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Is the future open source?

Started by gavco98 Oct 11, 2000 at 4:45 PM 14 replies 2.1k views

Original Post

Oct 11, 2000 at 4:45 PM

Guys, i feel that the way forward is for computer programming to become a science rather than an industry. I feel we should share our ideas, and therefore let others modify them and make them better. Say for example, you come up with a kick ass graphgics algorithm for your latest game. Why patent it and stop people from using it? If you release the code, let others develop it, improve it, and make it more stable. This means games will be made a lot faster as the same code can be reused, they will be a lot more stable, as the code will have been thoroughly tested and modified, and they will be a lot cheaper as they will require less time to program. As far as I can see everyone will be a winner. Why reinvent the wheel when we can simply use and edit the same one? Feel free to post your comments G Coates -------------------------------------------

Windows: The only virus with a GUI!

nes8bit

Oct 11, 2000 at 5:51 PM

Personally, I don''t like open source in professional software like office and my operating system. I''m fine with games as long as it doesn''t give any game secrets away.

quote:
Original post by gavco98
Windows: The only virus with a GUI!

oh yeah. You may want to check out sub7. That has a GUI.

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No such thing as an innocent soul who lies to the world who he loves so much

ImmaGNUman

Oct 11, 2000 at 6:07 PM

Why don''t you like an OS/d OS? It makes the system ALOT safer and more stable.

-----------------------------

A wise man once said "A person with half a clue is more dangerous than a person with or without one."

The Micro$haft BSOD T-Shirt

Chai Peddler

Oct 11, 2000 at 7:15 PM

I totally agree, gavco98.

I keep my stuff to myself in the hopes of making a living from it. That''s why so many others do so, I am very certain. It''s the system. The whole system would need to change to make free sharing of work practical for us all.

For hobbyists, however, this is no problem.

Maybe one day...

CP

"Can't you see it's only life! We can laugh about it!" - Seal

Strife

Oct 11, 2000 at 8:54 PM

GO OPEN SOURCE!!!!!!

No, seriously. I love open source. It''s the best thing that''s ever happened to me. Without it, I wouldn''t be where I am today when it comes to my knowledge of programming.

If you code it, they will come...

Commander M
(a.k.a. Crazy Yank)
http://commanderm.8m.com
cmndrm@commanderm.8m.com

nes8bit

Oct 11, 2000 at 9:10 PM

ok. From this point on, I''m staying out of this one...

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No such thing as an innocent soul who lies to the world who he loves so much

Ironblayde

Oct 12, 2000 at 12:50 AM

Me too... I don''t like the idea of releasing any of my code as open source, just because people have ripped it off before when I''ve done that. I''m sure if those people weren''t so lazy, they''d be able to find code MUCH better than mine to steal, but that''s the whole reason they''re stealing it in the first place... ''cause they''re too damn lazy.

I don''t have enough faith in the common man to go open source, hehehe.

-Ironblayde
Aeon Software

NuffSaid

Oct 12, 2000 at 2:36 PM

I think total open source isn''t the solution. If you have a super killer-app and you make your source totally public, that will mean that there may be 100 other products that do the same thing overnight. How are you going to survive?

Now don''t get me wrong. I like the idea of Open Source. It''s just that there are certain problems with its implementation.

I think that partial open source will be the solution. All you release is the necessary parts of the program''s source. That way, if you have a killer app, competing products will only start appearing a few months down the road. That way, you''ll get to soak up some cash

CobraA1

Oct 12, 2000 at 4:20 PM

Open Source is good for hobbyists and other people who don''t intend to make a lot of money; it can get a lot done in a short period of time. But I have yet to find an open source strategy that works for everybody. It''s simply difficult to make mony off of it.

I like the ideas of patial open source and releasing source code for outdated products.

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away" --Henry David Thoreau

Epolevne

Oct 12, 2000 at 8:14 PM

I think open source has a place in the Acedemic realm, but isn''t really applicable to a Business model.

The most common open source license is GNU, so most of my comments are taylored to that...

You can''t make money on something that''s free, or if everyone knows how to re-create it. All the Linux distributors are in the Red...and have been since day one. To date this is the best example of an open source business model...and unfortunately it doesn''t work.

Epolenve

ryanc

Oct 12, 2000 at 8:26 PM

open source?
If you created a new revolutionary product that everybody wants and didn''t patent it and you gave it to everybody that wanted it, then you would not make as much money as you would have if you patented it and sold it privatly.

That''s like cheating at school. You do the work and someone else benefits from it. Not a smart move.

But small, non-professional open source is ok.

RyanC
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Games are only as good as you make them...

Pouya

Oct 12, 2000 at 10:30 PM

ok, this is my idea:

if you don''t need the program anymore. or that you''re done with it (including not making any profit from it), just release the code for others to learn. (i.e. my gdtalker source code, quake''s source code. and golgotha (each one had a different reason for going open source))

but if you''re still working on the code or that you''re making profit from it, keep it confidential. you don''t wanna screw up anything (i.e. think of windows going open source...)

hobby projects: post it when you''re done with it. i personally don''t like making my code available when i''m still working on it. but when i''m done and i''m not gonna work on it anymore, i might as well release the source (that is in case if anyone ever wants to see the source

)

"The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get" -Pouya
"The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds!" -?

The Alchemist

Oct 12, 2000 at 10:44 PM

i don´t mind in let my code public.(like someone whould use it...)
unless i´m making profit with it. when the profit stop i will show it to everyone.

========
There´s no ugly woman
You that didn´t drink enough
A brazilian popular belief

DarkAngel16

Oct 13, 2000 at 12:01 AM

I personally don''t like the idea of Open Source.

But in some situation''s I think it''s okay.

look at linux for example, 10 or so distributer''s and dozen''s of different version kernel''s. So which one has the least bug''s and will do what you want ?

Let''s take a 3D Engine you just made for example. You decide to release it open source then there''s Your vesion 1.0
Someone else''s version 1.1, another person who made change''s 1.1
Someone who modified the 2 version and called it Version 3.

Thing''s can get messy unless there''s a way to controll it, in my opinion.

But like pouya said, if you''ve finished with it and stopped making profit then release it for people to learn from then I''d be all for it.

gavco98

Oct 13, 2000 at 5:06 PM

I agree that the whole code should not be made available uuntil you are done with it, but that you should make functions and parts of it available, like your graphics routines etc. I dont think it really fits into the business side of computing well, but in the research area code should be shared. This should be made available to businesses, for example the latest research and algorithm for AI should be available for games manufacturers to borrow and use in thier games

G Coates
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Windows: The only virus with a GUI!

gavco98

Oct 13, 2000 at 5:10 PM

quote:
Original post by nes8bit

oh yeah. You may want to check out sub7. That has a GUI.

Yea ive got sub7, whats your ip? 8). Sub7 isnt a virus though, as it does not replicate and spread, or harm your computer. It is a client that connects to a server on the target machine and allows you to control the machine. It is not a trojan either as the program its self (sub7) does not need to be on the target pc, but the server.exe does however.

G Coates
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Windows: The only virus with a GUI!

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