Stuart Buchanan wrote > Durk wrote: > > On Sunday 13 December 2009 10:16:24 pm Stuart Buchanan wrote: > > > A clear statement would > > > a) provide a good reference point for any further discussion outside > of the > > > community, rather than various people making different comments. > > > > > > b) be visible enough to Google so that anyone doing cursory research > would > > > have more chance of coming across FG if investigating FPS. > > > > > > As someone who has in the past done professional work with FG, I'd be > happy > > > to draft a factual statement. > > > > Agreed. If you're willing to draft such a statement, I'm happy to help > in > > proofreading, etc. etc. Also, I've been thinking of trying to publish a > > statement of similar content on some of the major websites: avsim.com or > > flightsim.com. > > I think one statement can easily be used for both purposes if written > appropriately. > > I've included my draft below. I've purposefully sought not to address any > moral or value arguments but stick to the facts for a number of reasons: > a) There are a variety of opinions on this list and any statement should > be something that all FG developers are happy with > b) I want to aviod anything that could be considered slanderous or > libelous. > c) I think a mature approach will gain a lot more support from external > readers as opposed to an emotional response. > > I'd appreciate feedback, even if it is only to agree with the wording of > the statement, to ensure that we have buy-in for this. > > -Stuart > > FlightGear Flight Pro Sim Statement: > > As many people will be aware, there is a new flight simulator product that > is being heavily marketed at the moment - Flight Pro Sim. > As it is very heavily based on FlightGear, there is some confusion between > the two. To help provide some clarity, and answer some > common questions, we (the core FlightGear development team) felt it was > appropriate to make a statement, and provide a FAQ. > > FlightGear is a open-source flight simulator that was started in 2006. It > is released under > the GNU General Public License v2, and as such, it is free to use, modify > and develop with few restrictions. It has been > developed with the collaboration of a huge number of individuals over the > internet over the last 12 years. FlightGear can > be downloaded for free from http:// www.flightgear.org. > > Flight Pro Sim is a commercial product very heavily based on FlightGear. > Investigation by a number of the FlightGear developers has > found no difference between this and the FlightGear v1.9.1 release other > than a change of name. Flight Pro Sim > is in no way endorsed or supported by the core FlightGear development > team. > > Given the extreme similarities between Flight Pro Sim and FlightGear, we > would recommend that prospective buyers download > FlightGear for free and satisfy themselves that Flight Pro Sim provides > worthwhile value for money before purchasing it. > > FAQ: > > Q: What is the difference between FlightGear and Flight Pro Sim? > A: As far as we have been able to make out, the only difference between > FlightGear v1.9.1 and Flight Pro Sim is a change in > name throughout the software, and the fact that you have to pay for it. > > Q: Is it legal for the makers of Flight Pro Sim to simply re-brand > FlightGear ? > A: Yes. Under the GNU GPL v2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html), > this is legal, provided that they distribute the > source code (or make it available). > > Q: Is is legal to sell a copy of FlightGear, whether re-branded or not ? > A: Yes. Technically, the purchaser is paying for the distribution of the > software, and it reasonable to charge a fee for this. In > fact, those interested in receiving a DVD containing FlightGear may do so > through the main FlightGear website, and directly contribute > to the project (though they may want to wait for the upcoming release in > the new year). > > Q: Has Flight Pro Sim paid any money to FlightGear for the rights to the > program ? > A: No. No such payment is required, as FlightGear is open-source software. > > Q: Is there any relationship between the makers of Flight Pro Sim and > FlightGear? > A: Not that we are aware of. As far as we are aware, the makers of Flight > Pro Sim are not FlightGear developers. > > Q: Has Flight Pro Sim contributed to the FlightGear project at all ? > A: There is no evidence that the makers of Flight Pro Sim have contributed > to the FlightGear project, either through code or money. They did offer to > provide money ($250) for a monthly competition, but this offer has not > been taken up. > > Q: I have purchased Flight Pro Sim. Can I get a refund ? > A: That is something you will have to take up with the makers of Flight > Pro Sim. We understand they offer a 60 day money-back guarantee. > >
... huge number of individuals ...? We are _relatively_ few. Large number - possibly, huge number - probably not, even taking into account those that have come and gone over the years. Rather depends on your definition of huge, I suppose. Vivian ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return on Information: Google Enterprise Search pays you back Get the facts. http://p.sf.net/sfu/google-dev2dev _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list Flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel
