open source?

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steve lencina

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Sep 10, 2025, 12:39:01 PMSep 10
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Hi folks, does anyone know if HP is planning to go open source?
It would be cool this way we can give it some updates.

I'm making my own Authoring scorm maker with multiple choice gap fill etc.
My idea is to add make it differtent than the HP we all love.   

Cheers!!!

Martin Holmes

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Sep 10, 2025, 2:17:42 PMSep 10
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Hi there,

The original source code sets for the Windows, Mac and Java applications can't be open-sourced because they make use of proprietary libraries (Delphi components etc.), and they're also covered by a code-sharing legal agreement between Stewart, myself, HalfBaked Inc.,and the University of Victoria. In any case, that code would be virtually useless to most people now; I maintain a Windows XP virtual machine so I can continue to edit and compile the applications for Windows, but how long that will keep working I have no idea.

However, the source code (HTML, JavaScript. CSS) for the exercises is included with the applications and you're encouraged to edit and customize it if you want the exercises to behave differently.

Cheers,
Martin

steve lencina

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Sep 10, 2025, 10:38:52 PMSep 10
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Thanks Martin, I totally understand...  My Authoring tool will also be based on HTML JS and CSS as well.   It's a lot of work, trial and error.
Regardless of all the fancy authoring software out there, i always come back to hot potatoes because it's easy to modify the scorm output files (adding css etc..) 
  Unfortunately, several other authoring tools have complicated the process too much, making it more difficult to customize the output files.   I hope to follow the HP principles but with other cool tools.
thx again

Martin Holmes

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Sep 10, 2025, 11:49:00 PMSep 10
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I have started a GitHub project aiming to create a fully browser-based version of Hot Potatoes, but I've had no time to work on it. I expect to hack away at it occasionally over the next few years. That will be open-source.

Cheers,Martin

Sean Penney

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Sep 13, 2025, 9:50:35 AMSep 13
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Oooo! A browser-based version? Now that sounds interesting! I can't wait!

All the best,

Sean

Sabine Th

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Sep 13, 2025, 10:28:25 AMSep 13
to Sean Penney, hotpotatoesusers
A browser based version sounds brilliant - thanks for all the hard work all of you ..

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Martin Holmes

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Sep 13, 2025, 6:11:58 PMSep 13
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It will be a long time coming. I've hardly started and I have a _lot_ of other projects. :-)
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