DragonBox OpenSource Coding Competition - Rules (DRAFT!)

[erico]

I could not vote, would need an option " I may participate if open or closed, but prefer that to be dev´s choice"

First of all: Thinking about others is not the point in this poll! This poll is only for developers and their own decisions...


So, you say, that you entry will be better™, if its closed, but you would also commit some entry, if you have to open your source. That would be answer two.

I meant, I read some people on this thread that stated they could get a better entry(and mostly timewise maybe) by recycling some own code that can not be open for whatever reason but they would participate anyways in case open is a rule. I was just acknowledging their perspective. In my case, my entry would not be better or worse based on open/close.


My choice would be " I may participate whatever rules, but I prefer open/close to be a dev´s choice".


Number 2 on the pool says " will only release source, if I have too."sounded a bit like I would not want to release but will do if forced by rule.


I don´t know, maybe it all means the same and I failed to grasp it. Will vote for 2 then.


On the timescale of the compo, maybe an extra month could do good on the final polishing side, but am not sure.

 

[Ziz]

Yes, lets get away from the "open or not"-discussion. It goes round in circles.


There were other questions to answer:

• Moving the deadline to end of February? I think, that will happen nevertheless, so lets move it now, that we can surely plan with it.
  
• How to vote? I like community votes (involves the not developing members), but also a jury judgment. So how about a hybrid? So 50% of the decision are made by the community and 50% by a (e.g. 5 headed jury with ED and other OP team members) jury?
  
• And if only open source will be allowed, somebody suggest to add a fifth category "closed soure game/application". Would that be an option?
  

greetings, Ziz

 

[erico]

I could suggest another topic to add up, which is about feedback.


Either community or judge voted, there could be some guidelines on feedback of your choices.


Again, I believe everyone should feedback(or not) as it pleases, but maybe there could be some specific questions developers might want to hear answered.


So hence a little guide to argument the reasons of your vote, maybe a set of 3 questions, I don´t know.


If people think this is a good idea, I can look for a few questions to add.


On the close source category, I don´t think it is a good idea, it should all be mixed while voters might consider an app being open one reason to vote for it.


As for jury votes, only if you can invite people from the industry (like game jornalists, heads of linux community, successfull head of indie studios, head of game/app sites, etc) otherwise if only opteam or community members are voting, it could be on the same pot.


Deadline to end of February seems good to me.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

When the draft will be finalized, the best place on the net to advertize will be Slashdot.


Should be packaged with an article about the stable production and the GHz units etc.

 

[Binky]

the best place on the net to advertize will be Slashdot.

Would need to include:

• brief explanation of what and why pandoras are
  
• reminder of the community project thing and the mess-up at CC
  
• Pandoras in stock and shipping now, every order helps fund old orders
  
• explanation that the competition allows for different OS handhelds
  
• Prizes money and Prizes and Money!
  

 

[Linux-SWAT]

And SLACKWARE !


Rofl ^^.

 

[TrashyMG]

the best place on the net to advertize will be Slashdot.

Would need to include:

• brief explanation of what and why pandoras are
  
• reminder of the community project thing and the mess-up at CC
  
• Pandoras in stock and shipping now, every order helps fund old orders
  
• explanation that the competition allows for different OS handhelds
  
• Prizes money and Prizes and Money!
  

Just don't read the /. comments it may be rough.. I swear no one goes to that site to say anything good about something.

 

[Binky]

Will be a huge rant about the failure to deliver products over the years

 

[graupelschauer]

The point is: what's the goal of the race? Improving the quality of the factory O bikes (which is what I assumed to be the goal, since the race was called "Factory O cycling race" and it was organized by someone who claims to be working for factory O), or getting as many cyclists as possible in the race?

I would guess the longterm goal is the quality of the factory O bikes but the present goal should be as many cyclists as possible, because Ed has to get out of his debts or the project pandora will have a hard time.

 

[_wb_]

The point is: what's the goal of the race? Improving the quality of the factory O bikes (which is what I assumed to be the goal, since the race was called "Factory O cycling race" and it was organized by someone who claims to be working for factory O), or getting as many cyclists as possible in the race?

I would guess the longterm goal is the quality of the factory O bikes but the present goal should be as many cyclists as possible, because Ed has to get out of his debts or the project pandora will have a hard time.

So you are saying that more software will mean more customers, even if the "Open Source" profile of the project gets weakened by it? That could be true, but I'm not quite convinced. This is after all a niche device which attracts niche people. If you just want to have a zillion closed-source games something like an iPhone or Android smartphone (+ICP or ICP2) will be more attractive anyway, and it will be hard to compete with that.

 

[graupelschauer]

I would not say that the open source profile gets weakened because at the end we are talking about additional software here not replacing open source software by close source software. The reason why I think that closed software could help more is because not everyone bought a pandora because of its open source software. You could see this when android was announced - A lot of people were thrilled when they could play their android games (closed source) on the pandora.

 

[_wb_]

So, do we want to attract more people into this community who are attracted by closed-source games? If that's the goal, then I think it's better to focus on making Android work better on the Pandora than to organize a contest that will result in maybe a handful new games. But I'm hoping that that's not the goal.


