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You’ve got some pretty strong demands for services you require others to deliver. What is your contribution?

mtlmtlmtlmtl 3y ago
The only "demand" I have is that software products be released as open source instead of just silently dropped out of support and forgotten about. I'm not saying people should be forced to maintain code forever or something. Release the code, let whoever still needs it fork it and maintain it as they please. That way, everybody wins. The original authors don't have to maintain this legacy software forever, or harm their reputation by dumping it. And people don't lose access to things they depend on. Games and game servers are an excellent example of where this is an easy win win situation. I would contribute to keep legacy things I love working, but generally I'm not allowed to at the moment. But I have contributed in the past by buying the products...
- tinus_hn 3y ago
  Remind me again how developers win by making their old games more accessible, just so people can play their old games for free instead of buying new games. Because that would be one of the wins in the win win situation you claim. In reality, if releasing code was no work, then at best it would be a neutral/win situation. But that’s not reality either, it is work to release code. So it’s a lose/win situation. They lose and you win. They aren’t going to make the effort you demand, just so they lose. In the real world people want something back for their effort and otherwise they are going to put that effort into something that will get them something in return. But it is pretty soothing to know that you would certainly contribute, if only it wasn’t so hard. I’m sure the other people that you demand contributions from don’t experience your hardships.
  - mtlmtlmtlmtl 3y ago
    I'm not sure why you're being so rude. Maybe you don't maintain or release your old games or software and you're offended. But in that case you're not making a strong argument for your position through veiled insults. The rest of your argument is resting on the view that not maintaining or releasing legacy code is perfectly ok regardless of the circumstances, not arguing for it. Your claim that people playing their old games for nostalgia would meaningfully cut into sales of new games is completely unfounded, and frankly absurd. If that's a real issue for you, then your new game probably just isn't as good. By the nature of the pace at which video games improve, newer games inherently appeal more to younger generations. The idea that releasing code is so much work is mostly due to licencing quirks. If instead your licence was set up specifically to do this, you could even have it happen automatically. And let me remind you that often the biggest developers are the ones who don't do this, and smaller ones are the ones who do. As for your veiled insults, let me just say that I'm not sure what you think a "demand" is, but you might want to look it up.
    - tinus_hn 3y ago
      > The idea that releasing code is so much work I’m not saying it’s so much work, I’m saying it’s more work than not doing it. Nobody owes you that work, especially not when you offer nothing in return. What you are doing is qualifying the work someone else has to do as easy and not a big deal, but when you have to do something it’s just too hard. The concerns of others are petty and invalid and you know better, only your concerns are real. That’s not a nice attitude at all.
account42 3y ago
Our contribution is respecting their copyright in the first place, which is NOT a small cost for society at all.

The only "demand" I have is that software products be released as open source instead of just silently dropped out of support and forgotten about. I'm not saying people should be forced to maintain code forever or something. Release the code, let whoever still needs it fork it and maintain it as they please. That way, everybody wins. The original authors don't have to maintain this legacy software forever, or harm their reputation by dumping it. And people don't lose access to things they depend on. Games and game servers are an excellent example of where this is an easy win win situation. I would contribute to keep legacy things I love working, but generally I'm not allowed to at the moment. But I have contributed in the past by buying the products...

tinus_hn 3y ago
Remind me again how developers win by making their old games more accessible, just so people can play their old games for free instead of buying new games. Because that would be one of the wins in the win win situation you claim. In reality, if releasing code was no work, then at best it would be a neutral/win situation. But that’s not reality either, it is work to release code. So it’s a lose/win situation. They lose and you win. They aren’t going to make the effort you demand, just so they lose. In the real world people want something back for their effort and otherwise they are going to put that effort into something that will get them something in return. But it is pretty soothing to know that you would certainly contribute, if only it wasn’t so hard. I’m sure the other people that you demand contributions from don’t experience your hardships.
- mtlmtlmtlmtl 3y ago
  I'm not sure why you're being so rude. Maybe you don't maintain or release your old games or software and you're offended. But in that case you're not making a strong argument for your position through veiled insults. The rest of your argument is resting on the view that not maintaining or releasing legacy code is perfectly ok regardless of the circumstances, not arguing for it. Your claim that people playing their old games for nostalgia would meaningfully cut into sales of new games is completely unfounded, and frankly absurd. If that's a real issue for you, then your new game probably just isn't as good. By the nature of the pace at which video games improve, newer games inherently appeal more to younger generations. The idea that releasing code is so much work is mostly due to licencing quirks. If instead your licence was set up specifically to do this, you could even have it happen automatically. And let me remind you that often the biggest developers are the ones who don't do this, and smaller ones are the ones who do. As for your veiled insults, let me just say that I'm not sure what you think a "demand" is, but you might want to look it up.
  - tinus_hn 3y ago
    > The idea that releasing code is so much work I’m not saying it’s so much work, I’m saying it’s more work than not doing it. Nobody owes you that work, especially not when you offer nothing in return. What you are doing is qualifying the work someone else has to do as easy and not a big deal, but when you have to do something it’s just too hard. The concerns of others are petty and invalid and you know better, only your concerns are real. That’s not a nice attitude at all.

account42 3y ago

Our contribution is respecting their copyright in the first place, which is NOT a small cost for society at all.