So you're saying users have the unlimited right to be rude to contributors to free hobbyist projects? Because one of the many minor miracles of MAME is that we rejected that reality long ago and substituted mutual respect.
It isn't about who does or does not have rights -- people are going to do whatever they want regardless. I'm saying "it comes with the job".
It's important that people who release software into the public realm (whether it be open-source or closed-source) accept the reality that they now have to provide a certain degree of support to the rest of the world. If the author(s) doesn't/don't want that responsibility, then don't release the software publicly.
For example, there's a *lot* of software I've written over the years which I think the rest of the world could benefit from or would find useful, but I don't release it because I don't want the responsibilities associated with releasing something into the public realm. When it comes to the few programs and code I have released publicly, I go the extra mile to provide support for those things, despite the user having the ability to "fix it themselves". Why?
Because I believe open-source does not give software authors the right to say "its free, so the bugs are your problem". My code, my software, my bugs, my problem. I tend to think of software like a child -- it's something you helped create and raise, which makes it your responsibility for the rest of your life. You'll always be their parent.
It's cool if other software authors feel differently about the subject -- that's great -- but too many times have I seen the excuse given in the open-source world "you have the code, fix it yourself". It's such a pompous statement on so many levels that it upsets me -- and I AM someone who can possibly "fix it"!
