This deserves to be open source. :)

[fcassia]

Hi Elmar,

I believe what you have done is fantastic. You must be proud of your code. But the difference between freeware and open source only hurts the users.  I mean, you are not making any money from the product right now, nor you would if you open source it. So, it is the same from that point of view.

However, things would change drastically for end user should you ever choose to open source Plop boot manager. Why? Simple, in the worst case scenario: peace of mind. Peace of mind to know that the software won´t become abandonware once you change jobs, lose interest, don´t have time, move to another country, change profession, or, god forbid, get stuck by lightning while camping. ;-)

In the best case scenario: some other people could take a look at the code, do suggestions, or add their own routines to create new functionality, off-loading some of the work from you. The "creature" would take a life of its own.

You could still manage the central repository, you will still be named on the program source code as the creator, and you ´ll earn fame as "the guy who created and open sourced Plop".

Well, just an idea. Wishful thinking, at best.

Would love to know what you think.

Best regards,
FC

[thunderratt]

^ I kind of agree...then maybe Plop can replace the high usage of Grub in the Linux world!

[walterav]

^ I kind of agree...then maybe Plop can replace the high usage of Grub in the Linux world!

You're not the only one, but I'm just curious how many lines of assembler is needed to just boot a usb device...
http://forum.plop.at/index.php/topic,205.0.html

[zyphlar]

PLoP BM is awesome. I got caught without it the other day and it ruined my whole day, as I usually do everything via USB but a client had an old non-usb-boot PC.

Thanks to everyone who's contributed toward PLoP BM, and I too think open-source would be a great thing for everyone involved (considering that every new computer can boot from USB, this is exactly the kind of software that can be necessary for us techs, but end up abandoned.)

[walterav]

Seems like Google (gsoc) is paying someone at coreboot to fill in a USB payload gap? Does this resemble any of the work you have done for plop?
http://www.coreboot.org/GSoC#USB_drivers_for_libpayload


Also USB booting seems to be on Grub2 gsoc wishlist...
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/grub-soc.html

I think I know this project for 1 year, I like it. But almost half of the PC's / Notebooks I tried, I can't get it to boot.

Don't you think this plop USB module will develop at a much higher rate if open-sourced? Booting USB is perfect for lowering the threshold to use other OS and stop wasting CD's.

Don't want to push "although a little" 

[Elmar]

hi all,

I believe what you have done is fantastic. You must be proud of your code. But the difference between freeware and open source only hurts the users. 

i think most of the people are happy when it works and they can use software without problems. i understand that some developers are really interested in the source code, especially the usb code. but i did nothing special. only reading the free available usb design guides and working hard to get it to work + writing the drivers that they are very small.

I mean, you are not making any money from the product right now, nor you would if you open source it. So, it is the same from that point of view.

maybe i make a commercial version with some extra features. when i open the source, then i cannot do this anymore.

However, things would change drastically for end user should you ever choose to open source Plop boot manager. Why? Simple, in the worst case scenario: peace of mind. Peace of mind to know that the software won´t become abandonware once you change jobs, lose interest, don´t have time, move to another country, change profession, or, god forbid, get stuck by lightning while camping. ;-)

i don't want to comment this in public

^ I kind of agree...then maybe Plop can replace the high usage of Grub in the Linux world!

the plop boot manager can never and will never replace grub. its not my plan to do anything in this way.

..., but I'm just curious how many lines of assembler is needed to just boot a usb device...

difficult to say because of comment lines and empty separator lines.

Seems like Google (gsoc) is paying someone at coreboot to fill in a USB payload gap? Does this resemble any of the work you have done for plop?
http://www.coreboot.org/GSoC#USB_drivers_for_libpayload

no, i have nothing to do with that

I think I know this project for 1 year, I like it. But almost half of the PC's / Notebooks I tried, I can't get it to boot.

hmm, when you look through this forum, then you will see that only a few topics are about pc's where my usb code does not work. from how may pc's / notebooks are you talking?


best regards
elmar

[kaarsten]

Wouldn't PLoP BM benefit from the ability of others to provide source for the various different USB chipsets? And if anything, you can do a dual-license type model like Virtualbox and DD-WRT provide; keep the core open source, but if you want to distribute something with frills, you can distribute the binary with the frills and keep the extra, commercial parts secret, but the core PLoP as we have it now can be open source.

[walterav]

hmm, when you look through this forum, then you will see that only a few topics are about pc's where my usb code does not work. from how may pc's / notebooks are you talking?

That might be true but still half of the machines mostly notebooks won't boot and I can't start a topic about them because I don't own the machine. The same might be true for other people... It still boots more machines than a year ago.

maybe i make a commercial version with some extra features. when i open the source, then i cannot do this anymore.

But the real deal if or if not to opensource is the license. You can still make money on it if you choose the right license, even dual license...