New submitter
_merlin writes:
MAMEdev just announced that MAME (formerly Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is now entirely available under OSI-comliant, FSF-approved licenses. The project as a whole is available under the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPL-2.0), while individual source files are available under BSD-3-Clause, LGPL-2.1 or GPL-2.0 (all compatible with GPL-2.0). Over 90% of the code, including core functionality, is available under the BSD-3-Clause license.
Re: What was it before?
By _merlin
•
2016-Mar-4 09:36
• Score: 5, Informative
• Thread
It was previously a license based on the BSD-3-Clause license with additional terms prohibiting commercial use, distribution alongside unauthorised ROM images, and certain kinds of derivative builds. This caused it to fall afoul of OSI and FSF rules. It also tended to hurt potential legitimate users (e.g. rights holders wanting to re-release classics) while doing nothing to stop software pirates and arcade game bootleggers.
This change also makes it easier for other F/L/OSS projects to leverage MAME code, and may help get MAME accepted by F/L/OSS software distribution services (such as main package repositories for major Linux distributions).
Note that MAME is a registered trademark, and the are still restrictions on use of the MAME name, logo and wordmark.
Re: What was it before?
By _merlin
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2016-Mar-4 10:59
• Score: 4, Informative
• Thread
Yeah, ten months of tracking people down and wrangling agreements. In the end a small amount of code had to be removed for the rare cases where authors couldn't be contacted. However we think it's effort well spent.
Re: Don't care, wish they would focus on playabili
By _merlin
•
2016-Mar-4 11:19
• Score: 5, Informative
• Thread
We're doing plenty to improve the user experience of MAME. We recently integrated the MEWUI user interface code, giving better system selection and configuration from within MAME. MAME now supports UI localisation. We added "autofire" features.
New APIs are supported depending on your host OS including CoreAudio, Xaudio2 and Xinput, for lower latency and support for newer peripherals.
The Direct3D renderer has supported CRT simulation for a while, and the OpenGL renderer supports pluggable filters. But the new cross-platform BGFX renderer will support all that and more with a clean, data-driven approach in an upcoming release. We're also looking to integrate code from GroovyMAME to support people using MAME in arcade-style cabinets and with CRT monitors.
But most importantly, the emulation keeps getting better, leading to more playable games and usable emulated computers. For example recently MAME became the first emulator to properly support the Zaccaria classics Cat and Mouse and Laser Battle (licensed to Midway as Lazarian) with correct colours, full video effects and sound. MAME also recently added the very rare Korean games 96 Flag Rally and Philko Lock On. MAME's support for the historically significant Osborne 1 computer got a lot better last year, including proper memory banking and support for the SCREEN-PAC add-on.
MAME's slot system allows emulation of many peripherals and add-ons that other emulators can't handle. Things like add-on procesor cards for the Apple II, or the IBM PGC.
This is only possible because MAME has a flexible emulation core and a huge library of well-tested cores for emulating CPUs, video hardware, sound chips, and other devices.
Re: What was it before?
By _merlin
•
2016-Mar-4 11:23
• Score: 5, Informative
• Thread
Most of the source is BSD-licesnsed while parts are [L]GPL. The entire emulation/scheduling core is BSD, so if you want to take advantage of that to make your own emulator, go right ahead. However if you're in it for the games, some rather widely used sound cores in MAME are under GPL, so you can't go closing them up.
Re: Don't care, wish they would focus on playabil
By _merlin
•
2016-Mar-4 12:32
• Score: 5, Informative
• Thread
If you just want to play NAOMI/Atomiswave games, you're better off using DEmul. It attempts to map PowerVR onto D3D and has a recompiling SH4 core. MAME doesn't come close to that performance. However DEmul uses the MAME CHD format for GDROM images and uses MAME-documents disc/ROM dumps, and the DEmul developers share findings with the MAME team and vice versa. MAME research/technology contributes to non-MAME emulators all the time.
There are issues with encryption/protection blocking progress on some of the later Namco games. There has been some progress behind the scenes, but it hasn't got as far as making anything playable.
There are dedicated Sega Model 2/3 emulators which, once again, are heavily dependent on the documentation from MAME.
As for MAME emulating things you've never heard of, that's one of the big benefits of MAME: ensuring these things aren't lost to future generations. Without MAME's preservation efforts, a lot more of our digital heritage would be lost.