I've a few hats, so I'll put them on one by one.

1.  server source maintainer, will take any patch that adds useful
features, but will resist changes to the amount of information the
server gives, since the network protocol is the primary information
barrier to prevent allegations of cheating.

If there is doubt as to whether the feature would be generally accepted,
then it must be configurable for the patch to be accepted.  It is up to
the server owners to determine what features are enabled.  Policy is set
by them, not by patch acceptance.

2.  client source maintainer, will take any patch that adds useful
features, will take any patch that brings the client up toward the level
of information provided by most other clients, but will resist changes
that draw conclusions from the packet stream in a way that increases the
information given to players by an order of magnitude or more.

In this way, the COW client on Linux avoids becoming the tall poppy that
people whinge about, yet should not be so far behind that people won't
use it when they need to.  Not there yet.

3.  continuum server admin, will enable features that appear to be
generally accepted, will push for features that make my life easier,
will turn off features that my players whinge seriously about, but won't
be swayed by emotional arguments or abusive messages from individuals or
small groups.

4.  development community benevolent dictator, will accept merges of
source from previously divded efforts, so that the ideas are
centralised, and communication between potential contributors increased
... that's why I want the Paradise server changes to merge into the
Vanilla source, yet be a configuration setting.  PARADISE=0 being the
default.

5.  player community member, will play on whatever server has players.
I don't see myself as a significant player community member.

6.  australian player community leader, will organise games on a local
server, providing the necessary communication infrastructure and
announcements.

-- 
James Cameron    mailto:quozl at us.netrek.org     http://quozl.netrek.org/