Haemogoblin wrote:Hi Rich
I think it is great that your taking the time to reach out to the developers, so this software can be legitimately distributed. Even in the short time I've been exposed to the QL, it's obvious that software is sparse on the ground. It reminds me of the Memotech MTX in a lot of ways actually, a computer with an even shorter life span then the QL. But even a rare machine like the Memotech that was around for 2 years, has a lot of it's software library online for users to access.
I've found the QL a fun machine to use this past month and while I might not be as seasoned as other users on here, I can certainly see the appeal. But as a new user, I have to say the pricing of software did catch me by surprise. The titles you have listed on your website certainly do look interesting, but at £5 and £10 each, it's a little more then I'm willing to invest in a machine at such an early stage. Especially when I'm still not sure about collecting for it. Had the pricing been a little lower, it might have attracted my attention more then it did. If your an existing user with a lot of time and money already invested in the QL, the titles are probably very appealing. But for a first user, not so much.
The titles you can purchase individually for £5 or £10 from my website, you can also purchase as part of a box-set for £20 for 5 or 6 programs, so I am not sure what you mean here...
The software listed on
http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/updates.html does not come into the equation, because that is only supplied to enable users who have non-working software to get a working copy!
There are demo versions of some commercial titles on Dilwyn's site, and there are also things such as the QL Games Collection 1 for £5 which includes several titles built into an emulator, all ready to go on a PC, which together with the massive public domain / freeware library that is on Dilwyn's site, provide a huge amount of stuff already for new users to try out the QL's capabilities.
The problem comes to dissemination of software. I have had it up to here with various people who say - "great, I love the QL Wiki and the preservation project. When are you going to make it all available for free. Oh and by the way there is no information about xxx on the QL Wiki, so you need to add that."
The preservation project is NOT funded by the community and has always been a personal project of mine (dating back maybe 10 years) - with a large amount of finance provided through my QL sales.
If people want more of the preserved software to be made freeware, then there has to be a way of me recouping the money and time I (and some others working with me) have spent; whilst recognising that there are constraints placed on distribution by copyright law.
The answer is simple (and this is not aimed just at you):
a) If the QL Wiki needs updating - then register and add some information yourself. It is a COMMUNITY PROJECT
b) If the SBASIC/SuperBASIC Reference Manual needs updating - download the relevant html page, amend it and send it to me to update. Again it is a COMMUNITY PROJECT
c) If you want a specific piece of software to be made available for free download. Great - spend some time tracking down the copyright holder and get their permission. If you can provide proof of this then I will probably be able to assist with a copy of working software from my software preservation project.
The other alternative is for someone to spend time and money creating a community software preservation project and host it on your own webserver - hoping that the copyright holders do not ask you to remove programs or contact the hosting company to tell them that you are breaching copyright.
I will NOT be a part of the latter however, as I am a former solicitor (as well as software author) and strongly believe in protecting the rights of software authors.
Without the community working together on (a) to (c) above, then you are stuck with the current position, with the great chance that I will get more even more annoyed by accusations and be-smearching of my character (as has recently been happening yet again on Spanish forums) and simply pull the plug.
I am fast losing the will to do anything further vis-a-vis trying to find and contact copyright holders as very few people appreciate the long list of software titles which have been added to the Sinclair QL Homepage solely through my existing efforts.
After all, Urs has been running a hardware preservation project for many years and does not get insulted or moaned at because he is not scanning in the manuals, making hi-resolution images of the PCBs etc and making them free for download.
If I "pull the plug" what would happen:
- QL membranes supply would be limited to one supplier
- The QL Wiki would disappear
- The SBASIC/SuperBASIC Reference Manual would be removed as it is hosted on my website
- The Software preservation project would be lost and all original copies of software would be put up for sale to the highest bidder.
- No more copyright holders would be approached for consent to make software freeware
- Software titles by a host of various companies sold through RWAP Software would no longer be available to purchase unless someone else was interested and obtained their consent.
Rant over.