Questions and Answers

Why use GitHub?

GitHub is built on top of Git, an extremely popular distributed version control system (meaning: a means of collaborating on code, each from your own computer, in a clean, structured way that tracks all changes). GitHub itself provides a way to use Git while adding a lot of great features on top. You can search for code repositories, see what’s changed, access old versions of code, follow along with progress, open a bug or request features, manage projects, and more. You can even (with respect to the repo’s license) branch off your own copy of the code to tinker with and use. I use GitHub and Git for Magrathea because they’re built to serve exactly this type of project and are great at it.

And the cherry on top? Repositories on GitHub can accept “pull requests”. This means that anybody who fixes a bug or adds a new feature can contribute those changes back to the original project, and will automatically and visibly be given credit for their contribution. This can be a great way to help community resources continue to grow and improve. It can also be a great way to learn!

Why bother with the legalese licenses? Why not write your own terms?

If I come up with my own bespoke licensing terms, the odds of misinterpretation go way up. I become the only person who can answer your questions about the terms (short of you consulting a lawyer). And it’d be a lot harder for you to know how to combine pieces under my bespoke license with other work.

If I instead use a well-established license, those problems go away. The work of clarifying meaning and boundaries has already been done. You automatically know that pieces under the same license can be combined, and other license combinations can be looked up. You can run any old web search to look for answers.

Using well-established licenses also builds shared language and understanding. The first time you run across a standardized license, you’ll need to read it and maybe do some research. But in every subsequent encounter, that initial bit of learning still holds up. The name of the license becomes a familiar shorthand.

Besides, there are plenty of open source licenses already in existence. The odds that what I want in a license is already covered are pretty high. If nothing fits, that’s a red flag to me that I should reconsider my terms to avoid limiting the usefulness of my work.

Does this all mean you’re opposed to paid theme commissions?

Yes and no. I lament the reality that a theme can make or break a play-by-post roleplaying site. We’re here to write; themes shouldn’t be a barrier to entry. However, I also understand how much a good theme can contribute to atmosphere and usability, and just how much work it is to create such a theme.

So I’m not opposed to paid theme commissions, but I would love to see some changes.

I’d love to see free site-building resources shift to become more in tune with open source ideals. Specifically, a lot less “do not use this as a base” sort of usage terms and more openness to build upon each other’s work so we can all stop reinventing the wheel over and over. This is a collaborative hobby at its heart already, why not extend that further?

I also want to raise the bar. The resources on offer, paid or free, need to be built with accessibility in mind at a bare minimum. Sadly, this is more to ask than what we’ve become accustomed to in this space. I believe free resources that make this important effort will push on paid resources to do the same, and in doing so, add to the value proposition. The amount of time, thought, energy, and heart that goes into the process is something more easily seen in free and open source resources, especially when coupled with a willingness to work in the open. I believe this transparency will help non-tech savvy folks recognize quality work, and when and why it’s worth paying for.