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So long as we treat them with, "Hey, don't mention private servers around here, we don't support their use," and not nasty messages. Ozone wasn't really being nasty, but I felt that the post read very condescendingly to the private server user in question.
I agree in that I feel people should be informed of their error, and ignored. They should also face public scrutiny any time that they attempt to ask a question or get advice until the situation is corrected. They should not however be flamed or attacked in any way.
I disagree in the respect that I do object to people using private servers to for test or academic reasons. As there is nothing "socially" wrong with ripping a CD that you own, I think it makes more sense to compare this situation to someone who records a bootleg of a concert and takes it home for their own personal use (they won't release it for profit or otherwise and it wont be accessable to anyone else) which does have negative social connotations. So much so, that it's usually illegal. It's wrong, if they want to hear live music they should continue to go to shows and if they want to hear recorded music they should obtain it through the proper channels.
Much the same, I feel that any testing should be done on official servers. If something isn't accessable yet, it's because it's not supposed to be accessable. In such cases, testing just has to wait.
Blizzard owns WoW. They own your accounts, your characters, most of the client, the whole shabang. You own the media that the client comes on. Not only do they own it, they manufacture it. Here in Canada, it's even illegal to sell items (retail or otherwise) without following the instructions of the manufacturer. Yes, a store can own something -- and they can't sell it unless all manufacturer regulations are met. Hell, in order to buy Lacquer Thinner or Nitrocellulose based products you have to testify by oath that it is for an approved use. My brother receives fine notifications constantly because his store (like most hardware stores here) does NOT abide by this law. And rightly so (being fined) -- it's wrong.
Even if a particular private server does not take revenue from Blizzard, even if it goes so far as to generate clientelle for Blizzard through promoting the game, the operator is stealing from Blizzard (not all theft is monetary) as an owner. As a manufacturer, their product is being subjected to forbidden use.
Finally (since this is the analogy thread of the year) I remember when I was in highschool (haha, I can still remember that far back) my sister took my bicycle (she had just moved out) and started using it frequently. I didn't use it at all, hadn't used it in years, and had no intentions of using it in the future. I didn't lose anything by her taking it. She still stole it. She was still a criminal for it. Taking or using someone else's property without their permission just plain shouldn't happen. Just as my sister should have gone out and bought a bike (or come to an arrangement with me) -- a private server operator that uses it for personal testing should find a way to do those tests on an official server. If it isn't possible, it's not meant to be.
Edited, Aug 9th 2008 3:51am by Losie
