rec.autos.simulators

If you want to backup your GPL cd then there are now some patches availble
at The Fast Lane,
Remember: ONLY FOR BACKUP, that's legal...

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

--
Greetinx Micha?l 'NRG' Hompus
Webmaster The Fast Lane
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Everything you need for GPL !!!

Micha?l...

There's some confusion about the legitimacy of this. Can you explain?

If you make a backup of a CD that is ONLY for your own use, theit islegal,
if you make coies for other people, giving away OR selling, that's
illegal...

That's all...

--
Greetinx Micha?l 'NRG' Hompus
Webmaster The Fast Lane
http://www.grandprix2.com/gpl
Everything you need for GPL !!!

I'm still confused. If we "make coies for other people, giving away OR
selling, that's illegal", but if *you* make someone else's copyrighted
material available to the *world* via the Web, that's not "illegal", as you
described it? At minimum, unless I'm missing something here, that's a
violation of the licensing agreement, and certainly a huge disservice to the
talented people at Papyrus who worked for *years* to bring us such an
outstanding product.

Unless you can offer a better explanation than this, Micha?l, I would
encourage everyone who has an interest in the future of racing sim software
development to boycott your site, and any others that participate in
thinly-veiled piracy. Please correct me if I'm wrong and accept my most
sincere apology for the misunderstanding. But, until you offer a better
explanation as to why a legitimate GPL licensee could not make his own
backup copy, I'm concluding that you, and others similarly engaged, are
substantially undermining the success of products you clearly enjoy.

Anxious to hear from you.

If that is your problem I will try to defend myself :-)

All the work at my page is made by people who know that their work
is posted, if not they have to tell me and I will remove it imidiatly...

I have sent Papyrus/Sierra a couple of emails and asked if the allow
their files at the web, and they don't respond, then that is their problem.

I don't think I am undermining the succes of GPL, I think that I (and other
peoplewith GPL-pages) are making a bigger succes of GPL.

Look at GP2, after it was possible to edit things, there were a couple of
hundred realistic new tracks, some even better then Microproses original!
and that made people buy GP2 alltough it was 2 years old !!!

So don't say that putting files at the internet makes a game less succesful,
To see the result for GP2 look at http://www.grandprix2.com and you can
see it has a lot of stuff.

I hope I have been clear enough, if not, I hope you will react again.

Greetinx Micha?l 'NRG' Hompus
Webmaster The Fast Lane
http://www.grandprix2.com/gpl
Everything you need for GPL !!!

snip a little.

Me too. I was able to copy GPL without any special program or changes.
I simply use the copy for everyday play and have the original stashed
away to prevent scratches, etc.  I do this to EVERY CD I purchase,
though a small percentage seem to have a protection scheme that causes
a failure during the testing phase of the burn.

G. Patricks

Micha?l...

Your contributions to the success of GPL through third-party add-ons are
outstanding. Your site is quite nice. However, these contributions are
*more* than offset by your making the executable available for download.

The failure of Papyrus/Sierra to respond to your e-mails hardly gives you
the right to distribute their copyrighted material! You are *still* subject
to both the license agreement and the law, which I think you'll discover if
you continue to make the .EXE available.

If more people shared your apparent attitude, there would be *no* racing sim
software because the economic incentive for its creation wouldn't exist.
Think about how you're helping move us toward such a reality. Keep up the
nice work with the third-party add-ons, but be a true supporter of that
which we all enjoy, and do *yourself* a favor, by taking the .EXE down.

Look forward to your reply.

Jack,

Maybe I can help Michael out.

Michael's post read "If you want to backup your GPL cd then there are now
some patches availble at The Fast Lane, Remember: ONLY FOR BACKUP, that's
legal..."

Never once did he say that he was making the "GPL" software available on his
Web site -- only a link to his fine looking site that contains a patch to
allow for the creation of a backup.

I believe that Michael is not advoting piracy.  I hope I'm right!

I, like most, respect the software development community and feel that
paying for software is the right thing to do.  Not only that, it allows for
the research and development of software improvements and pays the salaries
of the unseen heros of the industry.

Cheers,

Steve

** Sorry, but I posted this earlier in the wrong thread -- gotta stop
drinking after work ;o) **

Jack,

Maybe I can help Michael out.

Michael's post read "If you want to backup your GPL cd then there are now
some patches availble at The Fast Lane, Remember: ONLY FOR BACKUP, that's
legal..."

Never once did he say that he was making the "GPL" software available on his
Web site -- only a link to his fine looking site that contains a patch to
allow for the creation of a backup.

I believe that Michael is not advocating piracy.  I hope I'm right!

I, like most, respect the software development community and feel that
paying for software is the right thing to do.  Not only that, it allows for
the research and development of software improvements and pays the salaries
of the unseen heros of the industry.

Cheers,

Steve