RE: FLASH: No more demo FLAs

[Branden Hall]

Okay... looks like I opened a BIG bag of worms with this one, and a lot of

people seem very confused.

Here was *exactly* what my beef was...

The sites that snagged my code literally took the exact demos (which really

didn't DO anything, they were to show how to code with flash, and look cool)

swapped in their graphics and called it theirs... even put it in their

portfolio to show off thier "talents".


If you want to take any code that I have release outright and just use it,

fine... *in a project*, mentioning me in the code is very very appriciated!

Being able to use the code in a larger setting is enough of an improvement

that it falls into the same category as extending other peoples code

objects.  Mentioning the authors of objects you used in your code,

particularly if they are specialized objects, is very kind and generates

good karma, but is not required.


If you are just going to use the code outright, for a web toy, whatever,

just credit me! Most of the stuff I release are just toys, things to be used

to create bigger and better things, not to mention learn from.  They do take

time and creativity to make and I have provided them to help the community

at large.  I take my greatest reward it watching many of you learn how to

code (I'll make programmers out of you all yet!) and approach coding

problems with Flash.


I guess the best way to see my position on this is to think of it as art...

Say I drew a simple picture to show people how to draw.  By looking at the

picture new artists could learn certain techniuqes.  What occured last week

was the equivilent was someone reframing my picture and saying it was

theirs! Its not much, but its still mine! :-)


As for any tutorials I have written, that code is free for use, no mention

of me is needed at all. If you wish to mention me, just email me and let me

know I helped. Getting that kind of email really makes my day!


Thanks to all of you who have written me personally about this whole thing!

You folks are best!


-= Branden J. Hall

-= Multimedia Developer/Instructor

-= Fig Leaf Software




-----Original Message-----

From:

ownerchinwag [dot] com

 [

ownerchinwag [dot] com]On">mailto:ownerchinwag [dot] com]On

 Behalf Of

Anandvivakanan Baljit

Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 10:08 PM

To:

flasherchinwag [dot] com

Subject: Re: FLASH: No more demo FLAs



Hi I am new here.

For starters I am a Delphi Programmer and since its an OOP language there

are codes that was used to create these objects. Who should I give credit to

since I can take these Objects and modify them to do the job I want to do.

Point: someone's want credit for there codes (which I find amusing taking

that they aren't creating the entire "application") then create the

executable and don't display the source code. Also speaking for all real

programmer they are allowed to be creative.

They can take "clay and make a man" i.e show them the basic and let them

roam. This is one of the reason for so many viruses with similar patterns.

They are all modified from a basic algorithm "flow of logic". Who take the

credit for that? People should not plagiarized but modify to solve a problem

I am with.

Just a taught.


----- Original Message -----

From: Merrill, Bob <

merrillruthscsa [dot] edu

>

To: <

flasherchinwag [dot] com

>

Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 12:30 PM

Subject: RE: FLASH: No more demo FLAs



> 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

> >

> >

>

> flasher is generously supported by...

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>      flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

>   "The World's Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

>  March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California

>

> -Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

>

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

>



flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

  "The World’s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

 March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California


-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com

flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

  "The World’s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

 March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California


-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com