Re: [tf-help] Hosting a J2ME game

[Audouard Benoit <baud123@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Re,
Le jeudi 09 octobre 2008 à 00:47 +0200, Petr Machata a écrit :
> Hi folks,
> 
> I'm looking for hosting for my GPL 3-licensed project that is a J2ME
> deterministic minesweeper game.  I don't know about a free
> implementation of SUN's WTK, which is necessary to compile the thing,

ah WTK is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Java_Wireless_Toolkit which
was formerly J2ME ;-)

> therefore even though the project itself is free, there is a
> dependency on a non-free software.  

yep, as all Java programs before Sun delivered OpenJDK, known as the
java-trap http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html
Doesn't OpenJDK include a part about J2ME^W WTK ?

> Moreover, as is stands, the game
> is only useful on cell phones, which are also seldom running free
> software.  
More free software, even on non-free plateform means more free software,
which is better than less. Maybe someday the base-layer can be free as
well ?

> Are these aspect something that would make the game unfit
> for hosting at TuxFamily, or something you frown upon?

We really prefer to address this kind of issue before the project is
submitted. In your case, your code is free software and you're conscious
you're using "biased" tools, just try as much as possible to rely on
free implementations when possible and that will do it (there's the same
kind of problem with games using fmod : as long as there's the
possibility/easyness of using an alternative in your program to make it
completely free, it should not be too much of a problem).
There may be a problem, though as I'm not sure that GPLv3 can be used
with a program relying on non-free software (as long as it's not tightly
linked I think it may be possible). Maybe you'll have to rely on an
intermediary LGPL library to abstract from the non-free interfaces ?

Hence, welcome at TuxFamily, I'll be happy to comment further on a
dedicated page you'll write, stating how you cope with the issue of
non-free tools using as much free software as possible ;-)

@++
Ben' aka baud123