"Lionel Elie Mamane" <lionel@mamane.lu> wrote in message [🔎] 20060806033942.GA2897@capsaicin.mamane.lu">news:[🔎] 20060806033942.GA2897@capsaicin.mamane.lu...
On Sat, Jul 29, 2006 at 12:57:11PM +1000, Andrew Donnellan wrote:On 7/29/06, Joe Smith <unknown_kev_cat@hotmail.com> wrote:The FSF is really not concerned about online games. That is because there is no way to block draconian DRM restrictions while aproviding a means to autheniticate an official game client. They really are the same problem.The issue is how the GPLv3 affects a service provider's right to put restrictions on usage of a service,I don't see how it does that; the service provider can still by contract / terms of use / ... rule out restrictions on usage of a service, and terminate service to people that don't respect the contract, or sue them for damages, ... It does make enforcing these restrictions by program (rather than by human) more difficult, or partially impossible, yes.
Very true. The clause certainly would allow the service to have a TOSthat says: "Use of modified clients for the purpose of cheating is strictly prohibited".
There is no freedom problem with that.It also does not prevent online services from attempting to check that a client is official. It simply requires that it be possible for a modified client to look the same to the server.
As long as some types of modifications can be made with the program appearing identical to the server. Other types of modifcations might not be possible without the srver noticing. For example some cheating modifications might be server noticable (rate of fire too high, sudden increase in money levels, etc).