[IRCServices Coding] Hello !

Andrew Church achurch at achurch.org
Tue Dec 25 22:11:53 PST 2001


>> Is the Alpha distributed with some kind of "not public" 
>> license ? 
>> I do know the term "use it at your own risk", but this 
>> "forbidden to use on a live network" is a new one. 

     The license is the GPL, the same as it has always been, but the only
reason I'm making it publicly available at all while it's still in alpha is
to get help from _experienced_ users in fixing the remaining major problems
before I take it to beta status and do a full-fledged release.  (From the
response I've seen so far I'm half inclined to take it down again.)

>So i think too
>Then i ask me, why a Alpha is Released to download from a Mainsite
>with a BIG Advertising link.

     Because that's the only way to let people know who might want to help
with an alpha test.  You might also note that there's a fairly large and
obvious warning--on two consecutive pages, no less!--before you can
actually download the alpha version.

     Please remember that I have NO obligation whatsoever to provide any
sort of "service" to you or even to publish IRC Services at all.  The only
thing I get out of Services is appreciation from users, which includes the
recognition that I do this on my own free time without any sort of
compensation other than the thanks of users for creating it.  (Frankly, I
would probably be a much happier person if I hadn't devoted many thousands
of hours over six years to Services, but oh well.)  Thus, I do NOT
appreciate people ignoring warnings I put up explicitly to prevent these
kinds of questions/complaints.

     Please try to act more responsibly in the future.  (That applies to
everyone.)

  --Andrew Church
    achurch at achurch.org
    http://achurch.org/