What Do You Think of Selling OpenCPN?

[anewman]

Selling OpenCPN? How much value does a person actually want to extract from a community effort?

We can't stop them. But it's jolly difficult not to have a negative opinion of them as opportunists.

What I would love to see are more hardware vendors getting behind the OpenCPN project, even if it competes with some of their software offerings. I think it's brilliant. It creates more navigators, it creates interest because people can make a contribution. Basically it turns people towards each other.

Opportunists don't engender that spirit, so to have strong feelings about them is understandable.

There is a proposed project for overlaying Radar on OpenCPN. The guy has used this forum and OpenCPN to raise the cash adn buy the hardware to test his software. Nowhere have I seen a hardware vendor offering to provide the equipment that may assist in the development. Perhaps one has (because it would make good business sense). But I also have strong feelings about some person trying to peddle convenient access to OpenCPN, when I witness the efforts of others to provide a feature to OpenCPN for free.

[wdkester]

This may be thread drift, but, I would be willing to pay somebody for a Raspberri Pi running Opencpn. Is this selling Opencpn? Or is it selling the arcane knowledge of how to get Opencpn running on a R.Pi?

[anewman]

I don't think it's thread drift at all. I suppose this subject explores the boundaries between community and commerce.

A Raspberri Pi with OpenCPN installed is the complete article. It either works or it doesn't. If it doesn't, the transaction defaults. Therefore no product!

A CD with OpenCPN stored on it carries no warranty - except for it's storage. I.e If the software and information is on the disk, it's a deal.

But selling information on how to install something created free by a community just feels like secretly taking an entry fee to a church service!!!! You can try and do it - but your soul's got to ache!

Perhaps I am prejudiced - but it feels wrong

[HappySeagull]

anewman, There's a way to feel better- get on Ebay and compete! Give the profit to O !

[anewman]

Compete with who?

I simply make the point that there are some things you just don't sell!

OpenCPN doesn't get better with more money. It get's better with more participation.

Doesn't it occur to you that OpenCPN would do far better with direct participation, rather than throwing a simple dollar at the project.

Look at wikipedia. It has no commercial foundation, yet it survives and enriches millions. Ask Jimmy Wales of wikipedia what the cost of running wikipedia would be if there weren't volunteers. Well the same applies to OpenCPN.

So having a few people using ebay offering, at fee, the services of a community effort is plain wrong. And just because one cannot stop it doesn't mean that people shouldn't express an opinion.

[monstads]

Originally Posted by anewman

I don't think it's thread drift at all. I suppose this subject explores the boundaries between community and commerce.

A Raspberri Pi with OpenCPN installed is the complete article. It either works or it doesn't. If it doesn't, the transaction defaults. Therefore no product!

A CD with OpenCPN stored on it carries no warranty - except for it's storage. I.e If the software and information is on the disk, it's a deal.

But selling information on how to install something created free by a community just feels like secretly taking an entry fee to a church service!!!! You can try and do it - but your soul's got to ache!

Perhaps I am prejudiced - but it feels wrong

My PI is supposedly being shipped right now, and you can bet I will be trying to get OpenCPN running on it.

I already know it compiles on an emulated ARM CPU running the PI Linux distribution, so getting it to run I don't think will be a problem. Getting it to run well, or even decent may be another matter. Whatever I end up doing to get it running, I would contribute back to the community, btw..

To drift the thread drift even further out to sea.. The PI as a black box datacollector/nmea&sensor bridge/ file server feeding data to something like MXMariner or to a TV, now that should be doable, and might even have some commercial potential if it was well integrated.

[HotRod]

Another opportunist: Oct 2013 Laptop Marine GPS Chartplotter Navigation System AIS Grib Logs Bonus | eBay

To try to sell a community developed software is just despicable. Not a single credit to OpenCPN.

The seller also encourage buyers to get the "easily available CMap93 Version 1 or Version 2 (ENC) data sets" which is not available for new sale any more. Ergo the seller encourage buyers to get pirated versions, ergo breaking ebay's rules.

Pardon me, but I feel sick each time I see this... Yes I know the GNU GPL applies, but it's just not right...

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by HotRod

Another opportunist: Oct 2013 Laptop Marine GPS Chartplotter Navigation System AIS Grib Logs Bonus | eBay

To try to sell a community developed software is just despicable. Not a single credit to OpenCPN.

The seller also encourage buyers to get the "easily available CMap93 Version 1 or Version 2 (ENC) data sets" which is not available for new sale any more. Ergo the seller encourage buyers to get pirated versions, ergo breaking ebay's rules.

Pardon me, but I feel sick each time I see this... Yes I know the GNU GPL applies, but it's just not right...

There is just nothing wrong with this. The guy packaged a number of varied products together and markets them presumably with support for 11 pounds. The GPL license specifically allows this type of use. You can't take the benefits of GPL code and then deny the rights you give someone else via the GPL license.
As far as the CM93 issue, just remember that a huge percentage of non-USA based users of OpenCPN are using those same CM93 files.

[HotRod]

Originally Posted by Paul L

As far as the CM93 issue, just remember that a huge percentage of non-USA based users of OpenCPN are using those same CM93 files.

That many people use the pirated C-map's does not make it right anyways. I use C-map ed2 my self, but i have a running subscription that I don't want to part with...

I know that the GNU allows people to bundle and redistribute, but I really do not like that they offer it like it should be their own, and not crediting the community. I could not care less what amount they ask for it, but it's disrespectful to do it that way.

I'm to proud to be a part of OpenCPN to let such a bastard just slide...

Hopefully this seller will be punished due to his effort to encourage people to use pirated software... If you like it, buy it. Trying something thats pirated and then buying it is ok by me. But stealing it and also distributing it is another story.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by HotRod

That many people use the pirated C-map's does not make it right anyways. I use C-map ed2 my self, but i have a running subscription that I don't want to part with...

I know that the GNU allows people to bundle and redistribute, but I really do not like that they offer it like it should be their own, and not crediting the community. I could not care less what amount they ask for it, but it's disrespectful to do it that way.

I'm to proud to be a part of OpenCPN to let such a bastard just slide...

Hopefully this seller will be punished due to his effort to encourage people to use pirated software... If you like it, buy it. Trying something thats pirated and then buying it is ok by me. But stealing it and also distributing it is another story.

The various contributors to OpenCPN make it very clear what the terms of using their work is -- GPL. If they wanted some other terms, they are free to offer any license they wish. It is silly to offer a product under specific legal license terms and then say Oh, you should have used it under different terms. If I violated the GPL license by using the code in a proprietary licensed product, the copyright owners would be pissed and have a right to go after me. If I follow the terms of the license properly, then they should be happy that their work is being used per the license terms.
You are splitting hairs on the CM93. If the OpenCPN developers wanted they could put in an affirmative check requiring that you attest that you have a license to use the CM93 files or enter a license key or do a Microsoft thing and have a phone in approval. Of course, none of that is going to happen, nor would I want it. The guy selling on EBay is not doing any more to encourage CM93 use sans a license than OpenCPN itself is doing.

[nohal]

Paul...
I suppose what Frode refers to is the extra care these guys pay to removing any sign of OpenCPN from the screenshots. I personally find it a bit funny. As the author of some of that code I really don't care - we made it available under GPL because we wanted to and that's it. And if they really deliver the support they usually promise, I would even consider these offers a good value for some users. I really have better stuff to do than care about this.

Pavel