RE: FLASH: No more demo FLAs

[Merrill, Bob]

The key here is understanding and playing fair. If a prospective employer

gave you a blank sheet of paper and described what events they wanted to

happen, could you code it? If not, and you had to ask for help or plug in

values from someone else's code then you should credit them. It doesn't have

to be in all caps on the first page of your project. We all take pride in

what we do and want to look smart in front of co-workers and our boss.

Sometimes the temptation to look smarter than we are is inviting and easy.

Grab a few  lines of code, sign your name to it and wha la, you're a

programmer. It's just a fact that not everyone will play fair. Accept it.

Take solace in the fact that once you learn how to do this, the knowledge

will be yours.


The fable:

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will

sit in his boat all day and drink beer! Well ok... you know what I mean.

BobMerrill


> Okay, so, I downloaded one of Branden's tutorials for a scrolling menu bar

> and

> didn't understand 98% of it. However, I figured out enough of it to make

> the

> thing scroll Vertically instead of Horizontally. I also changed the

> variables he

> called out as changeable, recreated the effect (using his code, my

> original

> graphics and a new movie). I added my own scripts for tell targets (not in

> the

> original download) and get urls.  Now, if I don't credit him, it looks

> like I

> wrote the scrolling code (which is above my head at this point). If I do

> credit

> him, it looks like it was all his. If I put a notice in there saying

> "Original

> code written by Branden Hall modified by Michael Dunn" is that clear

> enough? How

> much do I have to change to not be suspected of stealing (though I

> wouldn't want

> to "steal" credit or how much credit should be given to be fair? I've been

> going

> through the code, little by little changing bits and pieces to see what

> effects

> what, and am totally amazed how complex it is. Now, here's what I'm

> comfortable

> with: since anyone who is concerned with how it was done is going to check

> the

> code, the credit should go there. If a client wanted me to replicate the

> effect

> (the page I used it on was personal W.I.P. and not yet online) I would

> tell them

> I can do it, but it's someone else's code (that's ethical, yes?) but would

> I pay

> Branden (I'm sure he'd like a royalty check or something)? If I was

> unethical, I

> could change the variable names, and move some stuff around and take

> credit for

> myself. But when the client says, "Well, have it do this..." and I say "I

> don't

> know how" the gig is up. It brings to mind a fable or something, but I

> can't

> quite remember it.

> 

> At any rate, sad to see a valuable resource lost in a confusing grey area

> of

> property rights.

> --

> Michael Dunn

> The Merica Agency

> v 702 947-7777

> f 702 386-9231

> 

> 


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