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Valve Releases Source Code For Their Virtual Reality API

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In a move that will please developers Valve has opened up the source code to their VR API so anyone can now dive in.

I am still unsure exactly where VR will go, it certainly won't reach major popularity with consumers this year and I personally still feel that it's a bit of a fad.

Hopefully having this API so open will make VR easier to do for developers, so who knows we may start getting more and more games supporting it. The problem is the hardware, it's still expensive and difficult to come by.

Anyway, go here to grab the source on github. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware, Steam
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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7 comments

DrMcCoy Feb 11, 2014
It's a non-free-software license, though, since it restricts your freedom to non-commercial use. Not impressed.
Liam Dawe Feb 11, 2014
Quoting: DrMcCoyIt's a non-free-software license, though, since it restricts your freedom to non-commercial use. Not impressed.

Why are you not impressed? Did you want to use it to create your own API and sell it on?
DrMcCoy Feb 11, 2014
No, not really. But you know me, I'm a software freedom fanatic. :P

Apart from that, the code does seem nice and clean.
DrMcCoy Feb 11, 2014
Hmm, also, thinking about that: This restriction makes the license incompatible with the GPL. I couldn't incorporate that VR API into a GPL project.
Speedster Feb 11, 2014
Somebody from a Free Software gaming-related project should contact Valve about GPL dual licensing
jarfil Feb 12, 2014
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: DrMcCoyIt's a non-free-software license, though, since it restricts your freedom to non-commercial use. Not impressed.
Why are you not impressed? Did you want to use it to create your own API and sell it on?
Do you know what an API is? Licensing it for non-commercial use only, means you can't do ANYTHING commercial-related, with or around it.

Meanwhile, to be granted the favor of being able to contribute, you need to:

"As a condition of providing a Contribution, you agree that:
- You grant Valve a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide license
to make, use, sell, reproduce, modify, distribute"

"[...] SELL [...]"

So they want to sell your contributions to the API, but they won't let you use the API if you want to sell anything based on it.
Kamil Feb 12, 2014
A non-commercial clause not only means you can't create a commercial software with it, but you can't even create a free software with it. You can only create freeware. That sucks.
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