Source code?

[lmoureaux]

Dear Developer of Freeciv-Go,

Do you have plans to release the source code of this app, as you are obliged under the license of the original game?

Thanks,
A copyright holder

[ringoz]

The source code is here, in this repo, S2_6 branch.
GUI implementation sources are closed, they still depend on some proprietary bits.

[lmoureaux]

Do you have plans to release the GUI part as well? Or did you rewrite the whole tileset drawing code?

[ringoz]

The plan for GUI part is to contribute it to upstream project, it is fully compatible with freeciv GUI architecture.
Not sure if they'll be able to accept it though, because there is a dependency I can't get rid of - the NoesisGUI framework, a commercial product.

Tileset drawing code is almost the same as original, you can see the diffs by yourself.
GUI canvas/sprite implementation is highly optimized though.

[andreasrosdal]

Freeciv Go is violating the GPL license, by not sharing the source code.

https://github.com/freeciv/freeciv/blob/main/COPYING

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html

[lmoureaux]

Yup. Guess a takedown request to the various app stores is in order.

[ringoz]

Well, I don't see how unpublishing would help make the world a better place.
Users like the app because it is free and works good. Some of them are probably already contributing to upstream project.
It is a pity full source code is not available yet, but the plan to release it is still on.

[lnxbil]

I don't get why there has to be a plan. Have you already broken other licenses or even copyright and that is in the way of publishing it?

[ringoz]

No.
The main reason is technical debt related to portability layer, it should be eliminated first.
The portability layer is a lot of code I do not feel comfortable to release, because I do not want the project to evolve in such direction.
My plan is to remove the layer in favor of single web platform.

[ringoz]

The layer is somewhat similar to SDL, and probably it would be easy enough to just replace it with SDL and call it a day.
But again, I do not want the project to evolve in non-web direction.

[andreasrosdal]

Report this app for GPL violations.

https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/appstorenotices/#?lang=en

https://reportaproblem.apple.com/

https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2853570?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid

[ringoz]

Andreas, I understand you're struggling with promoting your competing FCIV.NET work,
but attacking Freeciv Go is unfair and evil act.

[lmoureaux]

Freeciv Go misappropriating the work of open source developers to develop proprietary software is unfair (and probably illegal). There has been no progress in a year to release the source code.

[ringoz]

Louis, have you made any contributions to Freeciv upstream?
You guys are both interested only in promotion of your irresponsible forks and have no idea what open source development is.

[lmoureaux]

Louis, have you made any contributions to Freeciv upstream?

Yes. https://github.com/freeciv/freeciv/commits?author=lmoureaux plus patches in the SVN times that Github doesn't recognize as mine. If you've been following Freeciv21 you know that it's taking a vastly different route as Freeciv. I do report bugs upstream when I find ones that exist there. All while being respectful of other developers' rights.

I think the technical stack you chose for Freeciv Go makes it incompatible with the GPL and you're trying to avoid facing the consequences of this by blaming copyright holders for exercising their rights.

[ringoz]

Yes, the technical stack I've chosen is incompatible with the GPL.
Because my portability layer is not GPL. I've not even bothered to choose the license for it yet.
But it doesn't matter, because the layer is going away.

[andreasrosdal]

Copyright claims (DMCA) can be submitted here: https://github.com/contact/dmca

[ringoz]

Ahh, I see. You do not want the code. You want to kill the competition.

[lnxbil]

I don't know if this is @andreasrosdal goal, but we (as all the others) want you to comply with the license you broke and still break by not releasing the source code. You have personal gain and are not attributing correctly. It does not matter if the software is free or not.

[ringoz]

I want it as well.
Hostile actions don't help make it happen.

[lnxbil]

hostile actions? YOU violated and still violating the GPL license agreement. If I would be a contributer to FreeCIV, I would at least kick the plan in action to sue you on behalf of project.

[ringoz]

Of course they are hostile. What for are all these "takedown", "sue", "DMCA" words?
Looks like I am talking to a gang of lawyers, not engineers.
That's why you don't understand my explanation on why the code is not fully released yet?