RAPo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2020 11:38 am
There is no obligation for nongovernmental software, but if you keep it closed participation from a new generation op HP-enthusiasts will be limited.
I must admit, the more you post your objections ref the 41x emulation platform not being open sorce, the harder it's become for me to understand your position. The 41 ecosystem is to all intents and purposes an open system, particularly with regards to 'open data'/content.
However, the 41 community is based on mutual respect. Study the excellent PDF documentation of 'Pacs' such as SandMath, SandMatrix, 41Z etc, etc. You'll see that much as Ángel Martin is responsible for the overriding packages, his work is based on the efforts of multiple authors (all of whom he credits) and in many cases he goes to the extra effort of converting their comparatively slow FOCAL programs to more perfomant MCode ones.
Sure I can see a few DM42 owners being miffed that they can't effectively run DM42, WP43c and DM41x on the same hardware without having to utilise overlays/stickers (if a developer choose to recreate DM41x for the 42 key layout). But I really don't see the advantages of making the base emulation layer open source. And when push comes to shove, there's nothing stopping a talented developer taking one of the other 41 emulation platforms that are open source and creating a bespoke solution for the DM platform - but it's obviously going to involve more work.
I've been an active member of the open source community since it's earliest days as I cut my teeth on UNIX systems back in the 80's but I really don't see how the 21st century has anything special about it with regards to open source projects. Social media channels may have changed over the years but the creaky bare bones bulletin boards of the 80's were the engine room of open source projects in no different manner than current social channels.