[MUD-Dev] Criminalize Community Volunteers?

[Brian 'Psychochild' Green]

Greg Underwood wrote:
 
> How do you think the Linux movement gets things done?  Sure, some people
> get paid for their work, but the vast majority of the code distributed by
> Red Hat was not paid for by Red Hat.  Is their model non-viable?

Oops, shot yourself in the foot on this one.  Red Hat does not sell the
code.  It's business plan is based on selling everything related to the
code.  They sell a convenient packaging of a version of the Linux
operating system.  They sell printed manuals.  They sell customer
service to help you with your problems.  They don't sell the code/OS
itself; in fact, that would be stupid since any yahoo can find and
download all the code online.

To quote one of the Laws:

"Is it a game?  It's a SERVICE. Not a game. It's a WORLD. Not a game.
It's a COMMUNITY. Not a game. [...]"

Notice that MUDs are not games, they are services.  People pay to play
our games because they expect service.  Volutneers are providing a large
part of that service for us.  And we've done worse than take advantage
of them, we've come to rely on them and even take them for granted.

To use the Red Hat example, that would be like Red Hat building their
business model around the use of free customer service reps while still
charging their customers.  Don't laugh, because a lot of Linux gurus do
give out free help to those that know where to look and how to ask. 
Yet, THAT model is most definitely non-viable, no matter how you slice
it.  Red Hat provides a valuable service to those that need it, and
compensate those that provide the service.  (As a side note, I'll also
point out that Red Hat set aside some shares from its IPO for those
involved in the Linux community.  When's the last time we offered any of
our volunteers stock options?)

The people who work on Linux also get something tangible out of it. 
They get a working OS that at least partially meets their expectations. 
They get the ability to share ideas with other people to improve the
OS.  They get the ability to fix bugs that affect them, and submit them
for approval into the next update.  Tell me, what do the Meridian 59
volunteers who gave 3+ years to the game have to show for their efforts
now?  Name me anything beyond "customer service experience" they
couldn't have gotten if they had just a player on the game.

--
"And I now wait / to shake the hand of fate...."  -"Defender", Manowar
     Brian Green, brian at psychochild.org  aka  Psychochild
       |\      _,,,---,,_      *=* Morpheus, my kitten, says "Hi!" *=*
 ZZzz  /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_   "They're not bugs, they're 'place-
      |,4-  ) )-,_..;\ (  `'-'    holders for code that works.'"
     '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)         - Andrew Kirmse, Meridian 59 creator



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