Re: Topologica port to Linux (was: A call to action)

[Ray Olszewski <ray@comarre.com>]

Well ... I took a quick look at the Topologica site
(http://www.topolgka.demon.co.uk/index.htm). The applications there are
commercial, licensed apps. I don't have a clear idea of what you're
proposing that someone do. Are you connected with the company and able to
negotiate the details of an arrangement? Who are the "we" in your last
paragraph?

I didn't see any information about how the apps were written -- the sorts of
details, like what programming language is involved, what kinds of data
structures are used, etc. -- the kinds of information that any sensible
programmer would ask about before committing to a job (or, in my case, even
hazarding a guess about whether I have the technical qualifications to
consider taking it on).

I looked at the demo of MathMania (picked because it was the highest grade
level listed for a math program with a Windows demo version) and ran through
it. It looks okay, but not all that different from other apps I saw around
5+ years ago for the Mac (back when I was a sysadmin/teacher in a K-8
private school). Without seeing more of the apps at work in their current
forms, I have no good way to decide whether working on converting them would
be a good investment -- either financially (if the resulting product were
sold commercially) or as a public service bit of volunteer work (I confess
to being a bit skeptical about this possibility, if the resulting app would
be owned by Topologica and not released as Open Source).

I imagine anyone who might have the programming skills to take this job on
would have similar questions. What is the best way, do you think, to get the
information that one would need to make an informed decision about your
"call to action"?

At 08:20 PM 8/2/99 +0100, Marshal Anderson wrote:
>OK, enough with the chat already. Is there anyone out there, or any one who
>knows someone, who would be prepared to take on a conversion job based on a
>piece of Topologika software?
>
>They would need basic graphics and sound handling - but all pics and sound
>files can be provided.
>
>Dunno quite what we'd do with the result. On the one hand we could give it
>away as a sort of taster - in which case there'd be no money for the
>programmer. If we decided to sell it there's be a royalty.
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>Marshal


------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"---
Ray Olszewski                                        -- Han Solo
Palo Alto, CA  94303-3603    	 	        ray@comarre.com        
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