**NEWS: Project Darkstar is open source**

Networking & Multiplayer
#1

All,

Well, we actually have three announcements today :

  1. Project Darkstar will be open source! The binaries will available for download on Wednesday, March 7 and the source will be available in May.

  2. One of the companies that we are working with added support for Darkstar in the release. NCsoft is currently prototyping a new game on Darkstar :):):slight_smile:

  3. We are announcing the Darkstar Playground which will allow selected approved developers to have access to Darkstar server resources that will be operated and maintained by Sun Microsystems. Think of this as an incubator.

All in all, a fantastic day for us and more info to come as GDC marches on. See the release here http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/pr/2007-03/sunflash.20070305.1.xml

-Chris

#2

Wow

Thats not at all what I expected to fall out of the licensing discussion, i’m impressed :slight_smile:

The press release mentions that it’s going GPL. Does that mean that our server side components must also be GPL?. I’m guessing that sun will still retain/maintain the ‘official’ version, meaning that we don’t just get any old stuff commited to the code base? In other words, all the usual questions when a project goes open source :slight_smile:

Endolf

#3

Congratulations to Sun, another great move.

#4

U ppl pwn!

#5

http://www.java-gaming.org/forums/index.php?topic=13189.msg116759#msg116759

::slight_smile:

#6

;D

Well, this is great news. Feel like creating something with darkstar right now!!! Bit depending on what the GPL really means. I am guessing that just by using the framework, we don’t have to GPL our work, but any modifications/additions to Darkstart should be GPLed? This always seems to create confusion…

#7

its simple really. If you do something that adds/modifies the astual Darkstar server code, you contribute it back to the community. anything you build on top of, you don’t. and you can sell/use the whole stack. pretty cool :slight_smile:

#8

I am not a specialist in this field by any stretch of the imagination, but my impression was that unless
the license is GPL + classpath exception, one will have to gpl your application if it links to GPL-ed code.

Dmitri

#9

OMG! can it be true- i dont beleave a word of it! LIES I TELL YOU!!!

click click click! “download darn it!”

#10

I noticed on the playground sign up page a comment about filling monthly progress reports

I take it ‘Didn’t make any this month, spent too much time playing Eve’ or ‘I got distracted with another project’ doesn’t really cut it, and access to the playground would be removed in favour of someone who actually had something to play? :slight_smile:

Endolf

#11

Also

The new binary license says

[quote]Sun grants You a limited non-exclusive license to use Software for internal non-commercial purposes
[/quote]
(my highlighting on internal)

Does this mean we can’t stick any demos or tests up that would be publically available?

Cheers

Endolf

#12

The Binary license is a stop gap so we could get the new stuff out to you. Our target for the full GPL release is JavaOne which is only 8 weeks away.

This classpath thing is something that is under debate right now by lawyers all across the country. Its is our best belief that GPLing the SGS will not virally extend to your game applications it may execute.

#13

Cool

I can’t imagine me getting anything done in 8 weeks, i’m far too distracted atm :slight_smile:

It’s good to see you back again :slight_smile:

Endolf

#14

Its is our best belief that GPLing the SGS will not virally extend to your game applications it may execute.

Good luck convincing other folks about this =)

Dmitri

#15

I was just wondering (seeing as I never seem to get time to develop any of my ideas anyway…) Is darkstar still going to be pushed and developed within Sun now?

Dan.

#16

Absolutely!

In the past year our team has grown, not shrunk. We have incredible, luminary people at Sun involved in the project now (eg Jim Waldo, Ann Wolrath).

We told management that open sourcing would take more resources, not less and they said “fine.”

This is in no way an “abandonware” strategy. Quite contrary. Sun sees a lot of potential revenue being generated from this in terms of support contracts
and hardware sales.

And then of course there is the playground… which is the first hosted Darkstar environment. The playground will be free, but you might think about other
Sun resources, like a great big grid of computers we operate, and what might be done with that…

JK

#17

Hi

Who is the playground open too. Whilst there is no mention of any restrictions, I get the impression that it’s aimed for small independant studios. I’m not suggesting that I have anything to host there, but at some point I might have, but with the shutoff date for applications being so soon, I appear to have the choice of apply now, or never.

Cheers

Endolf

P.S. Just seen the Level up from the first day of GDC, love the PDS lab coat Jeff :smiley:

#18

So the answer is that anyone can submit an application, but we deffntiely intend this to be a way for little guys to get
into the game.

#19

Hi Chris,

We met shortly in GDC after I recognize your face in the noeth hall. Now I remember where I saw you, it was in the video of LevelUp. Later I came to the Sun booth but after I saw you doing strange mimics in front of a camera, I choosed to not disturb you from your busy activity :slight_smile:

How will approved developers be selected? Big companies only or also independent projects?
[edit: ok, it has been answered already, I should read the whole thread before I post.]

I applied for the playground and wonder if I have a chance to be allowed or not. My application will run only during some short period of time, just enough to do some tests and it won’t take a lot of resources, so I am hoping that there is a chance for me to sneak into the selected ones.

#20

I didn’t answer the second half of this before, sorry.

The cut off is fast approach for the first round of users, however the Playground is a latter stages of development development and beta-test area. Not a commercial release space. Playground access is granted on a per-project basis so we expect user to rotate on and off as they move through that phase and to be bringing new user of the playground on to take their stead.

As for the exact details, well we’re new at this 8) I expect the rules to grow and mature as we get experience with what really is and isn’t helpful to the game development community.