Even if the goal of the compo is just to get more customers to ED's shop, then I think it would still be better to attract potential Pandora customers not just with new games to be played. Sure, the Pandora is good for playing games, but it can do so much more, and if you just want to play games, there are cheaper alternatives that are just as good or even better. The Open Source aspect is what makes the Pandora unique, the fact that you can tinker with it and make your own stuff on it: you're not just a passive consumer of apps, you can also be really creative and do new things. That's also the statement that would be made by having an Open Source compo, and this is something I would enthusiastically support.


If there would be a compo that is indifferent about closed or open source, the statement would in my opinion be more like "we need some extra apps to feed to the passive consumers and to improve sales, and we don't have the budget to pay the real development cost of those apps so we'll just organize a compo and hope for the best".

 

[Ziz]

we are talking about additional software here not replacing open source software by close source software.

Do we? The poll I made shows, that there would be as much entries with closed source allowed as it would be be with an open source rule. My point is: _wb_ e.g. said, that he will not participate if closed source is allowed, but of course still develop open source software for the pandora.


I think it is the same for the closed sourced "camp". Maybe they do not participate, but I think, they will still develop software.


So let's keep this discussion to this competition, not to the absolute amount of software after the competition. I don't think, that it will differ, whatever the decision of ED may be...

 

[pmprog]

Kind of late to the party, I find it weird that people would "boycot" a compo if closed source was allowed too. I personally don't mind either way.


I've recently finished (an achievement in itself) a Windows game, designed for 8 people on a single computer (party game). I'll need a port of Allegro 5 though - and probably add network support - for a Pandora release. I'll guess we'll just have to see. The coming weeks are going to be busy anyway

 

[diligentcircle]

Kind of late to the party, I find it weird that people would "boycot" a compo if closed source was allowed too.

It's not a boycott. I don't want to be a part of such a competition because it has been made clear that nonfree software is appreciated, and I don't want any part in that.


Think of it this way: if there's meat in some of the things at a cooking competition, this isn't going to stop a vegan from competing.


But let's say a vegetarian cooking competition was announced, and for some reason (the reason can't be analogous, so we'll ignore it) they decide to allow meat into the competition, quite explicitly (e.g. "your food does not have to be vegetarian, but it would be great if it is"). The vegan might decide that he/she doesn't want to join the competition any more because he/she might implicitly be saying that eating meat is ethically OK.


That's kind of how I feel about this competition. If it were never called an "opensource" competition to begin with, I wouldn't particularly notice or mind. But it was, and now "open source" is optional, so I don't want to join with that because to me, it would be like saying that nonfree software is acceptable and legitimate.

 

[mcobit]

I'll need a port of Allegro 5 ...

If you can port it, that alone would make a good entry imo.

 

[ExquisiteCorpse]

Kind of late to the party, I find it weird that people would "boycot" a compo if closed source was allowed too.

It's not a boycott. I don't want to be a part of such a competition because it has been made clear that nonfree software is appreciated, and I don't want any part in that.


Think of it this way: if there's meat in some of the things at a cooking competition, this isn't going to stop a vegan from competing.


But let's say a vegetarian cooking competition was announced, and for some reason (the reason can't be analogous, so we'll ignore it) they decide to allow meat into the competition, quite explicitly (e.g. "your food does not have to be vegetarian, but it would be great if it is"). The vegan might decide that he/she doesn't want to join the competition any more because he/she might implicitly be saying that eating meat is ethically OK.


That's kind of how I feel about this competition. If it were never called an "opensource" competition to begin with, I wouldn't particularly notice or mind. But it was, and now "open source" is optional, so I don't want to join with that because to me, it would be like saying that nonfree software is acceptable and legitimate.

So you'll use hardware with closed sourced binary blobs but won't enter a competition where the sourcecode is not available by people who've made games in their spare time under some thinly veiled bulls**t of morality?


Nice to know where you draw the line.


So actually it's a bit like you being a pretentious vegan whislt you cook with cooking utensils made of lambs legs, goats heads and craw claws

 

[pmprog]

That's kind of how I feel about this competition. If it were never called an "opensource" competition to begin with, I wouldn't particularly notice or mind. But it was, and now "open source" is optional, so I don't want to join with that because to me, it would be like saying that nonfree software is acceptable and legitimate.

That's a fair comment. I wasn't really disagreeing, just sounded weird; but then I've not really been following all that much.

I'll need a port of Allegro 5 ...

If you can port it, that alone would make a good entry imo.

It doesn't fit under any of the categories though I'm going to have a go, just not got that far yet.

 

[EvilDragon]

Well, I got another idea, what about this one.


I would allow both OpenSource and ClosedSource. They will both compete in the same area and get the prizes accordingly.


However, as I want to promote OpenSource, why not open up an OpenSource moneypot where community members can put money in, which will be shared among the best OpenSource entries (additionally to the original prizes).


Then ClosedSource-entries would still get the same prize from the shop, but a little less from the community.

 

[erico]

Sounds good for me, that way the open/closed issue is dealt on the extra pot and also won´t interfere judging of all entries based on quality/idea.