The reason I take that view, is that the ability to use the software isn't actually a part of what makes software open source! As long as people have all the code, and can modify it, and can redistribute their modifications, the code is open-source... whether or not you can run it.
Consider: there are also hardware platforms that have effectively ceased to exist over the years. If you wrote a program for one of these platforms, and it was open-source, would you now consider the program closed-source, because—given that the platform hardware doesn't exist any more—you can't run the software any more?
No. Why not? Because open source is about the source, not about the binary. The source is a product in its own right, and valuable in its own right, whether or not it can be compiled into a working program.
Why not? Because open source is about the source, not about the binary.
If you have the platform and the source, but you can't run the program, then I wouldn't consider it "open source". At least not in the usual sense of FOSS. It's not just about the source; it's about the freedom to study and modify the source, produce improved versions of the original binary, and distribute that binary and the source that created it.
The division between game and platform is lower in the stack than the engine.
The source is a product in its own right, and valuable in its own right, whether or not it can be compiled into a working program.
I agree with that statement, but it's a different argument than you were making before.
Comments
The reason I take that view, is that the ability to use the software isn't actually a part of what makes software open source! As long as people have all the code, and can modify it, and can redistribute their modifications, the code is open-source... whether or not you can run it.
Consider: there are also hardware platforms that have effectively ceased to exist over the years. If you wrote a program for one of these platforms, and it was open-source, would you now consider the program closed-source, because—given that the platform hardware doesn't exist any more—you can't run the software any more?
No. Why not? Because open source is about the source, not about the binary. The source is a product in its own right, and valuable in its own right, whether or not it can be compiled into a working program.
If you have the platform and the source, but you can't run the program, then I wouldn't consider it "open source". At least not in the usual sense of FOSS. It's not just about the source; it's about the freedom to study and modify the source, produce improved versions of the original binary, and distribute that binary and the source that created it.
The division between game and platform is lower in the stack than the engine.
I agree with that statement, but it's a different argument than you were making before.
And you won't get far with source modifications if you can't run the program.