someone creates a product - in my mind they have a right to enforce
> that people use it in the way they intend.  Both of the above products
> were fundamental parts (IIRC) of the producers business model, but the
> unintended uses they were put to worked against the producers goals.

So? Flawing thinking on the part of the business shouldn't be a concern
of the business's customers, other than the self-defensive thought of
not ending up with no support/service for the product they bought.

I don't think these cases match the issue of d00ds at all. The point
about the d00ds is that they are harming other customers of the product,
who have paid good money for it. The fact that they are harming the
business is of primary concern to the business, but only of secondary
concern to the customers. When I buy a PC shipped with Windows, remove
Windows and run Linux, I'm not harming those who buy a similar computer
and proceed to run Windows.

--
Don't design inefficiency in - it'll happen in the implementation.

Chris Gray     cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA
               http://www.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA/cg/
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