Current Progress and costs

[mr mx6]

Hey guys, i'm new here so please forgive me if its in the wrong section, just wondering how this is going as what i've read about it sounds very promising. also what costs would there be on this when completed or would it be free (i can dream).

[SHADOW-XIII]

it is going to be an open source game (so free)

[Wolfryu]

OpenSource doesn't necessarily mean that the software is free of cost. Only that the source is open

[Conditional Zenith]

Open Source, according to the Open Source Initiative, means the following:

*Free (as in freedom) redistribution
*Included Source code
*Derived works are distributable under the same license
*If derived works cannot be distributed as complete source, they must be able to be distributed as patches
*No discrimination
*The license applies to everyone who recieves the program
*License must not require program to be part of a package
*License cannot restrict what it is distributed with
*License must be technology neutral

The above information can be found at this link:

http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php

Open Source does not mean that the software can be obtained for no cost, but it does mean more than the source is open.

TE will be available for no cost (and hopefully be free software too).

[ChrisCF]

What free-software licences do not exclude is, in cases where things get huge, distribution on CD for minimal cost, and/or distribution of an ISO image, which are both fine by me. The thing I would object to would be the ability of third parties to bundle it up as their own, and sell it on the commercial market as a full-price title.

Another key thing with Open Source is that not only is the source open (which a lot of people have tried, ot look good), but you have to be able to use it. Source which has been "dumped" with a notice saying "you may not use this code ever" does not qualify (e.g. since uncommented source to any .grf file is available via grfcodec, this is the category into which MB's stuff fits.)

[Conditional Zenith]

While with many licenses, 3rd parties can bundle it up and sell it for whatever price people will pay for it, anyone who buys it off them can give it to anyone else (under some licenses such as GPL). Also, they cannot stop people downloading it for no cost from some website, nor can they stop people buying it at a cheaper price. Noone will buy it off them if the price is too high (ie. more than it costs to download it).

I prefer ot use the term "free software" as it emphasises your freedom to use, modify, distribute, etc. the software, not just that the source is open. However free software does have the problem that people think that it means no cost.