This is
not an official statement.
Livio wrote: ↑29 Jan 2022, 16:30
jesusalva wrote: ↑28 Jan 2022, 22:57
The quote from the Constitution is as old as the file itself, dating back to 2013, btw.
Doesn't means we always used non-free tools, we do tend to prefer FLOSS tools if we can help ourselves.
What's actually missing from FLOSS tools?
If we're officially using something non-FLOSS, there is a reason.
Localization boils down to: I cannot update them with a simple python script (or even a shell script).
There's some important things for translators, like a glossary and a concordance (so translations remain consistent in overall), and auto-detection for duplicate strings in different files (item names show both in server data and client data, should be translated the same and would be a waste of time).
We also have a very high number of strings for translation - way over 15k source strings, way over 120k source words on Moubootaur Legends; And way over 10k source strings / 70k words on TMW rEvolt + Evolved*
No FLOSS tool covers our needs. It doesn't exist. Our needs won't go away just because there's no FLOSS tool to cover it, and our devs can't be bothered with localization at all (not to translate, not to contribute or write translation software, not even to review or merge po files - Transifex should be merging po files automatically, though).
*: Only a few strings are currently available for translation.
So yes, if we're using officially a non-FLOSS tool, there's a reason.
Livio wrote: ↑29 Jan 2022, 16:30
jesusalva wrote: ↑28 Jan 2022, 22:57
Otherwise, TMW is a FLOSS game, running a FLOSS engine, and which you can connect with a FLOSS client and play. In other words, it adheres to the four basic freedoms and go no further.
Aren't the IRC/Discord bridges officially related to TMW?
Including here. Users are very important for a MMORPG. Our discord server has about 200 users already, which covers a lot of our community, retired devs and players, and I guess a bunch of bots too.
In this case, no FLOSS social network has 200+ members from our own community (let alone from potential community). Which is sad, but what we can (and do) is support the FLOSS network but NOT at expense of ourselves or the community. So we have a Matrix server now (with what, 7 people including bots?). We still support IRC (26 users incl. bots) and we obviously support our own game chat (...roughly same amount as IRC), but these are synchronous, so they don't really compete in the same category.
Need is the key, we don't go out looking for "oh lets see what this proprietary has to offer", we go as "we need a mark read feature" then see what have it (as a fun fact, element has no mark as read/unread feature).
This is
not an official statement.
And while "living based on needs" may not seem elegant at first, it is what we all do. First we cover our needs, and only then we go out selecting preferences. Being a FLOSS tool is an elegant preference and a good taste one, but it is still a preference. You're entitled to feel that you need it to be FLOSS, but please don't force your own needy preferences on others.
For the record: None of the proprietary components are dependencies, nor do they make to the final product. (Except on the launcher, where there's optional modules to integrate with Discord and Steam).
And that is a need, because of a compromise we did as a project - to allow the game to run on fully libre systems. So proprietary stuff will/should never be compulsory dependencies.