open source?

[unlord]

I have a question I've been wondering for a long time:

Why isn't this project open source?

It seems to me that the lack of interest from the developers (here (http://www.armageddongames.net/showthread.php?t=92214)) really puts this project at risk. What happens if everyone who knows just how to get things working decides to up and quit?

What about bugs, features, and timelines? Why not enable your users to do some of the dirty work for you by giving them the power to go into the source code and try and fix some of the problems, or even add features. This is an incredibly powerful way to get things done, and no control is lost because your core team of developers can maintain control of what user contributed source code patches (amazing, huh) are included into the trunk.

Its really the only sane way you can deal with a situation where your fan base has more interest in the development of the software than those who are doing the development. Also, those fans who have put a lot of time and effort into their quests would like to have some assurance that their effort is not wasted by idle developers.

Can someone tell me why this is not on sourceforge?


unlord


P.S. Incidently, I am a linux user and support for this fine project under linux is poorly lacking, hence this suggestion.

[Dark Nation]

Short Answer: War Lord and Phantom Menace say no.

[Kingboo30]

Dude no offense but we have developers that have lives and that they are doing this for free unlike the people who make crappy gamemaker. They are doing just fine and you call them slackers because Jman has a life and interested in other things too. Linux ports are being worked on along with Mac and the GP2X handheld. Until War Lord and Phantom Menace say yes, the developers are in charge.

[bigjoe]

Another reason I can think of would be quest security. If Zelda Classic were open source, wouldn't it put peoples quest passwords at risk? Many people like to protect their work so that others cant steal their ideas and content.

I do seem to remember somebody posting an open source Zelda clone at one point.Maybe you can check that out, if someone will provide a link to it. (I forget)It had like funky graphics, though.

[DarkDragon]

Just to be absolutely clear: in all newer versions of ZC, your quest passwords are stored only in hashed form, so access to the source does not really help crack anyone's quest password. The protection around the quests themselves, on the other hand, could be broken by someone with the source, thanks to the backdoor in place to help questmakers recover quests to which they've lost the password.

There are some good reasons not to release ZC as open source: for instance, as you know if you're familiar with this forum's history and its politics, there is plenty of bad blood between certain colorful elements of this community, which would guarantee at least two forks the instant the source is released, and I'm pretty sure their respective developers would NOT cooperate to ensure mutual compatibility.

Lastly, when you call out the developers for having a "lack of interest" I sure hope you're not including DN; he has contributed more hours to the ZC project - with NO compensation - than you ever will.

[Nicholas Steel]

Lastly, when you call out the developers for having a "lack of interest" I sure hope you're not including DN; he has contributed more hours to the ZC project - with NO compensation - than you ever will.

...and Dark Nation still is contributing hours of work to the ZC project without compensation.

[unlord]

Lastly, when you call out the developers for having a "lack of interest" I sure hope you're not including DN; he has contributed more hours to the ZC project - with NO compensation - than you ever will.

I'm not calling out anybody. I am simply wondering why this project isn't open source. I think its great that there is someone spending a lot of their uncompensated time fixing bugs. What I want to know is why that process isn't opened up so that a larger group of people can contribute.

Also, I don't think the threat of source forks is really a significant issue. ZeldaClassic.com is still the one and only place that this community comes to trade quests. Really, there is no loss of control at all by opening up the source, and everything to be gained by enabling more users to be bug fixers.

I am not trying to belittle anyones efforts on this project. I'm trying to understand why the project leadership is scared to open up the development process. If anything, they should be encouraging others to do what they have done, MetroidClassic.com anyone?

[Kingboo30]

ZeldaClassic.com is still the one and only place that this community comes to trade quests. Really, there is no loss of control at all by opening up the source, and everything to be gained by enabling more users to be bug fixers.


I guess you haven't looked around too much and never found PureZC. People who been around here for awhile should all know of this site.

Though I read the Metroid Classic article and it never said anything about giving out the code. More like a Metroid like game.

[Solaris_Omega]

I'm not calling out anybody

hmm...


It seems to me that the lack of interest from the developers (here (http://www.armageddongames.net/showthread.php?t=92214)) really puts this project at risk. What happens if everyone who knows just how to get things working decides to up and quit?

You may not have said specific names but you were pointing that the developers have a lack of interest for the project. If only you could see the stuff were all working on. There are like six of us now dedicated to programming the project and we aren't stopping even to breathe. What could possibly be included in the project that hasn't already or isn't being planned to be put into ZC? There is no point to making it open source. BTW, Welcome to AGN

[Warlock]

Also, I don't think the threat of source forks is really a significant issue.

I know of a few people off hand who would love to screw it up out of spite. AGN has a lot of enemies surprisingly.

[Luigi]

ZeldaClassic.com is still the one and only place that this community comes to trade quests.

There's also PureZC (http://www.purezc.com).

[koopa]

Beta 11 just came out. So much for lack of interest ...