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11 April, 2002

In the past, I've been accused of acting in a fanatical manner, much like one
Richard Stallman, yet not possessing any of Mr. Stallman's redeeming qualities.
I'm not entirely sure which "redeeming qualities" were in question, but I
assume my accusor was referring to the progress that our beloved "RMS" and his
followers have made with respect to software distribution. Stallman's GNU
Foundation has made significant strides in its goal to make all software "Free
Software", where "free" is defined as "under the GNU Public License", not free
of charge.

While a direct comparison to Mr. Stallman is flattering in some respects, I feel
that I do not live up to such a standard. My convictions regarding software
and operating systems waver occasionally, and my standpoints on various issues
change from day to day as relevant arguments make their way to me for the first
time. It is apparent to me that I need to change, and starting with this .plan
update, change is exactly what I shall do.

I have determined that for me to become a person of deep convictions, as Richard
Stallman is, I will have to find one belief that will allow no wavering in my
committment to it. I need a belief that I can stand by so firmly that others
will be drawn towards it. It is my hope that my enthusiasm about the area in
question will draw others to my side as they start to see my point of view. In
this manner, progress is made.

After a long and exhausting search for just the right issue, I am pleased to
announce that I have found it.

When the greatly-loved game porting house Loki Software declared bankruptcy, a
soft but consistent cry went up among gaming enthusiasts that do not run common
operating systems such as Microsoft Windows or Apple's OSX on their computers.
These gaming enthusiasts were disheartened by the loss of Loki, because for
them it meant that not many more games would be converted to run on their
operating system of choice. These fans were lost without a leader. They
needed a place to turn that could instill in them new hope that someday the
games would return. They chose to turn to a website known as icculus.org.

Icculus.org is named after Ryan "Icculus" Gordon, who in turn was named after a
song by a band called Phish. Ryan was an employee at the aforementioned Loki
Software during the company's heyday. Due to a series of unfortunate events,
Ryan left Loki Software and returned to his home in Pennsylvania, where he
quickly turned icculus.org into a haven for computer gaming enthusiasts and
their software projects. As Loki Software diminished, icculus.org flourished.

To this day, icculus.org remains a beacon of hope to the masses left by Loki to
grasp for any small scraps they can find. Still, I have noticed a grave
problem with icculus.org's newfound fame. It is this problem that leads me to
my deep conviction, and it is this problem that I will dedicate my life to
solving. The problem is this:

icculus.org is named improperly.

You see, when icculus.org started, it was run on machines owned by Loki
Software. It was Loki Software that gave Mr. Gordon a desire to help the
masses clamoring for games that run on their alternate operating systems.
Without Loki Software, icculus.org's popularity would not exist. One could
rightly state that Loki was and is an integral part of icculus.org.

With this in mind, we must conclude that "icculus.org" is not the correct name
for the site in question. We must begin to refer to it as "Loki/icculus.org".

I cannot stress the importance of this change. To show how firmly I believe
this, I will not attend any conferences that incorrectly refer to
Loki/icculus.org as icculus.org. I will not read any website, monitor any
forum, nor reply to any emails that make this mistake. Should I be asked to
speak at an event, I will ensure that they correctly spell Loki/icculus.org
before I accept the invitation.

It is my hope that with this crusade, I can live up to the reputation I have
gained as an imitator of Richard Stallman. With your help, perhaps my words
here will influence the world much like Richard Stallman's actions have. Only
time will tell.

When this .plan was written: 2002-04-11 21:26:46
.plan archives for this user are here (RSS here).
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