Software Scammers
@frontvisions101 (16043)
Philippines
February 1, 2011 5:56am CST
For those of you who doesn't know, I have been using Blender 3d on the 3d images I've been posting here on myLot, on the Art interest group. Blender 3d is a freeware, open source 3d application. You can download it here: http://www.blender.org
The software had done great in the computer graphics industry and is still hammering its way to the top.
What I hate, though, is the fact that people are taking advantage of other people's success. It's offered for FREE, specifically under GNU GPL license, which states that you can sell the software provided that you state the source where that software came from and never forge any information regarding the software. Well, there are some people who too ignorant about this fact. Apparently, someone had customized the software (because it's open source, you also have access to the source codes) and sells it at a high price. He even created his own name for the software and also created information about it. He posted screenshots that aren't from the software, but from other 3d softwares just to make it look different. If you happen to stumble upon these sites:
http://www.illusionmage.com or
http://www.3dmagix.com
...these are the sites I'm refering to, these are scams. Again, you can download the software for free here: www.blender.org
..and here's the link to the public address of the chairman of Blender Foundation, Ton Roosendhal: http://www.blender.org/blenderorg/blender-foundation/press/re-branding-blender/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Blender3d+%28Blender3d.org%3A+Latest+News%29
Have you ever encountered scammers like this? Or had your work stolen and sell, or promote it as his/her own?
2 responses
@topffer (42155)
• France
2 Feb 11
Hello frontvisions101,
I tried Blender under Linux, and it is not easy to install due to the libraries and dependencies needed : a fresh version of Python, ODE, OpenAL, etc.
The Windows version is maybe better, but the main problem with open source software is often that they lack something. I have a look every morning at http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/ a well-known site giving a free windows software every day. Many of these freebies for one day are using free sources, half of them are GUIs for open sources command line tools -- even if you don't have anymore the command line tool in these masked versions --. For a "power user" they don't bring anything, for others they are better than the free open source software.
I don't know if the programmers that have made these versions of Blender have made them to scam users, or if they have add some true '+' in their work.
Now there is also a problem of price : the freebie at gieawayoftheday today -- February 1st 2011 -- is normally priced $399 and you need Microsoft PowerPoint -- at least $100 more -- to run it. It looks like something original -- it happens --, but make us think at what is a software at the internet age ? The digital economy is a wealth economy and not our traditional scarcity economy. When you have eaten your dessert, you have no more dessert ; when you have given a copy of your "$399 software," you can give another one, and another one, etc. The cost to give this software is near 0 -- bandwidth and electricity... -- so you can have today free open source softwares and commercial softwares : the problem is to be sure that you know what you are paying for, and I agree that some programmers can try to sell you the work given freely by others...
Thank you for this discussion.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
2 Feb 11
I'm not even sure he's a programmer.
And even if he is, he violated the license agreement. I like Blender a lot. It's a very powerful software and the community is great and seeing this dude sell the software with a different brand name, different information about the software, he's giving it a bad impression doing that.
And even if he is, he violated the license agreement. I like Blender a lot. It's a very powerful software and the community is great and seeing this dude sell the software with a different brand name, different information about the software, he's giving it a bad impression doing that.
@fpsninja (874)
•
1 Feb 11
This isnt the only one. THere is a "version" if you like of microsoft office. It isnt microsoft office, but it is fully compatible, and it is a free download, but for some reason, another website has started selling it! I cant quite remember what is was called, but there are so many examples of this happening. What annoys me is that they change the name of the program, so unless u know what the original was called, you cant just go and find it. TO be honest, i have never paid for a program i have had to download, unless you count buying the cd, and downloading it, then using the cd key. Because if they charge, then you may as well get the disk, which you can use to stick on multiple pcs
