</Lurk>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Clark Peterson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"Fair to whom?
Here is the problem with that position. Only a maximum
of 5% of purchasers are ever going to care about
whether content is open or closed because it has no
impact on running the game. The only people who would
care are future d20 developers who want to use
something from my work in their future work. And that
is probably only 5% or that 5% that cared in the first
place. So I guess I dont mind a system or notice that
is convenient to 99% and inconvenient to 1%. Because a
purchaser is going to be pissed to see they spent
money on a product with two pages that are full of
usless legal crap (in their minds). If that makes a
potential d20 producer have to check my web site, I
dont think that is so onerous."
Clark
My problem with this attitude is that you are forgetting that only 1/2
the country is even has computers, and 1/3rd of them don't even go on the
net. Those are the numbers just in America, the world wide gaming community
is probably even less. So you produce a product and direct interested
parties to a web site. Person A is interested in this D20 thing but doesn't
have a computer and doesn't have any nearby access to one (maybe her Library
is connected yet or she lives in a rural area with no ISP service). She has
been interested in making a product and finally has a chance, but because
you didn't put the license in the product she has no way of knowing what
open content even means in the context of the whole d20/open gaming thing.
So you are right, it has no impact on running the game, but by not
publishing the entire licensee you are also limiting its exposure and
possibly keeping a possible writer away from it.
I know this is an extreme case, but I find fault with the elitist
attitude of "Well, they should own a computer and be on the net or else they
can't participate".
It also makes it look like you are using the distribution of the license
as a marketing ploy in and of it self, and I really find fault with this.
This says to me "Come to my website and check out my products, and while you
are here you can check out the license".
As a side note I like your products and what you are trying to do.
<Lurk>
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For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
