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Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 15:12:44 -0800
From: Samuel Flory <sflory@rackable.com>
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To: Andrew Walrond <andrew@walrond.org>
CC: Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>, David Schwartz <davids@webmaster.com>,
       Marco Monteiro <masm@acm.org>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers?
References: <20030103164514.GN9166@work.bitmover.com> <3E160614.1080809@rackable.com> <20030103215530.GG24896@work.bitmover.com> <3E1614D1.50100@walrond.org>
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Andrew Walrond wrote:

> Absolutely.
>
> Putting out the source for a game would be financial suicide. Unlike 
> (most) corporations, Kids don't understand or care about licenses. The 
> trouble with digital data as we all know is that it is infinitely 
> perfectly reproducible. In my industry (games), that includes binaries :( 


  I simply question the idea that someone would need or want to download 
the source, and compile it for the purposes of piracy.  The current 
state of things seems to indicate the absence of source doesn't prevent 
piracy.  I suspect that I can find a usable pirated copy of virtually 
any popular software on the net.  This because copy protection doesn't 
work against any intelligent and determined person.  It works against 
the really lazy, and stupid who wouldn't be able, or want to compile a 
program any way.

>
>
> Of course I and probably many others are moving to a new model for our 
> games. I'm probably being more radical than most; Open Source client 
> software. Useless of course without a connection to my server side 
> code :)
>
> It's the first game I've produced that is pirate proof.

>
> Somewhat like Larry's business model I think?
>
>
> Larry McVoy wrote:
>
>>> While some would argue that this leaves you open to piracy.  Let's 
>>> be honest how many pirates compile anything.  
>>
>>
>>
>> A prominent open source supporter once told me that "putting software 
>> out
>> there with any open source license is like putting it out there in the
>> public domain".
>>
>> The pirates absolutely know how to compile things and they do. 
>
Yes but why bother.  You don't need the source code to pirate software.

-- 
There is no such thing as obsolete hardware.
Merely hardware that other people don't want.
(The Second Rule of Hardware Acquisition)
Sam Flory  <sflory@rackable.com>



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