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Post by azrael on Jul 20, 2011 3:22:25 GMT
Hi!
I am a computer developer who is interested in writing a book reader app for the Android operating system (this would include cell phones and tablets). In part this is because I would like to have them on my own, but I can imagine others may enjoy them as well.
In an attempt to make sure everything is fully legal, I had a few questions that I hoped someone could clarify for me (as with most people, I am not a lawyer).
The biggest question I have is in regards to the actual XML files containing the book information. Assuming my app requires people to agree to the Project Aon license first, how long can I cache the XML files containing the books? Can I simply embed them right into the application? Do I have to pull them from the website the first time, but then I can locally cache them until the app is deleted? Am I not allowed to cache them at all, and I would have to pull them from the website every time? This matters more for the images than the XML files, as those consume more bandwidth, and could easily be a turnoff as the cell phone companies put smaller caps on their data plans.
Once the app is finished, can the completed software only be hosted on the Project Aon website, or could I make it available (for free) in the Android Marketplace as well?
Thanks for any help!
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Post by alderaine on Jul 22, 2011 8:35:45 GMT
Hi & welcome to AON! To your questions: >> Can I simply embed them right into the application? - Unfortunately not - our distribution license is limited and states that book content must only be downloaded from the AON site directly. www.projectaon.org/en/Main/License(2.1) >> Do I have to pull them from the website the first time, but then I can locally cache them until the app is deleted? Sort of... The user MUST be made aware of the URL the information is being pulled from, but yes I believe storing locally after the initial pull is the norm (note that you would lose out on any updates we make by storing locally though.) >> Once the app is finished, can the completed software only be hosted on the Project Aon website, or could I make it available (for free) in the Android Marketplace as well? I am not AWARE of any distribution restrictions for the software itself (as long as it is free) - as you say, as long as the license is included before the user uses the software. Saying all of that, I am also not a lawyer - just providing my take. I have an Android phone, so will be very happy to volunteer to help with testing. James |
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Post by azrael on Jul 23, 2011 0:36:03 GMT
>> Sort of... The user MUST be made aware of the URL the information is being pulled from, but yes I believe storing locally after the initial pull is the norm (note that you would lose out on any updates we make by storing locally though.) In general, the idea of caching is to do a pull, and then occasionally check if it is updated and do a new pull then. It is built into the HTTP protocol, so it is generally trivial to add this functionality to keep things up to date. I'll certainly take you up on that testing when I get it done.  |
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Post by alderaine on Aug 18, 2011 13:55:00 GMT
You'd be surprised Better to be clear I have a tablet Android (3.2) as well as phone now, so two completely different versions to test on |
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Post by theinsomniac on Aug 19, 2011 16:49:43 GMT
I'd volunteer to test on my Android phone, and would love to see this happen. With the new computer game in development, now's the time for something like this for the books.
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Post by gullah geek on Oct 23, 2011 5:22:12 GMT
Any word on this project? My purchase of a new tablet hinges upon it!
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Post by alderaine on Oct 24, 2011 15:10:00 GMT
I have an Android tablet, and there are several options to read Lone Wolf on it In terms of an "app" specific to Lone Wolf though, sorry we are quite a way off. It certainly doesn't need to be a deciding factor though - the options that allow you to read the books work fine, particularly since you can easily switch screens to a dice roller, and a document with your character sheet in |
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Post by alderaine on Jan 25, 2012 9:44:22 GMT
All,
I have just received a further update that unfortunately, the rights to develop on mobile platforms have been reserved - so unfortunately we are no longer able to develop for Android or Apple devices.
I am not entirely sure if there is an easy way to find out which platforms have been reserved other than contacting the author directly - if anybody does know an easy way, please let us know.
I apologise for the incorrect information earlier - this is hot off the press.
Thank you
James
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Post by Dave on Jan 25, 2012 16:59:27 GMT
alderaine,
What exactly does "rights to develop on mobile platforms" mean? Does this mean strictly commerical apps? or does it prohibit any sort of release of software designed specifically to read project aon editions of the books, including free software? What about software which is NOT specifically designed to read PA editions, but just happens to deal well with them - like a universal CYOA interpreter? I'm just curious about the ramifications here... Is someone someday going to reserve the "right to develop" on non-mobile platforms? Would such a reservation instantly render Seventh Sense illegal or something? I've become quite interested in developing a version of Seventh Sense for iOS, but you make it sound like that's out of the question. However, a generic .pdf reader program could certainly load and read the .pdf versions of the Lone Wolf books, without breaching the rights to develop... so, where is the line drawn on what counts as okay and not? I'd love to see some specific details regarding these rights to develop. Are they publicly accessible? Or can you share more specifics(quotes) from your recent communication regarding them?
(I hope that's not coming across as aggressive or combative - that's not my intent at all. In fact, who knows if I'd ever really do an iOS version of the program; it wouldn't be anytime soon, at any rate...)
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Post by alderaine on Jan 26, 2012 9:21:47 GMT
In a reversal of the previous reversal We now have further clarification direct from the author: "The rights have been licensed, but these are essentially rights to exploit LW commercially on the mobile medium. So long as it remains strictly fan-made and non-commercial then there's no problem." In answer to Dave above, I made a challenge in response to the original message, and the above was the reply. I was similarly concerned about the ramifications. |
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Post by Dave on Jan 26, 2012 16:05:09 GMT
That is really great news, alderaine. Thanks for investigating that further.
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Post by alderaine on Jan 26, 2012 16:51:51 GMT
No worries As I put it to Jon, my current (slow running) project is on Android so the previous response shut down several projects. I think you are right - I think this re-opens opportunities for the Apple platforms, which is extremely good news. Of course we have to be careful - at the end of the day, the developer remains liable and we have to be careful to phrase any advice as such. I was indeed worried about the extension to PC so it is good that the same message would carry. |
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