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Ask Slashdot: What Would You Pay To See Open Sourced?
jbrase writes:
It's in the interest of the open-source community to make open-source development as profitable as possible. One potential means of making money from open source is crowdfunding, [but] proprietary vendors aren't likely to be enthusastic about using their flagship product to try out a relatively untested business model. Crowdfunding the open source release of legacy technologies of historical significance could provide a low-risk way for vendors to experiment with making money by crowdfunding: The product has already turned them a profit.
With that, I'd like to ask Slashdot readers, what would you pay to see open sourced?
Slashdot reader jonwil left a comment suggesting old games ("where the game is no longer being developed/worked on and where the engine/tech is no longer being used for anything"). But the sky's the limit here, so leave your own best answers in the comments. What would you pay to see open sourced?
With that, I'd like to ask Slashdot readers, what would you pay to see open sourced?
Slashdot reader jonwil left a comment suggesting old games ("where the game is no longer being developed/worked on and where the engine/tech is no longer being used for anything"). But the sky's the limit here, so leave your own best answers in the comments. What would you pay to see open sourced?
... no, Gimp is not an adequate replacement.
BeOS
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
M$ lock-in is the worst thing about Windows 7. It's a great desktop OS in most ways. I paid $300(AUD) for it anyway - it would have been nice to pay $300 for it to be free instead.
Nothing else currently available on Windows comes close.
Nvidia sucks.
Oh wait. Too close to home?
macOS
#DeleteFacebook
A modern version of Dungeon Keeper 2.
You can't avoid it yet, but if it was oss could finally make wine work more reliably...
Wine doesn't work reliably b/c they haven't ever focused on a single version of Windows and gotten that right before moving to a new version. They always try to mimic the latest release. They can change their process and probably get full compatibility sooner by actually focusing on the APIs available in a specific release of Windows. Win7 would probably be a good target right now; Win8/8.1/10 wouldn't be hard to add after that - again, one at a time - since the deltas are smaller once the base is completely there.
Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
Top to bottom, we should have a DRM-free open-source cell phone, including hardware and software.
If that were why they got sued they would have lost. They got sued because Oracle saw them making a bunch of money with Java and wanted some.
Am I internetting right?
There are no open source CAD softwares capable of producing the drawings used in architecture, engineering, design, and manufacturing. Yet, that same, expensive proprietary package continues on with the same performance hogging, unstable, fluff enhanced software that hasn't really changed in 15 years.
There is no need to use a SlashDot sig for SEO...
Should be easy as they ported to Linux several years ago.
Any game that customers paid for that requires a central server that the parent company shuts down after a couple years, bricking the game. Seriously, this shit should be illegal, but it's growing..
This seems to me to be an obvious first port of call. The weak points become well documented so also become well protected. Couldn't get a better demo of the security obtained.
If it was good enough for the army...
The only bad part about it is that it is a total pain to build on linux. Older versions UI was literally from either the 70s or early 90s, and it has a high learning curve.
Latest versions even include gcode solvers for end to end design, modelling, and gcode output.
That said, AutoCAD or 3D Studio Max would be awesome just for exporting the Star Trek ship models available into another format. It really sucks how all the coolest ships are only in max format so anyone unwilling to pirate needs to spend thousands of dollars just to open/render/reexport them. :(
I would like the future of my country to be decided by the people and in the open. No more back-room dealing and secrecy.
I know that not all of OS/X is opened sourced beyond Darwin (unless things has changed in the last few years when I last looked). Surprised no one brought up OS/X so far.
Maya
Be grateful there is a substitute today. I'm one of the old fogies who helped get Blender freed up. At least today there is one substantial 3D tool open.
I'd put several tools and technologies far before Maya. Consumer routers are probably top on my list, particularly from the companies where the only option is the locked-up corporate version.
I love my FTTP gigabit connection's speed, but the only option is AT&T in my region, and since 2015 that has been a mandatory eternal rental. No purchase option, no other devices can be attached, no choice of box. All customers have a mandatory rental fee which cannot be escaped, and no other equipment can be used. The closest I can come is attach my own device to the gateway, but it lives behind their locked-away gateway no matter what.
