Re: Quake 2 sources GPL'd
On Sun, Dec 23, 2001 at 07:56:26PM -0800, Thomas Bushnell, BSG wrote:
>
> Ben Collins <bcollins@debian.org> writes:
>
> > The purpose of the sources released is a gaming engine. They did not
> > release "quale2 the game", which is what the data files consist of.
> > Notice that lots of games from Id are based on the quake3 engine. They
> > aren't quake3, but they use the same engine, and different data files.
> >
> > Do not confuse a game engine (the source released) with the game itself
> > (the data files that they didn't release).
>
> So there are two things that bug me here.
>
> First, a user who sees "quake" listed in main should reasonably expect
> to get Quake, and they don't, they get an engine which is essentially
> useless to them, and which is extremely likely to *remain* useless to
> them *forever* unless they go out and purchase the proprietary data
> files.
As I said, call it "quake2-engine" and describe it as _the engine_ minus
the game. The thing is just as useless in contrib, except that if we
label it what it is, and not what people expect, then someone might say
"Oh shit, you mean we can write our own games with this thing?!?"
instead of "Ok, I need to go download the datafiles from a warez pup to
use this thing...why did they even include it?"
> Second, your example seems totally fabricated. If there were a
> plausible enterprise--ANYONE--who was seriously planning on using this
> engine to make free levels that don't depend on id's nonfree stuff,
> then I'd buy your argument. But there really is no credible effort
> out there to do this; not because there is no package in Debian, but
> because it's a considerable venture and hasn't garnered interest.
Fabricated!? You really want to underestimate the free software
community? We have a whole freaking OS free, and you don't think anyone
will put in the effort to make one a game?
> I'm entirely happy with putting it in contrib, but I'm entirely
> baffled by your position: what exactly do you think would be gained by
> putting it in main?
Well I'm not. It's taking the easy route. Dropping it into contrib and
saying "you need to buy the data files from Id to use this" is a cop
out, IMNSHO. Put it out there as a game development platform, which is
_what it is_ and get the correct movement going.
--
.----------=======-=-======-=========-----------=====------------=-=-----.
/ Ben Collins -- Debian GNU/Linux \
` bcollins@debian.org -- bcollins@openldap.org -- bcollins@linux.com '
`---=========------=======-------------=-=-----=-===-======-------=--=---'
Reply to: