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BACKUP your version of GPL !!!

9 posts by 4 people · 23 Feb 1999 - 24 Feb 1999

Jack 23 Feb 1999#452102
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 !!! >Micha?l... >There's some confusion about the legitimacy of this. Can you explain? >>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.grandprix2.com/gpl/ >>-- >>Greetinx Micha?l 'NRG' Hompus >>Webmaster The Fast Lane >>http://www.grandprix2.com/gpl >>Everything you need for GPL !!!
Jack 23 Feb 1999#452104
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 !!!
G. Patric 23 Feb 1999#452106
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
Jack 23 Feb 1999#452107
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.
Steve 24 Feb 1999#452368
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
Steve 24 Feb 1999#452369
** 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

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