Re: [Swftools-common] basic question on ActionScript 2.0

[Pablo Rodríguez]

On 10/30/2013 09:35 AM, Lists wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Oct 2013 21:54:28 +0100 Pablo Rodríguez wrote:
>> The short answer is I can’t. I don’t code.
> 
> But others do, can, and as far as I recall, you have some skill Pablo.
> Despite your protestations to the contrary. ;o)

I really appreciate your kind words, although I must conclude that you
overestimate my skills :-).

But even if I wrote a new script, I would rather release it to under a
license with a copyleft provision. I mean, it makes no sense to me that
people won’t share back improvements to what has been shared with them.

>> First of all, the transition time list as eligible for copyright
>> protection sounds weird to me (it’s a list of pure numbers), but
>> someone suggested me that the creativity in that list is a plausible
>> option for copyright protection.
> 
> Sure, plausible, if a little tenuous.  They do say though, that timing
> is everything!

Of course, it is tenuous. But even if tenuous, I know this possibility
and I shouldn’t ignore it.

If this timing list a slightly more than list of pure numbers and
eligible for copyright protection, that has an unintended consequence:
if included in a script under the GPL, user may be required to release
the whole presentation under the GPL.

>> The issue, as far as understand it, was that if the script was under
>> the GPL and it contained the time list, this might cause the user to
>> release the presentation under the GPL. (At least the time list would
>> be under the GPL.)
> 
> Not necessarily. I think this section covers that..
> 
>     https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLOutput

I don’t think this is exactly the case.

Of course, if emacs is released under the GPL (I guess it is), all files
generated with emacs aren’t required to be released under the GPL.

But the swfc script contains both (1) instructions to generate the .swf
file and (2) ActionScript code that is part of the output .swf file.

Considered as (1), the swfc script is totally independent from the
output and generated .swf files aren’t required to be released under the
GPL (as it happens with emacs).

But considered as (2), the ActionScript is the code present in the
generated .swf file (it‘s actually the code that makes the whole
presentation work). This is a derivative from the original script. If
the original script is released under the GPL, derivative works should
comply with the GPL. And this means presentations that include the
script too.

>> Gnash doesn’t play that because it has problems playing sounds
>> https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailitem&item_id=25456.
> 
> Which I am sure will be resolved at some stage. Even Flash player has
> trouble playing sounds in certain contexts.

But Flash has not as many troubles to play sound in the contexts I checked.

With the latest Gnash stable version, it‘s impossible to play a
presentation.

I hope that the bug will be fixed in the future, but the bug itself is
almost five years old.

>> And I’m afraid that Gnash is not actively maintained.
> 
> Doesn't appear quite dead yet..
> 
>    https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=gnash

I’m more than happy to be proven wrong in this.

But I’m still afraid that Gnash development is very slow.



Pablo
-- 
http://www.ousia.tk