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New Competition For CodeWeavers: Aclerex
Shisha writes "Linux Planet is running a story about a new Wine offspring. Basically the Canadian company Transgaming decided, that their version of Wine, WineX, is good not only for running games, but for other Windows programs too. So why not try to sell it? For marketing reasons they're selling it to corporations under the AclereX name. Their website has a datasheet with more details about what they are actually offering. Unlike CodeWeavers, they don't seem to be targeting individuals at all, they'd rather sell to corporations. So no downloads available, sorry. Still it could speed up Wine developement, which is always good. Wine Weekly News discusses some of the reactions of the original Wine authors."
Are they allowed to do that when the majority of their code they didn't even write? They have been making it harder and harder to get WineX code too. First they removed it from debian and then Gentoo, and I haven't been able to get the source from CVS since then. I'm not sure what license wine was using when they forked but I dont think that this is allowed, is it?
Here's the main blurb from their site:
Sounds decent enough. "If your business is sick of Windows but dependent upon Windows-only applications, we can make those applications run in Linux."
From experience, vanilla WINE is the best at running Windoze applications. WineX lacks many common application features such as shaped windows (non-rectangle) etc.
Luke-Jr
It was BSD, they change it, forked into ReWind (still BSD) and normal WINE (LGPL).
A part of the patches is dual-licensed, but not all developers are cooperating with ReWind (especially the CodeWeavers people).
they have returned some stuff, but codeweavers is still a better choise if you want something back in wine. things that wineX donated include SDL frontend, installer support, dcom stuff, some directX stuff every here and there and their experimental shared memory wineserver.
Actually what happened was, was Wine went to the GPL, Transgaming got pissed because it would screw up their buissness model, they got a bunch of OSS developers, who forked Wine and called it Rewind.
WineX was forked from WINE before WINE was GPLed. If I remember right, WINE was origionally under the BSD lisence.
#include "sig.h"
can they do this?
Yes. They can. The GPL requires that the source be made available either with the binaries, or as a separate download if requested by a possessor of the binaries.
So you can go buy it, and then you're entitled to the source code after you do.
On the other hand, the fork that Transgaming has was based on the BSD license, not the GPL (Wine changed licenses some time ago), so they can do whatever they want at that point, because their source code isn't bound by the GPL anyway.
You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. The impossible just takes a little longer.
I have the same experience. Everyone at Codeweavers are amazing and they actually listen to their customers.
Transgaming is a different story. I bought a year's subscription and went out and bought Civ 3 and Black and White, both of which are "officially supported." Neither worked acceptably and their support guys closed my support requests without actually helping me.
Basically, I bought a year's subscription without having used their product for anything. I was seriously ripped off.
I've heard from other SuSE users that WineX won't run at all on SuSE 8.2 and that TG doesn't seem to care. I'm sure that kind of attitude will go over really well with their "business" customers.
WineX gives back code, but not everything.
They gave back all DirectX things but the Direct3d stuff. Their CD-copy-protection-simulator-patch or whatever they apply to the binary version is completly transgaming and not made public in the cvs.
I was pleasantly surprised with OpenOffice.Org on my Mac G3 "Wallstreet" PowerBook running Yellow Dog Linux 3.0. I don't have tons of RAM (192MB) and the proc is only 233MHz (Basically equiv. to a 466MHz PII) but it ran acceptably.
I haven't played with KOffice but since OpenOffice works I might not even put any Redmond crap on the PowerBook. OO.O will indeed open/save any but the most complex MS Office documents. It also blithely ignores Word/Excel Macro viruses and might even cleanse them from documents that are infected.
OpenOffice works beautifully in both x86 and PPC Linux, and is known to work in *BSD. (which is NOT dead, btw) It also runs on the X11 compatibility layer in MacOS X.
OpenOffice likes a wee bit more RAM than 64MB. However, not much more is necessary. The Windows version seems to be very happy in 256MB RAM on a 466MHz Celeron. The Linux version flies on both my 733MHz PIII with 512MB and an AthlonXP 1800+PR with 512MB RAM. Starting OO.O on my Mac PB with Yellow Dog Linux requires a bit of patience, but once it's up and running it works. Again, that's just with 192MB RAM. When I finally get 384MB in there it will be very content indeed.
A little RAM will do ya. Just get another stick. It's not very expensive. And it will make a world of difference.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
I have paid transgaming for about a year now. I've been testing their software and seeing how they operate. Since transgaming's stance on packaging the source code of winex has come to light, I have since neglected my subscription.
I was able to play, in 1 years time, WarCraft 3 on 1 particular version of WineX. I don't recall which one, but the successive version broke even that. I tested all the games they purported to support. I have alot of games.
Their forums are forums.. nothing spectacular. They have maybe 2 guys from Transgaming reading and helping users on the forums. They do not consistently respond to email. And if they do, again, it's from the guys in the forums... reminding me of a Chinese Firedrill.
I have since decided to let my sub lapse due to the environment described above. They act as if they own this code, and their license is NOT the LGPL like wine. It reminds me alot of an artificial patent. They hold on to your code for a couple of years, while they give nothing back and try to sell it. Standing on the shoulders of others and congratulating yourself on being the first to get there is no accomplishment in my eyes. But that's just my opinion, and you know what opinions are like. Anyway, It's like this:
"The source code to TransGaming WineX (minus copy protection related code, for now) is available through VA Linux's SourceForge website. You can examine and modify it to your heart's content, you can watch the changes we make as we go, and you can participate in detailed development discussions on our mailing list. The only thing you can't do is redistribute WineX code for any commercial purpose. The WineX code is licensed under the Aladdin Free Public License, which prohibits commercial use of our work. If you wish to use WineX commercially, please contact our sales team to arrange for alternative licensing arrangements.
Once we have reached our subscription goals, we plan to release all of the WineX source code under the Wine license, which will allow it to be directly integrated with the core Wine project code hosted at www.winehq.com. Until then, we will periodically submit selected portions of our code for integration with the Wine project."
Essentially, we ain't gonna see shit. And with their smacking Debian and Gentoo on the head for packaging the code, they aren't following their own rules. Commercial enterprises are for profit. Debian is non-profit. Gentoo, I didn't even know was a org.. but you get the point.
If they are this rambunctious now and giving nothing in return- what happens if business picks up. Just my observation. My gut instinct is to say fuckem. And my gut is usually right.
Your story that Wine changed from LGPL to GPL is bogus. Wine is under the LGPL license today (see here). And the LGPL license is all that is needed to prevent people from "taking without giving back".
Putting Wine under the GPL would make it seriously less useful because one of the main purposes of Wine is to let people move commercial Windows applications to Linux, and that may involve linking with it.