No, if it is still fully optional for playing the single-player part.

Based on GOG saying that the client is fully optional, yes. Just run your GOG single-player games directly without using the client, and they will definitely not auto-update, just like they don't nowadays.

Irrelevant for the question "Is it DRM?".

Yes, by not using the client, the very least.

As long as the client is fully optional for single-player games, I fail to see the problem. Same as with the current GOG Downloader client. Don't like it? Don't use it. The basic http downloads still work.

Now, if you are suggesting that the client becomes mandatory at some point (for installing and/or playing all your GOG games), then yes I would be concerned. But only then.

Multiplayer games are then a completely different question.

That may be true for software in general, but for service clients, the client is useless without the service.

So in the distant future when GOG is not around anymore to offer the GOG service (and to fix bugs in the client), the GOG client is useless as well, open source or not.

Not necessarily. If GOG goes down, chances are games with multiplayer component depending on GOG client will be kept playable thanks to community contributions.

Most, if not all, your points seemed to be to convince that it is beneficial for GOG to make their official client open source.

If that really was so, then no question, I'm sure GOG will make their client open source. Hey, if it is beneficial to them and there are no downsides at all to them (as you suggested), why not?

But then, why don't other digital stores and services see those same benefits you listed? Why do they choose to keep it closed source? Only due to DRM? Could there be any other reasons? Or are they all just so stupid that they don't know what is good for them, Valve included?

One example: Humble Bundle's Android client. Is it open source? At least it has no DRM, as the HB Android games are DRM-free, and can be run (and even installed) without the client as well.

If it is not open source, is Humble Bundle stupid for not understanding their own good?

it kinda depends. for example Supreme Commanders official mp lobby was shutdown and moved under fan control (FAForver)

-> depending on how gog's client is done, it might be simple matter to transfer all/some part of it to totally different servers. even if copyrights were totally bitch and didnt let you move games - you might still be able to preserve the functionality of the platform itself.

i am not coder, but it shouldnt be super difficult to move stuff from server to server.

But for that point, the server side implementation should be open source as well, not just the client.

Naturally the fanbase could reverse-engineer the server functionality to make their own server implementation, but then on the same token they could do the same for the closed source client as well.

So, if all DRM does is hurting the customer and piracy rendres it more or less pointless, why are those incredibly clever companies wasting money on developing it? Oh, that's right, control. And that's the answer to your question.

To elaborate just a bit, for a large part, the only reason why open sourced development is not much more widespread is fear of companies of doing such a thing. Judging from the reasoning given to me by my boss and a couple of my clients, this fear is not actually all that grounded in reality, and 'Others do it' argument get tossed around a lot. But I have only ever found very few objective downsides to open sourced developement, and none of them would apply to a GOG's client. Of course, if you know of any, feel free to share.

Server side should at least be made open source when GoG goes down or is sold someday, but better before.

An open source client benefits those who would actually go through the code, but for people outside of programming it would be simply a group of people saying their community client is trustworthy. The choice is then between an official client, or a community client, both which claim security, safety, trust, etc.

I'm neither for nor against this, but your argument of trust only impacts the demographic knowledgeable about this subject.

Note: here we are talking about control over your code, not control over how the customers play the games they have purchased from you (or through your digital store). While both are about "control", they are still not about the same thing.

So I guess your point was that all those stores and service providers (Valve, Humble Bundle etc.) just don't know what is good for them, hence they don't embrace open source?

I personally know some case where open source was shunned because (according to them) it would have meant making certain company critical code public. So they may see it as a double-edged sword: they would certainly like to benefit from work of others through open source, but not necessarily share their own work to their potential competitors. You may object that, but there you have it.

I believe you. You solely concentrate on the optional argument and disregard everything else. For me the main concern is currently that it might be an all-or-nothing bundle that doesn't give me much choice. Also the multiplayer matchmaking may be implemented so that it comes close to DRM. With open source the chances that this doesn't happen would be much higher because the community could produce better alternatives resulting in competition. Therefore I continue to support the request to make it open source. It's still a good idea.

So do you see this as a big problem with other service clients you use every day, like Steam, Humble Bundle Android client etc.?

Many people here seem to have quite deep double-standards. They see the lack of open source as some kind of grave problem in GOG's case, but not elsewhere, where they happily go on using the closed source service with closed source clients, and don't damn Valve, Humble Bundle etc. for not making their clients, APIs etc. fully open.

Good that I'm not one of them because I don't use neither Steam nor Humble Bundle clients. Nevertheless I would never ask Valve or Humble Bundle to consider (as this request here) making the client open source although I believe this would be best, but I have no hope that these companies would ever do it. So why wasting time? With GOG I still have hope, so I tell them what I think. I care for them.

Of course they're both about the same thing, they're both about controling the consumer. The very fact that Valve's client is not open sourced is why consumer control is so easy. Now...

The reason for Valve to not embrace open source is very simple: DRM. With open sourced development, it would be exceptionally simple to create a DRM-free Steam application which would cheat the existing checks. And as far as I know, HB don't have a client. Same argument then applies to Origin and Uplay. IIRC Desura is open-source.

Yes, that's why I said these arguments don't apply to a client extending a store-front. Even if somebody stole the whole thing, presented it as his own, and in the unlikely scenario that nobody would notice this (hint: Yes, it would get spotted rather fast), a store without GOG's current popularity could never become a problem. So yeah, for GOG, or even Valve, this concern is not applicable.

I concur!

Also, and I'm just throwing it out there, GOG. You could really go a long way in the trust department by giving your entire catalogue away for free to everyone, even those without an account! That whole account thing seems a little untrusting and DRM-y, same with having to fork over money for access. Oh the internet is also kinda the same DRM distrust thing so if you could offer a free mailing solution, that'd be ace!

Or not, but then, where's the trust? Where's the adherence to that DRM free philosophy?

Yes they do, and even without DRM.

https://www.humblebundle.com/app

And there you would be completely wrong. It was not about someone taking the whole GOG client code 1:1 and presenting as their own (and someone spotting it), but about sharing your development work (even small parts of it) with your potential competitors. It doesn't really matter which kind of software we are talking about there.