On Tue, 7 Oct 1997, Andrew Helm wrote:
>> Don't read mail while switched.
>> Your gods don't do it and if they do, you delete them.
>
>Okay, but why wouldn't someone want to fix the behavior?
>Also, why wouldn't an implementor want to be informed that the
>switch command can be used in that way?
There are applications of switch being able to read mail that _may_
actually be useful. You never know when it will be useful until you can't
do it. I find that policy is better in this regard. Some day you may find
that someone has sent a message they really regret that they don't want
someone to read and you (being a sucker) decide to retrieve the mail so the
other person doesn't read it. There is no reason to arbitrarily restrict
things in a MUD which would be better implemented as a policy. (Like gods
can go around killing people and grouping with them currently, once again,
this is mostly a policy matter. I'm not saying it is not a code problem,
but the majority of the problem is the inability to control your
immortals.)
>Right. I'm not saying you shouldn't fix the mud to let you read
>other player's mail with ease. It might mean making a command that
>loads another char so you can switch into them or a command that
>let's you read other people's mail without loading their char.
What's the difference between switching into a link dead person and loading
up another copy of the player to get their mail? Or just changing my IDnum
so I can get their mail? (Although the last one is a very BadIdea.)
>Either way the unmodified behavior the mud needs fixed. It's not
The code is not broke, your policy is.
>at all useful unless you change it around independant of whichever
>side of the "mail snooping" argument you stand on. We agree, you
>just insist on calling the unintended behavior of the switch
>command a feature and refuse to accept that anyone might think
>of it as a bug. I'm sorry to see you caught up on such a
>silly point.
In my example above I mentioned grouping immortals, immortals killing
players, and there is also immortals casting spells on people, immortals
giving out information. You have to draw a line between what is policy and
what is coded. I'm not accusing you of anything, but you seem to be doing
that of me. I have no problem with policy versus code. I also believe
from the mail on this list that your position has little support. Policy
is there for a reason. Use it.
--
George Greer - Me@Null.net | Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity
http://www.van.ml.org/~greerga | is not thus handicapped. -- Elbert Hubbard
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