On 26/02/07, Berto 'd Sera <albertoserra(a)ukr.net> wrote:
Hi!
Just because a rule is not yet written does not
mean that it is not
a rule.
No, sorry. A rule is a rule when it's clearly expressed and people are
aware
of it. A rule that is not written is... a desire, a convention if you wish.
Whatever you'll call it, but not a rule. Otherwise there cannot be any
warranty for anyone. Applying unwritten rules depending on judges' mood is
the ABC of dictatorial states. I acknowledge that it's done for a good
cause, yet it cannot be accepted anyway.
To the extent that online communities resemble any judicial system,
they tend to more resemble common law than civil law ones. I don't
feel that Not Writing Every Rule Down From Day One is automatically a
failure of that system, though I agree we could be doing more to
emphasise what is fundamental principles and what is administrative
stuff.
[You can take the common-law analogy a lot further, but I'll refrain.]
--
- Andrew Gray
andrew.gray(a)dunelm.org.uk