From: wtanksleyjr@... Date: 2003-04-12T04:05:23+09:00 Subject: Re: [OT] Re: Two questions From: "Bill Kelly" >From: "Daniel Carrera" >>It is an error to think that open source >>licenses prohibit commercial products. >>If I may ask, why would you want to keep the >>user from the source? I'm curious. >Try making a living as a game developer... >Try making a living as an *independent* game developer... Sounds like a tough challenge. >It isn't a matter of *wanting* to keep the >source from the user. Okay. >It is simply "an error" to think that many >people pay for games when they can download >an unprotected copy for free. (Sad, but >very, very, very, very, . . . .true in my exp.) This is hard for me to follow. It has nothing to do with making source available, and it ignores the fact that ALL games are available as a free download (warez). It's definitely true that many people just warez their games. It's also true that many people just play free games and ignore the commercial ones. But it's also true that a successful game can make as much profit as a moderately successful movie can make box office reciepts -- so there are people who DO pay. >I personally embrace id Software's enlightened >compromise: release a protected, closed-source >version of the game. Work on next game >for a few years. Release open source final >version of previous game. I definitely respect and appreciate that as well. It's also worth noting the model in which you allow the release and use of the code and the program, but restrict the distribution of the data (levels, art, helpfiles, etc). > Bill -Billy