ProtoCiv: porting Freeciv to Python

[Tom Plunket]

Brandon J. Van Every wrote:

> I am
> 
> - *TENTATIVELY* -
> 
> (operative word) undertaking the project of porting...

Brandon, why not heed the advice that one holds back such an
announcement until someone actually has something interesting to
announce?  You know how many of these sorts of projects are
started, and you know how many of these projects get carried
through to completion.

> - the primary language of ProtoCiv development will be Python.
>   Freeciv is a C codebase, so a lot of migration work is needed.
>   Python will "own" the app, I will be starting at main() and
>   digging as far down as I can easily go.  Once the digging is no
>   longer easy, i.e. once I've hit "bad dirt," an initial Python
>   extension interface will be established.  Over time, with the
>   help of others, the C code will be whittled away to bare
>   performance  essentials.

Seems like a huge waste of time, starting with the fact that
editing the C codebase to do what you want is likely, at this
point, far easier.

Since it's GPL'd, it's not like you couldn't just fork the
project and do it in C, sticking Python on for new bits as
appropriate.

> - no clones of commercial games...
> - "knockoffs" are ok.
> - the main purpose of the ProtoCiv project is...
> - an \alpha, \beta, and \release directory infrastructure will...
> - ProtoCiv emphasizes...

Show us the money.  Let us know when there's something to see.
Until that point, you might heed the advice here:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson24.html#tal
Scroll to entry 16 if your browser doesn't go for you (Opera, for
example).

> I will be maintaining Visual Studio .NET 2003 solution files.

"So people who help me will be required to pirate it, and the
ActiveState plugins that make Python develpoment possible in
VS.NET."

> - I'm a commercial developer, not a hobbyist.

Good luck.  You haven't made any money yet, right?  It's been
five years?

> - Because of the GPL license, no commercial gain of any kind is
>   believed possible with this project.

Just because the code is GPL doesn't mean the assets need to be.
Regardless, nothing is preventing you from sticking it on a CD
and charging money for it.

-tom!