Over the next few days, I’ll begin setting up a public GitHub repository for SimHaven.
I’ve never managed a public repository before, so I’ll be learning as I go. There may be things that need organizing, documenting, or improving once it opens, but I believe this is the right step for the project.
SimHaven is built on FreeSO. We didn’t create the foundation that makes this server possible. Rhys and many other contributors spent years rebuilding and preserving The Sims Online, then released that work under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
That license allows projects like SimHaven to use, modify, and distribute the code. It also comes with responsibilities, and we intend to respect them.
Players Should Be Able to See What They Are Installing
The public SimHaven repository will contain the source corresponding to the client and launcher we distribute to our players.
Part of this decision is about trust.
Players shouldn’t have to download an executable and simply hope the people behind it are being honest. A nice website, active Discord server, or polished launcher cannot tell you what a program is actually doing on your computer.
Making the source public gives developers and technically experienced community members the opportunity to inspect our work, report concerns, find bugs, and verify that the software is doing what we say it does.
That doesn’t mean every player needs to read thousands of lines of code before joining SimHaven. It simply means the option is there.
Nothing needs to be hidden.
Open Source Helps Projects Grow
Transparency and security aren’t the only reasons we’re opening the source.
A public repository also gives other developers the opportunity to help improve SimHaven.
Someone may find a bug we missed, improve performance, clean up older code, add better platform support, or contribute a feature we hadn’t considered. People with different skills and experience can work together instead of every project trying to solve the same problems alone behind closed doors.
That is one of the greatest strengths of open-source software.
FreeSO itself is proof of what people can accomplish when knowledge and code are shared. SimHaven exists because others were willing to make their work available.
It would feel wrong to benefit from that openness and then close our own changes away from everyone else.
Be Careful About What You Install
There are other Sims Online revival projects, and players should be cautious when deciding which communities and downloads they trust.
That doesn’t mean every closed project is automatically malicious. It does mean players should know who is behind the software they are installing and look at how openly the project operates.
Is current source code available?
Does it correspond to the version being distributed?
Are FreeSO and its contributors properly credited?
Does the project explain how it is honoring the Mozilla Public License 2.0?
Those are fair questions.
The MPL 2.0 is not a casual request or a suggestion from the original developers. It is the legal license that grants permission to use, modify, and distribute the covered code. Projects that rely on FreeSO should take those terms seriously.
When a project distributes modified open-source software but does not appear to provide the corresponding source, players should pause and ask why.
Trust communities whose developers are known to you, whose work can be inspected, and whose actions show respect for both the original contributors and the license that made their project possible.
Open Source Can Still Be Misused
Publishing source code is not without risk.
People can copy work, misuse it, remove credit, ignore the license, or build something closed on top of software that was shared openly.
But those risks do not erase the benefits of open source.
They are also not a good reason to take community-built software, benefit from it, and then shut everyone else out. Open source works when people respect the terms, preserve credit, and contribute back where they can.
We cannot control how every other project chooses to operate.
We can only decide what SimHaven stands for.
This Is Not About Competition
SimHaven is not opening its source to claim that we are better than every other server.
We are not here to turn a small Sims Online community into a competition between revival projects.
I started SimHaven because I want to help keep a public server alive. I want players to have somewhere to return to, meet new people, build lots, run businesses, host events, and continue enjoying a game that has already disappeared once before.
Opening our source is part of building something that can last.
It will allow people to inspect the software, contribute improvements, learn from the project, and help us make SimHaven better over time.
The repository may not be perfect when it first opens. There will probably be documentation to improve, code to organize, and lessons to learn about managing outside contributions.
But the work will be visible.
Our Commitment
Once the repository is ready, we’ll share the official link on the SimHaven website and through our community channels.
SimHaven will properly credit FreeSO and its contributors.
We will respect the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
We will make the corresponding source available for the SimHaven client and launcher builds we distribute.
We will give developers the opportunity to inspect our work, report problems, suggest improvements, and contribute to the future of the project.
We didn’t create the foundation SimHaven stands on.
The least we can do is respect it.