//TODO: Think of witty sig statement
Clippy! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
In imagining the future computing world, I've always imagined it would include personal AI assistants. I never imagined that they wouldn't be running directly on my home computer and accessing the net as my proxy.
I believe the most critical open source need today is a strong AI assistant. Missing it is like missing the addition of Linux to open source.
I have no interest in building or running the software... but I imagine reading the code comments would be hilarious and enlightening.
#DeleteChrome
AppleScript. I absolutely need AppleScript.
Apple has paid so little attention to AppleScript, at least in public recently, that I'm concerned that they might stop including it in macOS some day. I sure hope not.
If they do stop including AppleScript in macOS, I hope they'll open source it, so that people who need it can keep on using it.
After reading the other article, why not open source winamp? Surely it would be more useful than it is rotting away... Same for Picasa.
1.ZTree. Its a clone of the old XTree file manager for dos except ZTree is a 32-bit Windows app with support for a bunch of windows things (copying to the clipboard, long file names and more). I use it all the time because it has ways to do things that would require a lot more effort to do using other methods and it would be good to see it updated to modern standards (e.g. make it 64 bit, add more features, stuff like that)
2.C&C Renegade from Westwood Studios. I have been reverse engineering C&C Renegade for more than 15 years and I probably know more about the internals of the game than anyone else on the planet at this point but there are still many holes in my knowledge. Having the original source code to Renegade (and the level editor, 3ds max export plugin and other tools) would allow all the mysteries of the engine to be sorted out once and for all.
3.Other C&C games from Westwood Studios and EA. Having the source code to the older games (C&C1, Red Alert 1, Tiberian Sun, Red Alert 2 and maybe Generals) would allow the people who have been reverse engineering (or trying to reverse engineer) those games to stop doing that and work with the original code instead. Source code to console ports of the games (e.g. the Nintendo 64 port of the first C&C) would also be great to see.
4.LEGO Mindstorms RCX. I own the original yellow LEGO Mindstorms RCX brick. I would love to see the complete source code for everything that runs on the device as well as the complete source code to the drivers and software so it can be made to work on modern operating systems (Windows 7 in my case).
5.WinAmp. I still use it as my audio player of choice and if whoever owns it doesn't plan to continue development, opening it up and letting someone else take over would be nice.
I think Google Pagerank is what defines what most of us see whenever we search for something on the web. Being such an important gateway between someone and the information. Does it have biases? How much censorship does it do ? How many false positive happen for the spam filtering? and so many other questions.
Painter here. Yes, that kind of painter.
While a poor painter may blame his brushes, a good painter knows that he's no better than the brushes he uses. A great deal of painters try to imitate Bob Ross with poorer quality paints and brushes (i.e. something other than the Bob Ross branded paints and brushes), and only end up frustrated. I'm one of those - Bob's knife techniques simply don't work with acrylics. He eventually comes around to mentioning this in one of his episodes, but that's years of time under the bridge.
I spent several years painting with "traditional" oil paint brushes, using acrylics, and ended up very frustrated with the limitations. But a few years ago, I discovered golden taklon brushes, and it was the difference between night and day. There are simply things you can't do with hog hair brushes, and no amount of skill will compensate for that.
There are a lot of amateur artists who remain amateurs, I suspect, because they don't have sense enough to buy good quality art supplies. They think, "If only I were skilled enough, I could do this right," instead of, "If I want the results of a great master, I have to use the same tool a master uses..." And sadly, they often give up, thinking they lack some fundamental talent necessary. More often than not, it's a matter of time and materials rather than talent.
Think of it another way: most of us could write in assembly if we needed, but why would we do that if C/C++/Java was available? If we insist on having the best tools available, why wouldn't a painter do the same?
And I have tried GIMP. Yes, I could use it for painting, but why? I'd spent less time doing it the traditional way, on canvas.
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