Re: [spoon-discuss] Simplifying

[Daniel Lepage <dplepage@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wednesday, June 25, 2003, at 02:33  AM, Adam Hill wrote:

> --- Daniel Lepage <dplepage@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Repeal rule 301 [[The Grid]].
>
> Oh, my, no.  Someone else said it more eloquently than I could, but 
> this would drastically limit our future options.  Apply that comment 
> also to the suggested repeal of r625.c.1 and amendment of r1251.

One of things I've discovered from years of programming is that there 
comes a time in every major project (often a number of times) when you 
have to throw everything out and start over. You realize that the goals 
of your program have changed so much from your initial concept that the 
code you wrote at the beginning is being worked around in almost every 
new class; but you can't change it, because the sort of changes you'd 
want to make are things that never even occurred to you when you 
started; small changes in the basics will require numerous large 
changes everywhere else. There's nothing to do but begin from the 
beginning once again.
	The Grid rules are like that. We've got random objects that nobody 
remembers how to use, we've got events happening regularly that nobody 
knows to track, we've got references to pieces of text that don't exist 
anymore, and references to rules that have changed since the references 
were made.
	Did you know that r301 permits 'Robots' to throw things? I don't even 
know what a 'Robot' is.
	We've got all these attributes that nobody's heard of; we've got 
special cases set up to workaround all the basics; in short, we've got 
a really ugly set of rules.

It seems to me that the thing to do, then, is to rewrite pretty much 
the entire Grid rule from scratch. As there are numerous 
cross-dependencies (most of which are unnecessary), any substantial 
changing of any portion of the Grid would be practically guaranteed to 
have conflicts in other grid-related rules. Thus, the best way to 
rewrite things would be to simply destroy everything, then build it 
back up from the bottom.

We also have an Admin who's just given eir two weeks notice.

Given that, it makes sense to me that we should get rid of the things 
that make being admin really unpleasant. Not because this will change 
Dave's mind, as I suspect it won't, but because it will make it 
possible to continue with the game despite the lack of Admin.

As fulfilling the first of these goals also fulfills the second, it 
seems like a global repeal is the best strategy.

I don't see how this would 'limit our future options' - this is a Nomic 
game. The future options are limitless. Repealing the Grid doesn't mean 
that we can't ever have a Grid again; it just means that the next time 
we have a Grid, it'll be written more nicely.

--
Wonko

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