Subject: Re: [Nel] Congratulations + concerns

From: Michael Warnock <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 15:45:21 -0700

By way of introduction, I am working on a couple of games making use of nel- commercial games.  In addition to selling our content and service, we consider our game rules our ip and there are a couple reasons why they can be implemented without violating the gpl (which i consider scripture).  First of all our rules will be in a brand new specification language in 
their own files or database tables and wont be compiled or linked at all.  But should we run into speed problems for not hardcoding everything, we're still not required to release anything- you can quite legally use gpl'ed code in your own, unreleased programs- and why should we release the server side code?

michael warnock
InOrbit Entertainment

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2001 00:51:13 +0200 (MET DST)

Mensaje citado por: Michael Warnock <[email-masked]>:

> By way of introduction, I am working on a couple of games making use of
> nel- commercial games.  In addition to selling our content and service,
> we consider our game rules our ip and there are a couple reasons why
> they can be implemented without violating the gpl (which i consider
> scripture).  First of all our rules will be in a brand new specification
> language in 
> their own files or database tables and wont be compiled or linked at
> all.  But should we run into speed problems for not hardcoding
> everything, we're still not required to release anything- you can quite
> legally use gpl'ed code in your own, unreleased programs- and why should
> we release the server side code?

I would love that you reply to this answer to me and to Nel guys that are so 
hard working on such a good project.

IMO In the same moment that you make public your server you are making it public 
and you should release it. But I am not a lawyer.

Regards,
                  Miguel Angel Blanch Lardin

nuclear cia fbi spy password code encrypt president bomb iran irak korea cuba
Ala yihad mosad kgb free freedom human rights yugoslavia kosovo ebola dna 
 
                    -- Echelon must die --

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From: Yann Morvan <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 18:53:33 -0400

Well, I think that the GPL, as opposed to LGPL,
is much more strict than you think, I've taken a few minutes 
to go and read it thoroughly and it is quite clear. 
Besides, its very purpose is to lay legal grounds to defend
the Free Software notion, so I think it is to be taken seriously,
and in my opinion, it is a good thing.
As for your scripting thing, I think we can devide rules in two
categories:
-global ones ("when a character dies, he returns to his binding point")
-detailed ones ("the damage formula for the needle gun is
log3(sqrt(z)-8x)")

Like john said, the second ones will be reverse engineered (see the "big
three", whereas the first ones are so general that on one hand the idea of
a patent on them is ridiculous (though I think some fool as tried to
patent the whole MMOG or even PW concept) and on the other hand their
scripting is difficult.
 
So there is no point at protecting your rules.

	Yann