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> We evaluate the morality of accidental waste differently from that of deliberate taking for personal gain.

On the other hand, if you look at this from another perspective, inefficient software wasting power means no one gains. If the same power was being used for mining, then someone gains. If I were forced to choose between these two alternatives, I would definitely pick the latter.



Intent matters.

And, all else being equal, if someone writes inefficient code and has bad intentions, it's even worse.


Would you thus have accidents punished more severely than intentional wrongs? Is that just?




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