Author: Roger Brown
Date: 05:19:01 08/10/05
Hello all, I have read with varying feelings the posts on the Fruit issue and all I can come away with is a genuine sadness. Whatever else he is, I have found Fabien to be a genuinely modest (this is a real feat because I am not modest and I have a lot to be modest about!), creative, talented and generous individual. I have found these qualities in other authors to be sure. Tord comes quickly to mind. Dr. Hyatt is not so modest but hey, if I did half the things he has done, I would be on the roof proclaiming them. :-) Back to Fruit and Fabien.... It was always clear to me that Fabien's intention was to make Fruit and its derivatives publicly available. I cannot bring myself to call them anything else but quite frankly, if this had been the very famous Crafty or TSCP or Sjeng engines these derivatives would have been called *clones* and there would have been little disagreement. I expect massive disagreement on this point..... The modification of someone's creative ideas does not them yours in fact or in spirit and it is here that the various parties seem to miss the point. Fabien's generosity of spirit in giving us such a strong engine to play with was to make the engine and all of its derivatives publicly available. I have read the legal interpretations of the gpl on this forum and I have sought interpretations from those better able to deal with legalese. It would seem that what was done was done legally (private non-released betas etc). The spirit in which the terms were interpreted was severely lacking in my opinion. Fabien made it clear that the private releasing of betas was objectionable to him. Was this so difficult to comprehend? Even more, was this so difficult to comply with? I for one consider Fabien's new direction as a negative one in the sense that he so clearly finds it deplorable. I for one do not think that the satisfaction of a couple of users outweighed the intent of he programmer but it was legally done so there is no issue of wrongdoing. Ahhh, but the spirit that was injured.... I cannot help but feel that the author of the next big thing (in my lifetime that has been Ruffian and now Fruit) will use this entire episode as a guide. Perhaps they will simply go commercial when copying will then result in legal trouble. I am not Fabien's spokesperson nor am I his friend (friendship is a complex concept for me) but he is someone I admire and for me, that is considerable praise because admiration does not come easy. I say respect the spirit, go beyond the law and you will satisfy the law as well. Toga, Moga and the others to come, I wish you well but before you copy and announce your derivatives, find out what the intent of the author is. Increased strength (possibly) is not sufficient justification.... Go beyond the law.... Just my rambling two cents. You were warned in the header - long and possibly off-topic. :-) Later.
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