Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins
*snip*Actually, Ubi owns the software that resides on your machine. Altering their product necessarily affects them. They have the right to determine the fate of their property, not us. We can offer and they can accept or not, but we do not have the right to decide what is right or wrong in this.
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Just a warning. I'm gonna rant a bit here.
I realize Ubi's position (and most software distributors/producers/developers) is that they've sold me a license to use the software. Specifically, I have not purchased the software itself. Oh, yeah... and I have to follow their terms to use the software. It's almost as bad as Disney telling me to rush out and "buy the DVD today", when I can't... I buy a license to view the DVD (again, following their terms and conditions).
I call bs. It's my computer. That's where the line's drawn. I installed software on my PC, it's my right to do with it what I want.
Note that this doesn't mean I can distribute it. It doesn't mean I can copy it and hand it to a friend. Cracking it and uploading it to The Pirate Bay is off limits. That's crossing the line, between my computer and everything else.
I've got an analogy of my own. I own a '97 Subaru Outback wagon. The engine's from a '95 Impreza (dropped 0.3 liter, but I gained a non-interference design). The rearview mirror is from my ol' 92 Loyale. The ECU is from a '97 Legacy GT.
Now, if Subaru imposed the same terms and conditions upon that vehicle as most EULA do on software, none of the above modifcations would have occurred. I'd have to bring the car into the Subaru dealership for all maintenance, scheduled or otherwise (no modifying, reverse engineering, decompiling, etc. the software by a third party).
I'm expected to simply roll over and let whoever owns the rights to a piece of software do whatever they want, as long as it's in the EULA, including limiting my use of their software? Yeah, right. *sarcasm*
Now I'm probably wrong, from a legal standpoint. Quite frankly, I don't give a darn. Someone wants to stand up and sue me 'cause I altered software on my PC, that wasn't distributed, that did not interact with any other software/computers, they can go right ahead and do so. I'll be martyr. A darn vocal one, at that.
Oh, and if Ubi wants to cut off the modding from future products, they can go right ahead. They'll cut off my funding. I've always considered myself a loyal Ubisoft fan. I've followed the Il-2 Sturmovik series, buying every expansion up to and including 1946. I've bought every Silent Hunter product except the first (including Destroyer Command). They want to put out a SH product that prevents modding, when they've allowed it in the past, they can go right ahead. I'll take my cash and go home. That's my official position.
Ok, I'm done ranting.