Updated 31 May 2023 UTC
Introduction
We are going open-source!
This is the official GitHub repository for #MamaNyoSquad, reliving the DOA hype through web presence among others! This brand is run by two people: thebelovedmoon (General Manager) and Emmannuel Ortega (Social & Web Manager)!
Why have you decided to go open-source?
Following the recent website policy imposed by the previous provider, Bookmark, we've decided to explore alternatives without any need of risky pricing. As you may have noticed, though this is run by two people, we're on a tight budget so we're unable (at least for the time being) to accommodate such incredible pricing ranges. And besides, going open-source means we're transparent in our own way, as most of our code is transmitted through this repository (via deploy branch).
Is the website (and repository) licensable?
Yes! Starting 11 May 2023 UTC, our repository has TWO licenses:
- The site's source code, the framework that powers up the whole website and is hosted by GitHub Pages, is licensed under MIT License, which can be found here. This is our Root License.
- The site's contents -- like text, images and the like -- are licensed under CC-BY 4.0 INTL and above, which can be found here.
For transparency, our Pull Requests which include the category LICENSE UPDATE is found here.
Where is the Site Policies and KT Disclosure?
We've moved such policies to this page.
How about the Open Letter?
Since Bookmark has unpublished (and restricted exporting of) websites that are affected by their new Pricing Policy, the Open Letter which originated from there has disappeared. However, we've managed to obtain the most recent one which discloses as follows:
An Open Letter to Bookmark
Published 13 April 2022 at 12:54pm UTC
Updated 11 May 2023 UTC
We, whom have been your loyal customers on the platform, are saddened by the sudden concurrent changes that has affected our workflows. It has been such a pain to be able to maintain our social presence across the Internet without worrying when our features are going to be limited anytime soon. And most importantly, we're in a deep worry that due to the new pricing guidelines, our free websites--like this one--is bound to be deleted soon. (we've made backups of it just in case, so that we won't lose any hard work, but nonetheless.)
As such, we've been staying on this platform for many months (if not a year or two), freely customizing our websites as we wish without any worry of limitations. we've been so grateful to be provided many new features that will enhance the website experience, but that came at a cost: We need to pay to utilize the advanced services and keep our websites active.
Now, we understand that these paid services are the 'keys' to improving the site experience, but please understand that some customers of this platform can't stay longer because when their "Free Trial" ends, they MUST PAY to continue using the service; whereas themselves have a tight budget or have no budget at all.
Because of these sudden changes, those who are in that sector have a choice to pay up to continue using the basic services after the trial, or remove from the platform.
Before we move on, we just wanted to mention that restricting customizations is a real pain considering that some websites have individual customization settings before this sudden change, like in Emmannuel's case, in which he tweeted at 8:11am UTC. In a nutshell, the websites after this update have restricted the customizations (like header and footer) to apply globally. What's worse is that unlike the last update [as we can remember] that you limited our free websites to 5, you haven't pushed future updates to your customers, which proves that the changes are sudden without their notice.
we're appealing to Bookmark to reconsider other options considering the no-budget customers like us and features that we deem are demanding to be returned, amongst other considerations not mentioned in this open letter.
Addendum
As per release of this open letter, all websites owned by thebelovedmoon and Emmannuel Ortega are put ON HOLD as the migration is underway to a new [temporary] provider. Also, we might consider staying on the platform if the finances are into account, but for now, this letter comes into effect.
What holds the future of an open-sourced #MamaNyoSquad?
we've been working on engaging others to collaborate with our work as we move forward, beginning with the rewrite of Venus Island Diaries - Main Story. With this initiative, we're committed for a future where everyone can share ideas freely, interact with one's work, and bring their ideas to life!
Conclusion
As we move forward through an open-sourced future, we're still expecting some hurdles. Though it is certain that those can lead to a more fulfilling future that everyone can achieve just by collaborating with each other!
Enter the universe through the eyes of the Tengu!