GameCube Tunneling Software Rivals Clash

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a Warp Pipe website posting, in which the creator of the GameCube tunneling software alleges that "members of [planned GameCube tunneling alternative] Xlink community have exploited the fact that our source code (previously open source) is still sitting our SourceForge CVS servers." The confusing allegations, eventually shown to be unrelated to the Xlink creators, have ended in the Warp Pipe code declared closed source and removed from SourceForge. However, the Beta of the Warp Pipe online-enabling software for the GameCube, which "...will support residential DSL and Cable broadband with either a router or 2 NIC setup", is still due before the end of the year.

Comments

WarpPipe is so wrong with their licence

[diablero]

About a month ago, when they released alpha1, the binary was with a GPL licence. I asked them to release the source. They didn't do that. Instead they changed the licence to a closed one.

the binary is still at http://diablero.free.fr/warppipe/

They are so childish with the project, it's quite sad :(

Attemping To Clear Things Up

[chadlnx]

First off, Warp Pipe takes full responsibility for our oversights. We were under the impression that since we disabled the "browse cvs" function and changed our project from GPL to a closed source license 2 months ago, that our source was protected. We were wrong.

We also were under the impression that since Source Forge allows you to change your project to a proprietary license, that closed source projects were also allowed. We were also wrong about this, and as soon as we were notified, we pulled the binary releases and started to terminate or relationship with Source Forge, as the code up on CVS represents code that has been protected by a non-GPL license for over a month.

The person who posted the CVS link claimed he wasn't aware that we pulled our release (even after users were complaining about the release missing on our forums). He also was aware that the code had no license attached because it was not meant for public distribution via CVS. He also knew we went closed source over a month ago. This is why I bring up the question of ethics. Yes, we were wrong in assuming that Source Forge supported closed-source projects. However, we were (and still are) in the process of handling this issue with Source Forge. And we could have done so privately without our code being distributed to the public. Something we didn't want to happen.

Also, our decision to go closed source was made by everyone who contributed to the project and we have every right to do so. Nobody was left out in the cold. Every contributor made the decision and they are still contributing to the project. Since this code does not have a license, they should not assume that it is protected under the GPL. As a member of the team who owns the IP, it is not protected by the GPL. You are free to browse, but we do not sanction any forked effort. Please respect our work and our decision to keep our work and source our own. Our whole goal is to provide a great product for the GCN community. If you wish to create your own project, please do so. However, we respectfully ask you to leave our code out of it.

As for the Xlink team, we have made amends. I had a long chat with the Xlink project leader and he has assured me that he respects our IP and he will have nothing to do with it. We discussed some problems we both had tunneling our respective consoles and shared a few good ideas to boot.

So, in the end, everything has been cleared up and this Slashdot posting is a recap and blowup of old news. We take responsibility of our oversight, and we are moving forward. We just ask those of you to respect our IP. If you want to use our code, do the right thing and obtain permission.

Re:Attemping To Clear Things Up

[flat235]

As the lead dev of XLink, I'll put my 2 cents in - whether you people care is your choice. As Chad just said, things between our two groups have been especially heated over the last couple of days - but it is now, in my opinion, resolved. I reacted so strongly because I got the impression that we were being accused of using someones elses code in our project - which we have / will not. I dont give a rats ass about what license agreement WPP uses - it's their code, and their choice. I, as I am sure you, first assumed that the closing of source was the first step in commercialising the project - something which would have prompted XLink to compete ferociously with WPP - as we are, and have always been free and "ad" free - something which not many other projects are - including SlashDot. We do what we do, spending the money and time which we spend, because we like to do it - nothing else. I have recently spoken with Chad at length, and am completely satisfied that the decision to close source is not a prelude to commercialisation - and would ask others to accept the WPP teams word on this. It would also be of importance to notice that WPP went closed source before XLink even announced GCN support for our product - hence it is not a "reaction" to our proposed "competition". As concerns the SF misunderstanding - thats all they were - misunderstandings. SourceForge is a superb service, which serves millions of people every day. However, people make mistakes - we've all done it - and if the WPP team want their source closed from now on, that should be their choice, and I would politely ask the people here who have suggested forking the old source on SF under a new project name to accept that a mistake was made, and leave it alone. Finally, I think both teams involved will create excellent products - both of which will be free. What upsets me, is that here, in one of most popular roots of the OSS community, people have such a commercial perception of everything. We dont make our code open source - the reasons are our own. You either use XLink, or you do not. The choice is entirely yours. I would suggest that you perceive at OSS and GPL in the way it was designed to be perceived - as a mechanism to facilitate the sharing of concepts and implementations, as per the wishes of the original author. Remeber the mantra - "It's all about choice"..... TD & The XLink Crew