Free software visual novels

[erlehmann]

trooper6, Debian is not some kind of games collection, but a popular collection of useful programs comprising a free operating system. Think of everything from a kernel to a web browser on one DVD. Please read about free software <https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html> and the Debian project <https://www.debian.org/intro/about> before making additional (likely wrong) assertions – I do not want to sell other people's creations without their explicit consent. However, I would very much like to be able to package a quality visual novel for Debian, so it can be easily installed and updated. I tried that with „Bernd und das Rätsel um Unteralterbach“, but unfortunately, that game seems to be illegal in several countries where fictional displays of sexual abuse can lead to jail time.

ArachneJericho, I doubt that you will be sued if someone else violates a copyright law. Have you talked to a lawyer about that? Btw, I think copy projection is not only morally wrong (it requires subverting the functions of someone else's computer without their consent), but actually counter-productive when you want to make your work popular. With that attitude, your work will likely exist in relative obscurity.

[ArachneJericho]

ArachneJericho, I doubt that you will be sued if someone else violates a copyright law. Have you talked to a lawyer about that? Btw, I think copy projection is not only morally wrong (it requires subverting the functions of someone else's computer without their consent), but actually counter-productive when you want to make your work popular. With that attitude, your work will likely exist in relative obscurity.

Wow, have you talked to one at all? Yes, I can be sued if I don't obfuscate.

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/usage.html

Among "permitted uses":

Incorporate Content into software (including mobile “apps”) as background images or splash screens, provided that the primary purpose of the software is not the display of Content and further provided that Content or any digital files containing the Content cannot be unincorporated from the software;

Also, thank you for the insult. I'm sure that not releasing their assets has caused the downfall of many game companies. Why, there are hardly ANY game companies out there at all. If my game is obscure, it's probably due to other things—not how I treat the assets, and certainly not due to how you think of me.

[Taleweaver]

I do not want to sell other people's creations without their explicit consent.

However, you want them to consent to you selling their creations without paying them, which they would by giving their games licenses that allow commercial derivative works.

You may include CC BY-NC-SA works in any derivative work you also give away for free, as the creators of these works intended. If you wish to sell collections of explicitly non-commercial works, go and ask the respective creators for permission. And pay them.

An example: I write stories, many of which I just publish on the web, for free. Several of my children stories were published commercially by a publisher who found said work on the web and contacted me, asking whether I was willing to remove them online and sell him the publishing rights. Had this guy just taken my stuff and republished them as a part of his story collections, I would have been rightfully allowed to sue him. However, the fact that I had already published my stories before, for free, didn't stop me from still selling my publishing rights.

What stops you from doing the same?

[Suika]

Debian is not some kind of games collection, but a popular collection of useful programs comprising a free operating system.
...
I would very much like to be able to package a quality visual novel for Debian, so it can be easily installed and updated.

Debian also provides packages containing software that has restrictions (for instance NC). You can still package quality visual novels, and accomplish the goal of "it can be easily installed and updated" while still respecting the creator's intent to make their games free in the economic sense of the word, as well as partially free in the software sense. It would just belong in the contrib or non-free package.

[erlehmann]

I would package games containing non-free assets, but I will certainly not package games containing non-free code, as I think that promoting non-free code is not desirable in the majority of cases. However, if you have free code and non-free assets, I think it can be acceptable.

Note that if your code is under a free software license, but your assets is not, it is very unlikely that someone else will be able to sell your game – as that someone would have to replace all assets, which amounts to almost making a brand-new game.

[Taleweaver]

I would package games containing non-free assets, but I will certainly not package games containing non-free code, as I think that promoting non-free code is not desirable in the majority of cases.

So, do you consider the writing of the VN a part of its assets or a part of its code? That sorta matters to me as a writer.

[Milkymalk]

I would package games containing non-free assets, but I will certainly not package games containing non-free code, as I think that promoting non-free code is not desirable in the majority of cases.

So, do you consider the writing of the VN a part of its assets or a part of its code? That sorta matters to me as a writer.

The question wasn't for me, but I'd consider the writing to be part of the code as it's embedded into it and can't just be distributed separately. Graphics and music on the other hand are separate files and also in a different form than written words. You could enjoy and use those without the rest, but you can't use the writing without the code. This might be debatable for kinetic novels, but the "is inside the code" still applies here.

[Corvo]

Sorry for my EngRish.

You may include CC BY-NC-SA works in any derivative work you also give away for free, as the creators of these works intended. If you wish to sell collections of explicitly non-commercial works, go and ask the respective creators for permission. And pay them.
<...>
What stops you from doing the same?

I'm not erlehmann but lots of good freeware applications after some years are unusable/obsolete and their creators are unreachable. Free licenses resolve this problem.
On the other hand, code needs to be maintained/changed over time (and wanting to make some money for this kind of work is reasonable), but a good finished story is, oh well, finished. CC BY-NC-SA probably is the best license for the majority of the writers here.

The question wasn't for me, but I'd consider the writing to be part of the code as it's embedded into it and can't just be distributed separately. Graphics and music on the other hand are separate files and also in a different form than written words. You could enjoy and use those without the rest, but you can't use the writing without the code. This might be debatable for kinetic novels, but the "is inside the code" still applies here.

Maybe I'm saying something stupid, I only read the manual out of curiosity, but ren'py has a translation framework that can be used to make a "dummy" translation without words .