Referring to Code Written by Others

What is the proper way to reference code snippets that are copied from
usenet group examples?
What about when a developer posts code that is copyrighted and they
allow you to use it in a commerical application but they say not to
resell it by itself or as part of a collection?
If you make modifications to "borrowed" code, do you say something
like "modifications made to copyrighted code written by so-and-so and
refer to url where found?

Re: Referring to Code Written by Others

Per AccessCoder:
>What is the proper way to reference code snippets that are copied from
>usenet group examples?
>What about when a developer posts code that is copyrighted and they
>allow you to use it in a commerical application but they say not to
>resell it by itself or as part of a collection?

Dunno from officially proper... but what I do is:

1) Copy the code 100% as-is, with all the author's caveats and
credits intact. Leave it that way until it has tb modified.

2) When it comes time to modify the code (which almost always
seems to come for me) I do a total rewrite, changing all the
names, indentation, "With" clauses, and error trapping - but
mostly keeping the logic intact.

With that version, I put in a note something like "This code was
evolved from code written by John Smith copied from xxxx on
MM/DD/YYYY. Give John all the credit for what works. Put the
blame for anything that doesn't work on Yours Truly - who messed
with John's code."
--
PeteCresswell

Re: Referring to Code Written by Others

the data which AccessCoder" wrote in message
news:fd05cb36-09a6-4d8d-af2c-d0ffed47661b@b36g2000hsa.google groups.com...
> What is the proper way to reference code snippets that are copied from
> usenet group examples?

The way to reference the code is pretty much as the code was posted.

If the code post in the newsgroup has no copyright, or no request to keep
the author's name, or even a mention of the author's name, then you're
pretty much free to use it as you please.

However, all written works are automatically copyright of the original
auther.

> What about when a developer posts code that is copyrighted and they
> allow you to use it in a commerical application but they say not to
> resell it by itself or as part of a collection?

Again, I see no problem in the above. And, genreally I see no program
posting that code in a newsgroup.

So, if some code is posted in the newsgroup, and they request that the code
not be re-sold as part of some "collection" of code, then I understand
that. It seems like a perfectly reasonable request. In effect the authors
saying, here's some code, please feel free to use it.
However the author will be a little bit disappointed if you take that code
and make it part of the CD, or commercial book of collection of some code
that's being resold. Obvisouly authors intention is to share the code, and
allow you to use in your applications, even commercial applications. What
the authors generally don't want is you to take that sample code posted here
(for free), and you take that collection of code and put in a book and make
money off of it. If you're not going to use the code for your personal or
commercial products, but just simply we distribute what was given, then most
authors will feel that you're taking advantage of them in an unfair way.

Most of the problems, or violations in these newsgroups centers around the
reverse problem. That problem of course is posting code from a purchased
book that has copyrights, and the authors have a request that you don't
reproduce parts of the book. In these cases because you're taking written
work from a person who presumably is asking you to pay for the book to get
access to the code, then you're not doing any one a favor by going against
the authors wishes.


> If you make modifications to "borrowed" code, do you say something
> like "modifications made to copyrighted code written by so-and-so and
> refer to url where found?

I don't think there's any problem here at all. I don't think there is any
need to include the authors name *unless* the author's name and a copyright
is already posted in the code. In these cases then, for the most part I will
simply leave the original authors name intact in the code.

if I'm modifying that code, then often August but my initials or small, nest
were making modifications.

or, I often say:

adapted from the original code of such and such.

If the authors comments or notes says to please leave their orginal name
intact in the code, then I always respect that request.

For example, I have a windows zip library of code for ms-access. A good
portion of the code is not mine, and you'll see in the beginning of that
code that the auther used someone else code.

hence, you see the following:

-----------------------------------------
Option Compare Database

Option Explicit
'
'
' Chris Eastwood July 1999 - adapted from code at the
' InfoZip homepage.
'
Public Enum ZTranslate
CRLFtoLF = 1
LFtoCRLF = 2
End Enum
'
' Collection of Files to Zip
-----------------------------------------

Notice how the author simply states that he adapted the code from the info
zip home page.

And, for my modules that I've added to this above library of code I've
placed the following:


' Accesss WinZip
' (c) - Albert D. Kallal - July 2006
'
' You are free to use this code, and even use this code
' in your commerial applications.
'
' However, you are NOT permitted to distribute this code
' in a access book, or CD that is to be sold for profit
' without a written agreemen with me.

---------------------------------------------

Just other day I downloaded a set of code routines that will read the
picture information from a JPEG file (exif informaton from a digital
camera). In looking at the code, the author placed no comments at the
beginning (not even his name). in this case, I simply added:

'----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
' Module : clsExif
' DateTime : 11/18/2007
' Author : From http://sourceforge.net/projects/exifclass/
' Purpose :
'
' This is public domain code taken from sourceforge
' Converted for ms-access VBA by Albert D. Kallal Nov 18, 2007
' This code is free to use as you please.
'----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------

I think the only abuse I've seen in these newsgroups here is some people
post code from copyrighted books.

For the most part these issues are not problem (just use common sense and
good judgment).

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
pleaseNOOSpamKallal@msn.com