ID software is cool
At the end of the keynote speech by John Carmack at QuackCon, he reveals that shortly the source code for Quake 3 will be released. This is nothing new at Id Software: Doom, Quake, Quake 2 have all been released and continue to thrive in the community. Doom Legacy and Quakeforge have been some previous community releases by the masses. This allows aspiring game programmers to gain experience towards the job that they aspire to attain.
Maybe other developers should look at how Id handles this and do the same themselves. Many people criticize Id for developing a stunning engine then develop a game like Doom3 to show it off to sell to other game developers. I have thorougly enjoyed Doom3 and I refuse to use the 'duct-tape' mod because it defeats the purpose of the game...scare the piss out of you while having a fun time. I give a big Kudos to John Carmack and Id Software for doing this.
Software patents, what do you think about them? I don't like them very much, they stiffle innovation. Currently, some of the large companies are in a patent rush. They claim to protect themselves, so they can use them as bargaining tools if and when they infringe upon another companies patents. One of the craziest patents that comes to mind is when Microsoft patented the 'double-click' (slashdot post here). They also files for a patent for custom emoticons. How do you like that?
I believe that developers should have some protection when they research and develop something innovative. So, maybe software patents could be reduced in life to say 2 or 3 years? I mean in this time a lot more R&D could be done and make the previous algorithm or what have you seem like bubblesort (quick and easy but not very efficient on larger data sets for those who are not fluent in code). Here are some links for your reading pleasure: the Wikipedia entry about Software Patents, League for Programming Freedom, European No Software Patents, Some examples of software patents, and many more if you google 'software patents.'
So, this is why I posted this...I want some feedback from YOU. Leave your comments about this and let me hear what you think on these subjects.
What did we learn today 1) very little.
Maybe other developers should look at how Id handles this and do the same themselves. Many people criticize Id for developing a stunning engine then develop a game like Doom3 to show it off to sell to other game developers. I have thorougly enjoyed Doom3 and I refuse to use the 'duct-tape' mod because it defeats the purpose of the game...scare the piss out of you while having a fun time. I give a big Kudos to John Carmack and Id Software for doing this.
Software patents, what do you think about them? I don't like them very much, they stiffle innovation. Currently, some of the large companies are in a patent rush. They claim to protect themselves, so they can use them as bargaining tools if and when they infringe upon another companies patents. One of the craziest patents that comes to mind is when Microsoft patented the 'double-click' (slashdot post here). They also files for a patent for custom emoticons. How do you like that?
I believe that developers should have some protection when they research and develop something innovative. So, maybe software patents could be reduced in life to say 2 or 3 years? I mean in this time a lot more R&D could be done and make the previous algorithm or what have you seem like bubblesort (quick and easy but not very efficient on larger data sets for those who are not fluent in code). Here are some links for your reading pleasure: the Wikipedia entry about Software Patents, League for Programming Freedom, European No Software Patents, Some examples of software patents, and many more if you google 'software patents.'
So, this is why I posted this...I want some feedback from YOU. Leave your comments about this and let me hear what you think on these subjects.
What did we learn today 1) very little.
posted by Brian Wright at 3:00 PM
3 Comments:
opening my grapico. OK this one I think sucks. Let's see anyone checked out the mac and early version of windows. Things like window redraw where copied from PARC. to me this is about as stupid as if ford would put a patent on round wheels. But will it kill inovation? I don't know of that. Since I think people will say ok can't do it this way but maybe I can try it another way. But yea this stupid. the USPO is getting a little weird. It still amazes me how many people are trying to hold on to the old ways of doing things. Computers are completely different then anything that has come before. I have a tool here that for very low money lets me speak to just about everyone in the world. If I don't like what I hear on the radio here in the south I can go find out what is on the radio in london. I listened to Le Mans over the net. Anyway that thought is this. Ideas are made and used and built upon. Not just by the people that had the idea but people just looking at the idea. Just look at the start of Kisea's post. It started with the release of Q3 src. What you think that is going to do for people. New games can be made without having to spend the hundred's of thousands of dollars on the game engine. I for one will gain by being able to play newer games on my old hw. Had this been patented this would not have been able to happen. Oh yea let me see I wonder if I can patent how I write on paper. Or the steps I take to put food in my mouth. hey I could live out the rest of my days rich getting paid everytime someone had to eat. People software patents are a joke. I have to say I am not yet a coder but I have seen how often coders around me pull a line or two of code off the net and mod it and then use it for there purpose. Well the grapico is empty. What have I learned. 1 id is good. 2 I get pissed at stupid people for trying to lock ideas away.
I didn't say it kills innovation, it stiffles innovation. Suppose Ford patented the wheel like you said, well all the other software developers have to develop a wheel which doesnt infringe upon the wheel patent. Like I said, there may be things that deserve a patent which may last like 3 years or so but patenting the 'one click shopping' like amazon has or other stuff like that stiffles innovation.
Well just a shot of grapico this time. Maybe I said it wrong. I was thinking instead of a black wheel then maybe a purple one. If there is a road block then find another road. Yes I do think the patent should run a very short course. Three years is ok. I did say that the world has not caught up with the time span of computers. The hated P4 has be born at 1.5G and lived to nearly 4G in only 5 years. Intel is telling of the replacement. I have to say I like old stuff. My cars are more then 30 years old. The phone system I have here use pulse dial. Anyway the track I am trying to say is in the biz world a decade is not long. I have had to pull data from IBM AIX systems. Stuff that makes my stuff look new. But is it maybe like our cold war. I have enough to get you with overkill and then you have the same on me. my one click patent vs your double click patent. Are we going to back down? Or is it going to blow up and and the loser is not just every other company that does not hold the patent but the customers of every company cause everyone got sued? Man had to have a grapico chaser to my shot of grapico.
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