[Wine] Eve and morals

[James McKenzie]

Nick_S wrote:
> Taboo subject, but a learning experience nonetheless?
>
> I read about the source leak of the client.
If it did not come from the original authors then possession of the code 
is illegal.  Sorta of like what happened with some of the iD Games stuff 
back in the mid-1900s.  Yes, they did go after the folks who hacked the 
code.
>   I don't play Eve anymore, but would it be morally wrong to use the source code to see what's going on and further Wine development using a current game as a reflecting post? 
Morally, ethically and legally.  The entire Wine project could come to a 
screeching halt.
>  Does this matter at all?
Yes.  Look at the DMCA and decide if you want to take the risks 
involved.  I would not want to put the entire project at risk, even in 
the smallest amount.
>   I mean, are all Wine issues right now related to translations of DirectX code to OpenGL or just plain API inner workings? 
No.  Take a look at issue 6254 for an example.  There are more like it.  
Wine is not only for gamers, but some folks are using it for serious 
production as well.  However, fixing a problem, enhancing the code base 
and all the rest has to be done in a 'clean room' environment.  That 
means if you have EVER looked at code, even hacked code, you cannot work 
on Wine.  This makes it hard to find folks that can do the tasks 
mentioned, but it keeps ALL of us out of the courtroom and keeps Wine 
viable.
>  Would game source even help at this stage of Wine [Question]
>   
Legal source, yes.  Hacked code, broken code and (gasp!) stolen code, 
no.  If there is any doubt as where the source came from, then we cannot 
and should not use it with the Wine project.   However, we can use all 
sorts of legal tools to see how well Wine interacts with and responds to 
any code that is out there.  This has helped with .NET support and other 
things.  We also rely on what is written at several sites and some of 
the information provided turned out to be completely incorrect, 
resulting in many days wasted effort.  We don't need to be working with 
hacked/cracked/stolen code to make progress.

In this case, stay away from this code.  It is not legal to possess and 
might even end up getting you in serious trouble.

James McKenzie

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