Regarding the licensing thing, I’d suggest a wait-and-see attitude for now. I’ve had a few brief interactions with the lead developer for Storyboarder. He still has an interest in using an open source license, at least a modified one. Let’s see what happens on the next beta release.
It’s written in Javascript. Most likely it leverages specific javascript windowing calls that require a more modern javascript stack built into Windows. Send the developer an inquiry.
Following up… Storyboarder will be released under a modified MIT license. Quite a heavy rant in that link and a number of misunderstandings about the value of open source software from an end-user perspective. But still, all told, I think this is a positive result.
‘heavy rant’ ? … felt more like a ‘lite reading’
“Emperor wears no clothes.” & “Yeah! Developers got soul!”
Anyway, another great move in the open.
One can only save oneself from prejudice.
A part from the page that I find interesting:
“What I didn’t expect is the degree to which certain people would disagree with certain opinions I have, and the decisions I’ve made. One example how some people have requested a drawing tool that rivals Photoshop in features. The entire purpose of Storyboarder is to be as simple as possible. Therefore, we work hard to ensure interoperability with external editors. While I am currently rewriting the drawing system to be much more performant, I don’t think I will be supporting the variety of tools that some people have requested. This is not that tool’s job.
It’s my job as the software’s designer to keep that line. If I didn’t, this software would end up a complicated mess. It would have every feature anyone ever asked for. It would be poorly designed, and as a result, no one would use it. If I center my strong opinions, the software becomes weak ass soup.”
I find this interesting. Blender is almost in the same position he would actually wouldn’t like. A complicated mess that would scare off potential users. 90% of all first time users close blender because of the right mouse button click select. Why can’t blender have regular select like every other app in the world. Familiarity of the basics that is in ms word to NASA-made special programs.
He has a great point in that.
It’s nice to hear a little more back story on what the educator who originally forked it and took out the swear words and tracking bits did. I understand, to a point, how that would upset the original creator of the software. He even makes a good points about people raging about FOSS who don’t create anything worthwhile and generally seem to have bad taste.
However, creating an educational version that only makes the software more user friendly in that it is non-political, and doesn’t contain inappropriate language or images (things generally considered NSFW), is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. Charging people who have a slightly different point of view than him out of spite is taking it to another level.
Really makes him seem like a child whining because not everyone thought the jokes he put in his software were funny.
Either way he’s one foot out the door of keeping it open source anyway, since he’s considering keeping the opportunity for his company to make money off the software in the future.
Since he seems to be attempting to write a movie, I’m interested to see if his personality comes through if it gets made. If it does, it’d be a shame.
Well, an “open source” that fit’s only into a Commercial Graphics Suite? I am really sorrry… but that’s only to laugh about.