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Why don't obsolete consoles go open source?

513 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  mothrpe 
#1 ·
I was thinking to myself - why don't consoles that are obsolete go open source?

Meaning like the Sega Dreamcast, why not just release the development kit software to the public? it would be great publicity for the company and who knows what people could come up with.

I can understand some systems why they wouldn't want to have possible encryption tech revealed or whatever.
 
#2 ·
Software built up in layers. Hardware / Firmware / BIOS / O/S / Applications / Shared libraries.

They most likely also use a lot of different development tools (Compilers, make files, SDKs, etc).

In many cases they have probably used code licensed from other companies. So getting the entire thing released in a workable bundle is tough work from a legal point of view (and not in any way profitable).
 
#3 ·
Yup, just having some code does not make it usable.
 
#4 ·
The move would ultimately cost them money. Protection of intellectual property is probably another one of the more significant reasons.
 
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