My Mini vMac 3.1.2b Builds! (Win32)

[macgeek417]

Currently the focus is more on ensuring a solid 3.1.x stable version, but for the future I have some ideas for additional perks for people who have purchased an activation code, to make it more compelling. I'd welcome any further ideas for such perks.

How about giving people early access to source-code updates?

 

[Mac128]

The more people using the source code the better, in the long run. He has made several bug reports....The variation service can be thought of as just a way to more strongly encourage people to donate, since it is so easy to get around it. (Otherwise, the donation rate for open source projects is about 1 in 10,000, which unfortunately isn't enough to make a significant difference for Mini vMac.)

Paul, you are indeed a true gentleman and far more forgiving than I. Kudos.

Anyone who has made it this far and NOT just immediately downloaded MacGeek's builds and moved on, PLEASE visit the variation service store and donate anyway. $5 is not a lot to ask to help support Mini vMac and keep more improvements coming. Especially, if you are not handy with compiling source code and are otherwise enjoying the benefits of the variations.

For those of you running real hardware, Mini vMac is going to be the best hope for natively manipulating vintage files on a modern Mac. His Macintosh II emulator will hopefully bridge that gap between HFS & HFS+ and System 7.5.5 and 8.1, before HFS support is eliminated completely from OS X.

 

[macgeek417]

Um... if he would ask me to stop distributing the builds, i would... but he hasn't, so I won't

If the only person who my distributing of the builds could possibly negitively-impact doesn't care, why should you?

 

[MacJunky]

Um... if he would ask me to stop distributing the builds, i would... but he hasn't, so I won'tIf the only person who my distributing of the builds could possibly negitively-impact doesn't care, why should you?

But does he know what you are doing?

 

[Mars478]

Um... if he would ask me to stop distributing the builds, i would... but he hasn't, so I won'tIf the only person who my distributing of the builds could possibly negitively-impact doesn't care, why should you?

But does he know what you are doing?

I see what you did there.

 

[Mac128]

Um... if he would ask me to stop distributing the builds, i would... but he hasn't, so I won'tIf the only person who my distributing of the builds could possibly negitively-impact doesn't care, why should you?

There is a huge difference between doing the right thing and being permitted to do the wrong thing.

If a developer puts out some software as fully functional shareware and asked for a donation if you used it, and you used it all the time without ever donating ... would that be wrong? Technically no, because the shareware designer offered it that way. Would it still be wrong? Yes.

Now what if you took that exact same shareware and posted it on a bulletin board in your local user group, but compiled your own "read-me" as you have done with Mini vMac, which does not mention the request for donations? Would that be wrong? Again, technically no, if the author failed to require the notice be distributed with the software. Would it still be wrong? Yes.

That's what you are doing to Mini vMac. Not only that but you are distributing it with ROMs, something Paul can't legally do (nor can you by the way, but that's another matter). So there is very little reason for anyone to ever visit Paul's site once they have everything they could possibly need. But Paul has no choice but to allow you to do this. You are entitled under the GPL to do anything you want to do. Except, you violate the first term of the GPL:

1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of [a work based on the Program], in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.

In addition, Paul can't really ask for donations in any of his attached GPL documentation because of its nature. Mini vMac is itself borrowing vMac's license and must comply to the terms of it as well. Technically he is within his rights, but more importantly since Mini vMac is based upon patents, trademarks and copyrights of Apple, charging anything for the code or program itself is problematic. So he must at all costs avoid the appearance of profiting from Apple's intellectual properties. It's a catch 22, it takes resources to develop something like this, so one has to be independently wealthy or rely on the support of a larger community who does not have the skills themselves. Moreover, at all costs this project must fly below the radar and appear inconsequential to Apple. The fact that you are redistributing the work against the GPL:

This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs.

by including Apple's ROMs, makes you and your distribution a target as well as the entire Mini vMac project. You have been one of the most visible members on this site flagrantly flaunting requests and offers for copyrighted software. I don't know how long you have been involved in the vintage Mac community, but there are numerous examples of people who have been shut down over the years for less obvious infringements. So not only are doing Paul effort's a disservice, but you are putting the Mini vMac, 68Kmla and the entire vintage Mac community in jeopardy.

At a bare minimum, if you placed in your "Read Me First!" document and even once mentioned to others on any of your numerous threads around the vintage community where you have posted links to your Mini vMac collection to visit and make a donation to Mini vMac for the tireless efforts of its developer, which you have so liberally appropriated, I would have been less offended. Add to that your careless disregard for visibly treading on protected copyrights and violating the terms of the GPL and the situation is made even worse.

I personally find your actions thoughtless, reckless, and morally challenged. Why exactly are you posting every possible build anyway?

 

[macgeek417]

1. I haven't distributed it with ROMs since ClockWise at E-Maculation asked me not to.

2. Mini vMac itself has all of the copyright stuff in it. just press Ctrl-A, but i'll ask the mods to update the above link to one with COPYING and LICENSE files in it.

@mods: please update the link in the OP to http://macgeek417.uni.cc/Mini%20vMac%203.1.2%20Beta%20Win32%20Binaries%20v1.1.zip