The following is a joint message from Dasher and VonFrank:
As many of you are aware, a heated disagreement has been taking place in the past few weeks regarding Foundation and BC:Remastered. We are pleased to let the community know that this issue has been resolved. Both VonFrank and Dasher have apologized to each other for the actions and words that were exchanged. We don't want any hostilities to continue. We are releasing this summary to you, since the two of us (and only the two of us) are privy to the full details of the conflict, and we want to ensure this does not happen again in the future with anyone else.
We’ve found out how it all got started.
BC:Remastered 1.2 incorporates Foundation as a key element in its distribution. The source files (py files) of Foundation, stock files modified by Foundation, and other files modified by VonFrank and other mods were included in the download. The source for stock files - nearly all of them unedited - was unintentionally left out. Despite the fact that most of these files were unchanged from their release by Activision or others, an outside observer or coder maintainer’s tools (Dasher’s) could not verify their contents and know they were stock SDK. The Foundation's license requires these files be included - for reasons of transparency and practical upkeep, and as a safeguard against theft or plagiarism. It was an innocent omission, but a violation of Foundation’s terms, none the less. Yet, it was far, far smaller than it appeared.
Upon investigation, Dasher was understandably concerned that the missing files were a part of a pattern of omitting source files for what could potentially be harmful reasons. It was not the case; VonFrank acted reasonably considering what he was aware of. However, the concern was justified; theft has happened before in the BC community and in other LGPL projects, and some old Discord gripes lent themselves to misinterpretation. A lack of direct conversation between the two primary parties led to an escalation. People took sides, accusations were thrown about, and judgments were passed without the most important details being known by… any one person.
Given the wipe-and-start-over nature of Remastered, no assumption could be made about these files, but VonFrank was correct to assume the SDK files he did not modify had source code provided. Once this was clarified, and SDK .py files in-filled, only a single file related to LCARS and a handful of stray unused ship files (Malon and Vidiian, which were later renamed for the final release) were missing. Some unresolved UI glitches of Remastered files interacting with infilled SDK files; needless to say, we’re quite happy to resolve these as mere bugs.
Remastered does use the Foundation; in a way that is clean and true to both author’s intentions. And it has, in spirit and in all ways that technically matter once the SDK is present, upheld the license.
We both reasonably thought we had the facts, and ran our tools verifiably; we did not have each other’s contextual information and old outdated conversations were taken out of context. We both had accurate facts; those were both incomplete. We and those around us proceeded to argue against each other’s facts, instead of get each other’s missing pieces. This was silly, and shows how important it is for both parties of a conflict to have open discussion with each other at all times.
We want to make these things abundantly clear to the community:
1. Files that should have been included in BC:Remastered were not, but NO theft has occurred in this case. VonFrank did not steal anything. He left out a mere handful of his files with trivial differences, and the bulk of BC 1.1 SDK’s .py files. He acted reasonably according to his understanding of the situation. For a work that rebuilds stock, these files are important to have, but he knew he hadn’t modified them.
Through respectful and factual conversation, Dasher and VonFrank clearly agree that we don’t want violations to happen, and never did. We acknowledge each other’s good faith.
2. For any other modpack authors ever in this or a similar position: it is best we make requests and ask where source files are expected to be, because keeping track of them all is a challenge that not everyone handles the same way.
3. Much of the modding community’s documentation is now lost or hard to find, and is being replaced. Benefit of the doubt is a really good idea. While gaps in our documentation and community knowledge are being filled, we do well to forbear, to hear each other out and bring each other up to speed. Dasher and VonFrank were able to work things out directly. We’d want the same for all of you.
4. Not everyone may understand why the omission of source code (both edited and unedited) is such a big deal, but that is irrelevant considering IT IS a requirement of the license. Dasher is not being unreasonable. He’s looking out for the technical needs of the code and the integrity of all our contributions. VonFrank agrees, and plays an important role in our direction where we get this right.
5. We are resolving this with thoughts for what our resolution brings to other modders going forward. Transparency in including each other’s work matters. Foundation-based source code must be open, or available upon request, but the full picture includes knowing and respecting the modder’s wishes when we include their work.
As far as Dasher and VonFrank are concerned, this matter is closed. We have found great respect for each other and we want no further hostility in the community regarding this. Future releases of BC:Remastered will include all source files in a separate folder, and future points of contention between mod authors will be discussed privately instead of publicly to prevent tribalism and unwanted escalation.
We hope this mends the rift in the community. While we don't demand it, we strongly encourage everyone to consider offering apologies to both Dasher and VonFrank for any accusations and unkind words spread over the past few weeks.
Now let's all get back to the game we love and continue to make Bridge Commander the best it can be!
-Dasher & VonFrank
Topic: Peace with understanding! A joint statement from Dasher42 and VonFrank42 (Read 582 times)