#49705 - revo - Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:25 pm
I'm wondering about some things.
If one day I would like to sold my DS game/program, made with devkitARM and libnds, will it be legal? I mean, that company, which will by it will have devkit and other necessary things, and I'll give them only .nds file.
How do you think, .nds file made with devkitARM libnds, and other libs (ie. GBFS) will work if it will be on normal DS card? (with proper key of course)?
Other think is if you know if there is possibility to link parts of code from libnds, compiled with devkitARM, with code compiled with tools suplied with NDS devkit - do you know if it's possible?
I think that are not "information available only under non-disclosure agreement" :)
_________________
[ sorry for all mistakes, but my english isn't as good as I wish it to be ]
#49709 - tepples - Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:42 pm
On the GBA:
It is commonly believed that Nintendo doesn't care what compiler or library you use, only that the publisher is licensed and the binary runs on a Nintendo flash card (which does not have bankswitching and which isn't quite as tolerant of stray writes as EFA, F2A, and other homebrew/pirate cards).
On the Nintendo DS:
Nintendo requires all licensed developers and publishers to use an ARM7 binary developed by Nintendo. This may have something to do with the requirements for FCC certification of wireless transmitters.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#49772 - Mr Snowflake - Tue Aug 02, 2005 11:48 am
| tepples wrote: |
On the Nintendo DS:
Nintendo requires all licensed developers and publishers to use an ARM7 binary developed by Nintendo. This may have something to do with the requirements for FCC certification of wireless transmitters. |
So, licenced devers aren't able to make their own sound mixer or something like that? Or maybe specific arm7 code to help the arm9?
#49779 - floatstarpx - Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:12 pm
| Mr Snowflake wrote: |
| tepples wrote: | On the Nintendo DS:
Nintendo requires all licensed developers and publishers to use an ARM7 binary developed by Nintendo. This may have something to do with the requirements for FCC certification of wireless transmitters. |
So, licenced devers aren't able to make their own sound mixer or something like that? Or maybe specific arm7 code to help the arm9? |
i think they get given a set of libraries with all the stuff they need. loads of useful helper functions no doubt.. i'd imagine they all use nintendo's own sound mixer.
#49782 - Diskun - Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:39 pm
They can develop their own sound engines. Shi'nen (Iridion for GBA and Nanostray for DS creators) are selling their own for use with Nintendo DS. It's called DSX.
More info here: http://www.shinen.com/music/music.php3?dsx
#49827 - tepples - Tue Aug 02, 2005 9:02 pm
| Mr Snowflake wrote: |
| tepples wrote: | On the Nintendo DS:
Nintendo requires all licensed developers and publishers to use an ARM7 binary developed by Nintendo. |
So, licenced devers aren't able to make their own sound mixer or something like that? |
I've read that Nintendo's ARM7 binary implements a full sound API. Or if you really need to write your own mixer, you can make a mixer on the ARM9 and have it pass buffers to Nintendo's sound API on the ARM7.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#49836 - NorQue - Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:07 pm
Please don't take anything I say here as fact, it's rumours I've read somewhere and puzzled together, so I don't know it better and correct me if I'm wrong (wow, great perspectives for a first post ;) ):
devkitARM uses GCC as compiler and GCC is licensed under the GPL, which requires everything derivated from it to be under the GPL, too... which in turn means, everything compiled with it inherits the GPL and has to be released under the GPL, doesn't it? So anything built with devkitARM needs to published with its source under the GP license, to meet GPL requirements, am I still right here? So I guess you can't just give out the binary files if you want to be 100% on the legal side.
Again, if all I posted was complete bullshit I apologize beforehand, please don't be to hard on me, but that's how I understood all that until now.
#49840 - MrAdults - Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:16 pm
| Quote: |
On the Nintendo DS:
Nintendo requires all licensed developers and publishers to use an ARM7 binary developed by Nintendo. This may have something to do with the requirements for FCC certification of wireless transmitters. |
Sheer curiousity, but is that really developed by Nintendo or just approved by, and where'd you get the information? It would seem needlessly constricting to not allow developers to make use of the arm7 to fit the specific needs of their application.
-Rich
#49845 - josath - Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:50 pm
| NorQue wrote: |
devkitARM uses GCC as compiler and GCC is licensed under the GPL, which requires everything derivated from it to be under the GPL, too... which in turn means, everything compiled with it inherits the GPL and has to be released under the GPL, doesn't it?
Again, if all I posted was complete bullshit I apologize beforehand |
Sorry, wrong. The key problem is the fact that something compiled with GCC is not derived from GCC.
If you were to take GCC and modify it so it could compile your new language C+++, then distributed the binaries of your new program GCCC, then you would have to release the source to GCCC.
The license of GCC has no effect on the license of any programs compiled using GCC, unless they include parts of GCC themselves.
#49858 - tepples - Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:46 am
| MrAdults wrote: |
| Quote: | On the Nintendo DS:
Nintendo requires all licensed developers and publishers to use an ARM7 binary developed by Nintendo. This may have something to do with the requirements for FCC certification of wireless transmitters. |
Sheer curiousity, but is that really developed by Nintendo or just approved by, and where'd you get the information? |
Start with this thread.
| Quote: |
| It would seem needlessly constricting to not allow developers to make use of the arm7 to fit the specific needs of their application. |
The ARM7 controls both sound and a radio transmitter. Nintendo hardware that incorporates a radio transmitter has to follow the national regulations on radio transmission in all countries in which the hardware is sold, and it's easiest to get the hardware right the first time every time if the software will never change. If you find it "needlessly constricting", complain to the FCC and foreign counterparts, not us or Nintendo.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#49870 - MrAdults - Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:18 am
| Quote: |
| If you find it "needlessly constricting", complain to the FCC and foreign counterparts, not us or Nintendo. |
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Just curious about the details. I can see it being unreasonable to check the code and/or binaries for every developer that wants to run their own code on the arm7. Although, if that was going to be the case, I would think the parts of hardware that should be restricted would be isolated enough that the entire processor would not be out of grasp for developers. Then again, maybe they have enough API functionality to justify this. I'm not an official developer, so I wouldn't know!
-Rich