Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Spectre-7 on March 20, 2006, 04:03:18 pm
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So far, this is turning out to be a weird day... Microsoft released the source code and full assets for MechCommander 2 as part of their 'shared source' program. I haven't checked it out since it's like a gig download, and I don't have a Windows compiler, but I thought some of y'all might find it interesting.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6d790cde-c3e5-46be-b3a5-729581269a9c&DisplayLang=en
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...:eek2: Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?
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...:eek2: Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?
... that plaid isn't really a nice color for pencil cases, brain? :p
:nervous:
um, yeah, Freespacy goodness?
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...:eek2: Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?
Microsoft are about to repent, embrace the open source community, give away windows for free and live happily ever after?
I dunno dude, seems a bit far fetched.
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...:eek2: Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?
That if white is the new black, zebra crossings get very confusing?
That Chesney Hawkes is due for a comeback?
Clogs are not, in fact, good dancing shoes?
The Geneva convention should outlaw all weapons except cream pies?
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That we need a Mechwarrior 5. :doubt:
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I'm skeptical of "shared source". I've heard the licensing terms are pretty sketchy.
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I'm skeptical of "shared source". I've heard the licensing terms are pretty sketchy.
It's a very simple licensing agreement. Download, look at or run it, and Microsoft own your eternal soul. couldn't be clearer.
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I'm skeptical of "shared source". I've heard the licensing terms are pretty sketchy.
I find it more than a little worrying that they don't list which of their licenses they're releasing it under. I'd kind of like to know before grabbing a 1gig archive.
More crap about the various shared source licenses can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/licensingbasics/sharedsourcelicenses.mspx
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Don't get your hopes up, Sandwich. Magic of the Dropshipcommand community (also author of the only truly successful MOD for MC2) asked Microsoft about it less then a year ago.
The response was "sure, you can have the source code, but anything you do with it will be our property." In essence, they want to turn open source into unpaid MS programmers.
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yep, this is indeed microsoft's way to **** over the open source community.
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What about MechWarrior 2 source code? I wish there was a hardware-accelerated version that didn't require an ATI All-in-wonder 1st edition in the system in order to run it, that was a fun game, even still pretty fun today.
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Wow, since I've got back into BattlTech recently, this could awesome. *drools at the thought of aerotech and quadraped mechs2*
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Microsoft releasing source code?
It's not even April yet.
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This is not the first time they have done this. Allegiance.
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They also released portions of the Windows source code to private companies.... who were free to fix errors within it, and send the fixes back to microsoft. and they didn't even have to pay for the priviledge. User support, eh? Marvellous.
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How is that relevant? And isn't that exactly what Red Hat, Novell, and all the other Linux distributors count on?
And frankly, the companies who participated in that program got a little more than "nothing" for their participation. Many of them insisted that they be able to review the source code, if MS had their druthers, even those people would not have been able to see it. That review and capability was a compromise to big business having little or nothing to do with "open source" altruism, on either side. You may be surprised at the kinds of things billion dollar, non-MS corporations ask of their software vendors.
On topic: MC2 was a good game, but it was all ground pounding. Not sure the engine would be suited to a space RTS without significant rework. It would certainly be worth it for people to downbload and look, and even more worth it if it is like the Allegiance release to download and PLAY it.
It's kinda cool that MS is doing this with the occasional games. I thought there was another MS game that was released, in addition to Allegiance, but I am getting senile. It's not making them any more money, and they have moved on to bigger, "better" tech, so, it's collecting dust as it is. Might as well get it out there. Nice PR boost (MS does something genuinely nice) for little effort and expenditure (apart from bandwidth, initially).
But I guess we can bash Windows and MS now, that's more interesting than free games and learning how game making works ;)
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How is that relevant? And isn't that exactly what Red Hat, Novell, and all the other Linux distributors count on?
And frankly, the companies who participated in that program got a little more than "nothing" for their participation. Many of them insisted that they be able to review the source code, if MS had their druthers, even those people would not have been able to see it. That review and capability was a compromise to big business having little or nothing to do with "open source" altruism, on either side. You may be surprised at the kinds of things billion dollar, non-MS corporations ask of their software vendors.
You don't find it in the least bit cynical that they released the source code just to get customers to fix errors for them, for free?
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Wow, since I've got back into BattlTech recently, this could awesome. *drools at the thought of aerotech and quadraped mechs2*
what perverted animuthingy is "quadrape" like four rapes???????
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He undoubtably meant to type "quadruped".
....right? :nervous:
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You don't find it in the least bit cynical that they released the source code just to get customers to fix errors for them, for free?
Not when those self same customers demanded the priveledge. And, that's exactly how commercial Linux works, armies of unpaid coders fix bugs that commercial companies then exploit to profit at an enterprise level... I suppose you could say everything in business is the least bit cynical, that's why its business and not charity ;)
Also not sure how this release of the MC2 code is anything but beneficial to anyone (including MS).
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If there were obvious plans for re-releasing MC2 with the community modifications, without any money going back to the coders who had done the work, then I would get cynical.
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I'm not completely sure about any of this, but I gather that the source wasn't released as an update, or to foster a community. Instead, it's example code of how to program for the XNA framework... At least that's my take.
Also appears they've posted the license:
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=310374&SiteID=1
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You don't find it in the least bit cynical that they released the source code just to get customers to fix errors for them, for free?
Not when those self same customers demanded the priveledge. And, that's exactly how commercial Linux works, armies of unpaid coders fix bugs that commercial companies then exploit to profit at an enterprise level... I suppose you could say everything in business is the least bit cynical, that's why its business and not charity ;)
Well, think of it this way; the cost to Cisco (as an example) of bugs is about $600-800m per year. MS would have jumped at the chance of free bug-fixers, but all it really results in is a reduction of MS' responsibility to produce error-free software.
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...:eek2: Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?
Full models and effects instead of ****ty-looking mechs and effects? :D
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If I read that license right, you can sell games you make with it.