mirror of
https://github.com/minetest/contentdb.git
synced 2024-11-14 03:23:46 +01:00
74 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
74 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
title: Non-free Licenses
|
|
|
|
## What are Non-Free, Free, and Open Source licenses?
|
|
|
|
A non-free license is one that does not meet the
|
|
[Free Software Definition](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html)
|
|
or the [Open Source Definition](https://opensource.org/osd).
|
|
ContentDB will clearly label any packages with non-free licenses,
|
|
and they will be subject to limited promotion.
|
|
|
|
## How does ContentDB deal with Non-Free Licenses?
|
|
|
|
**ContentDB does not allow certain non-free licenses, and will limit the promotion
|
|
of packages with non-free licenses.**
|
|
|
|
Minetest is free and open source software, and is only as big as it is now
|
|
because of this. It's pretty amazing you can take nearly any published mod and modify it
|
|
to how you like - add some features, maybe fix some bugs - and then share those
|
|
modifications without the worry of legal issues. The project, itself, relies on open
|
|
source contributions to survive - if it were non-free, then it would have died
|
|
when celeron55 lost interest.
|
|
|
|
If you have played nearly any game with a large modding scene, you will find
|
|
that most mods are legally ambiguous. A lot of them don't even provide the
|
|
source code to allow you to bug fix or extend as you need.
|
|
|
|
Limiting the promotion of problematic licenses helps Minetest avoid ending up in
|
|
such a state. Licenses that prohibit redistribution or modification are
|
|
completely banned from ContentDB and the Minetest forums. Other non-free licenses
|
|
will be subject to limited promotion - they won't be shown by default in
|
|
the client.
|
|
|
|
Not providing full promotion on ContentDB, or not allowing your package at all,
|
|
doesn't mean you can't make such content - it just means we're not going to help
|
|
you spread it.
|
|
|
|
## What's so bad about licenses that forbid commercial use?
|
|
|
|
Please read [reasons not to use a Creative Commons -NC license](https://freedomdefined.org/Licenses/NC).
|
|
Here's a quick summary related to Minetest content:
|
|
|
|
1. They make your work incompatible with a growing body of free content, even if
|
|
you do want to allow derivative works or combinations.
|
|
This means that it can cause problems when another modder wishes to include your
|
|
work in a modpack or game.
|
|
2. They may rule out other basic and beneficial uses that you want to allow.
|
|
For example, CC -NC will forbid showing your content in a monetised YouTube
|
|
video.
|
|
3. They are unlikely to increase the potential profit from your work, and a
|
|
share-alike license serves the goal to protect your work from unethical
|
|
exploitation equally well.
|
|
|
|
## How can I show non-free packages in the client?
|
|
|
|
Non-free packages are hidden in the client by default, partly in order to comply
|
|
with the rules of various Linux distributions.
|
|
|
|
Users can opt in to showing non-free software, if they wish:
|
|
|
|
1. In the main menu, go to Settings > All settings
|
|
2. Search for "ContentDB Flag Blacklist".
|
|
3. Edit that setting to remove `nonfree, `.
|
|
|
|
<figure class="figure my-4">
|
|
<img class="figure-img img-fluid rounded" src="/static/contentdb_flag_blacklist.png" alt="Screenshot of the ContentDB Flag Blacklist setting">
|
|
<figcaption class="figure-caption">Screenshot of the ContentDB Flag Blacklist setting</figcaption>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
The [`platform_default` flag](/help/content_flags/) is used to control what content
|
|
each platforms shows. It doesn't hide anything on Desktop, but hides all mature
|
|
content on Android. You may wish to remove all text from that setting completely,
|
|
leaving it blank. See [Content Warnings](/help/content_flags/#content-warnings)
|
|
for information on mature content.
|