Originally Posted by attila77

Let's not mix the terms 'business model' and 'copyright' here. There are plenty of open source developers who are paid full-time to work on Free software (for example most linux kernel developers). Whether a project is Open Source has no bearing on piracy/copyright - Free software would not exist without the same rules that make commercial software possible, it's just that developers making a living from them employ different business models depending whether it's OSS or a classic commercial app. The question is whether you play by the rules or you don't (=act first, rationalize later, regardless of agreements, laws, etc). Open Source does NOT change that in any way. It is just as illegal (even if it's rarely called piracy) for a company or other people to use Open Source Software in ways not compliant with their licenses.

Originally Posted by Fargus

I am a technical director of, amongst other things, a reasonably sized games company (80+ employees) so I think I know what is involved in the production. I also have another company producing commerical software. The aspects that are often not understood by the larger world is the QA and interaction requirements of commercial software - if your game crashes then you are rightly annoyed, but if your commercial software crashes and you loose business then the results are more important to you.

Commercial software requires graphic artists too if they have a GUI and also a serious amount of 'storyboarding' around the typical use of an application by end users.

Game software can also often get away with unsupported techniques (banging the metal) when commercial software has to play nicely and also work with upgrades in the underlying operating system too. game software also tends to be single use and then a sequel carries forward only library code if relevant. Backwards compatibility with the previous incarnation is not expected - would you expect to load the saved game file from a previous release? All of these issues have to be accoutned for.

Originally Posted by mrojas

I could give it away, and that is fine. Or I could charge for it, and that is fine too. It is my decision, and the decision of the people that decide to use or not use my software.

Originally Posted by 77h

I wanted to buy angry birds to support the developer. i played level 1. The (insert random sware word) Ovi store would not let me purchase the level packs.

I turned away... I am not going to pirate this game but I lost interest. I am not going out of my way to pay someone 3 Euros ?!? where Nokia would then take one of it.

Piracy is GOOD for developers. I work for a software company - when I found out that someone in Russia cracked our licensing system I was smiling. This was free advertising in Russia for us. Eventually our developers closed the gap and the Russians are working on the next crack

Not every pirated copy is a lost sale

Originally Posted by attila77

The hardest for most developers to understand is that you have more choices than just those two. Sure, they are the simplest and most straightforward, but there are many many other business models to choose from.

Originally Posted by Fargus

the other point you are missing here is that I can't see the average user in the street paying for a support contract for all software that they want to use. If you can find a method for ensuring that then I suspect the entire software development community would be beating a path to your door for the solution (which you would obviously provide for free)

Originally Posted by fatalsaint

Which is all fine and dandy.. you still haven't addressed my original question.

Why can I find (1000's arguably) excellent open source variants to "commercial" software... but maybe 10, if I'm lucky, proper and decent Open Sourced 3D games?

There's the difference. Difficulty be damned ( I don't want to get into a pissing match between cultures here.. personal bias and/or emotions are not the way to discuss something ) - what matters is what the end user can get.

I can get OSS that will replace my commercial needs... I can't get OSS software to replace my gaming needs.

Originally Posted by attila77

The hardest for most developers to understand is that you have more choices than just those two. Sure, they are the simplest and most straightforward, but there are many many other business models to choose from.