Software Downloads

The SoniPy project is established as a public-domain, community-based project so it can evolve as its components evolve. It uses only public-domain software and, although it is being initially developed on Macintosh OSX, the aim is to eventually release for all major hardware platforms.

The Copyright under which a particular software component is released into the public domain remains in tact; it is unaltered by being released by, or in association with, the SoniPy project. See the COPYRIGHT menu above for more details.

We recognise three types of public-domain software:

1. That which is released as a complete downloadable click-and-install package. For Python, this implies that any extension libraries are already compiled binaries for a user's particular platform/operating system configuration,
2. That which is released as downloadable source code that requires platform-specific compilation and/or installation, and
3. Software of our own design and/or software that has required significant modification such
   • the conversion of source code to Python extension libraries, or
   • the debugging, updating or compiling of code not supported by the original authors or maintainers*

In the case of category 1, we provide links for direct download from the originating website. For categories 2 and 3, we aim to provide downloadable packages with the original copyright holder's consent and copyright documentation. Category 3 sotware may be released with appropriate acknowledgements and new copyright notices, if appropriate.

There is a diverse degree-of-difficulty in building and/or installing these third-party tools. This degree-of-difficulty exponentiates when a module has dependencies which themselves need to be build. Unsuccessfully trying to pick through the obtruse output of a C++ compiler whilst attempting to compile a module's library is enough to discourage some people from using public-domain software. And even more so when those dependencies have dependencies of their own.

* This is exacerbated by the unscrupulous behaviour of a few software writers who sketch out an idea and put it inot the public doamin as quickly as possible, with all the copyright provisions attached, and then sit back whilst others debug and turn the sketch into a workable tool. Because this is the public-domain, the tools are "free" but not necessarily free of time-wasting self-agrandisment.