Installshield 6 (inter-proc) patches

[Gerard Patel]

At 11:35 AM 15/12/2001 -0800, you wrote:

>I think that's quite unfair. I have stated that I personally don't
>care about games, I don't have a single application that even uses
>DirectX. The only reason I think DirectX is an issue is because I see
>users complaining that Wine doesn't run their favorite game, and I
>want Wine to be useful for as many people as possible.

This has nothing to do with license, Transgaming or anything.
All that is needed is a developer writing code. If there is none,
nothing is written. Before Lionel Ulmer, there was no big
DirectX game that could be played under Wine I think. Now 
Lionel is not contributing anymore - did he say to you privately 
that this was because of  Transgaming ? There are many other top
developers who have faded away like he did since I began on Wine,
so it could be for many other reasons.

Now, game users can as well subscribe to Transgaming as far as 
I am concerned. The vast majority of them seem to need professionnal
- paid - support anyway.


<snip>

>> You want to use the Gpl as a tool, but I don't see a lot of respect 
>> for the philosophy that is behind it. 
>
>I must say I'm quite offended by your comments. The only reason I
>raise the issue is because I want Wine to remain as useful as possible
>for everybody. 
<snip>

you are the leader of this project since 8 years : the Gpl already
existed when you began to work on Wine.
You could have switched the license at any time.
I don't remember you ever expressing any interest in Gpl
for Wine since 3 years I am following - and I have read
also quite a few of your interviews.
Looking from the outside, this has more the appearances of
a knee-jerk reaction, not the result of a long reflection.

> What I find even more disturbing in what you said is the allusion
>> (when replying to Patrick) to a future tightening of copyright laws,
>> a tendency that is in my opinion directly linked to the idea of 
>> copyright, patents, etc being 'intellectual property' assets,
>> and infringers thieves stealing them. You seemed to welcome
>> the additional protection it would give Wine.
>
>Absolutely not, and I don't know how you got this impression. I'd love
>for copyright law to get back to sanity, but I don't see this
>happening in the near future. Yes, there are a lot of abuses done in
>the name of intellectual property these days. Does this mean we have
>to let people hurt us and do nothing? You seem to think that users
>rights are important, but how are you going to defend their rights if
>not by using the only tool that we have, namely copyright law?

No, that not what I was saying. If I am here, that's because
I think that having Win32 Api outside of Windows is important.
User rights have never got in the figure, since it was always
acknowledged that people could take the stuff and turn it
proprietary. Now that someone seems to succeed, you want
to change the rules. 

Transgaming is playing by the existing rules, the rules you 
have enforced for a long time. If they are hurting you, that's
surprising. They are not hurting me, since I have accepted
your rules. What you are planning will hurt Transgaming
business plan, by spreading Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt
in their business discussions with potential customers. 
Business plan that they did and implemented in good faith,
perfectly conforming to your rules and expecting their
stability.

I'd have no objection to Gpl *if* people having invested
money in Wine success accept the move without problem.
I think you should feel more responsibility towards people
investing in Wine, not only responsibility towards the 
project - in other words you, because you are the Wine
project.

<snip>
>I'm not planning to send anybody to jail, and I find that suggestion
>insulting. 

What you are planning I don't know but in this context Gpl seems 
more a weapon than anything else.  What happens when weapons
are drawn can be anything. 

<snip>

> I do think that given the lack
>of developers, discouraging even a few of the existing ones can cause
>a lot of harm to the project.

I think that you will discourage one. 

Gerard