[gcompris-devel] Version Windows

[Christof Petig]

stasZ schrieb:
> What's keeping me or someone else from compiling Gcompris on windows
> and giving it away with the source code ?

The burden of having to set up a working compile environment, the burden 
of having to set up a working runtime environment and the burden to pack 
it nicely using an installer.

I'm still the only one which builds windows binaries for my other 
projects and this is though debian ships a windows compiler/environment. 
And I have set up a public repository which ships gtk-win32 debs. It's a 
menace to correctly set up and get working. Remember: MinGW does not yet 
have a package tool like rpm or dpkg/apt for installing extra libraries 
(gtk...) on windows.

> Also what's making Gcompris differrent then the 4.95 euros windows edu  
> CD's you can buy in the shops, a new one every month ? (at least in  
> Holland and England)

You can recompile and change it. You are allowed to copy the CD and you 
are allowed to install it on as many computers as you like to. [IIRC 
that's simply mandated by the GPL nature]

If Bruno offers a nicely packaged version with complete source code (as 
required by the gpl) and (perhaps) a packaged build environment, I would 
recommend buying this to everyone I know of (). Making the CD and the 
cover look nice (artwork) will certainly lower the incentive to give 
away home made copies instead of buyed CDs.

So I would propose the following agreement:
- Anybody not knowing a gcompris developer which is capable to compile 
the beast is definitely better off buying the CD. [if the demo is not 
enough]
- Any gcompris developer who managed to build the beast is free to ship 
copies to his/her friends but he must give support (instead of 
redirecting to the mailing list). I s/he sets up a download location 
s/he is cursed to support the poor souls downloading it!
- You have to think about countries which have difficulties ordering CDs 
from France. Who is going to handle the orders, payments etc? This is 
additional overhead caused by selling something. Perhaps a far 
east/mexican version should be downloadable for free.
- The build environment might be a bonus of the CD.

This would definitely pacify my GPL infected mind from outcrying robbery ;-)
    Christof

PS: IMHO 5€ would be really cheap (no real incentive to spread private 
copies), 10€ would be perfect (e.g. as a present) and I would only pay 
20€ if it includes the build environment or other extras [Like a good 
book(let) describing to code python activities]. Perhaps a 
classroom/school order at <=5€/pc would make good sense. Add to that 
price if it contains printed documentation. Perhaps it makes even sense 
to put the CD as an extra into a book. But that's simply my feeling of it.

PPS: Perhaps it makes sense to restrict demo to one (or two) languages.

P4s: I set myself the deadline to ship my german geography recordings to 
you before the windows version is publicly spread. Feel free to remind 
me. [I realized I managed to encode the ones I finished in single 
channel stereo and I'm 50% done with cutting/noise filtering]