If i use google and other people's code to create a great piece of software, is there a problem there? that all i know is how to join pieces but i do not care how the pieces work?
+2
A:
You cannot create great pieces of software without knowing something about how the components work. Every component has advantages and disadvantages and without understanding these you will build a fragile system. You need to read the documentation for the components you use to ensure that you are using them correctly.
Mark Byers
2010-10-16 08:48:11
+1 for making me laugh with "read the documentation" ;-)
LeonixSolutions
2010-10-16 08:55:42
+1
A:
There is almost certainly a problem there - if you want to distribute your code (even if you "borrow" source and compile it).
You need to explicitly check the licensing for every piece of code which you borrow, and if it is not stated then you need to ask the author.
And often you can't find the author. I imagine that a few lines of unattributable code might be "fair usage"m, but IANAL.
If you have multiple sources, then you also have to consider licenses in combination.
Short answer - get a lawyer, especially if you intend to sell your code afterward.
Personally, I would never reuse code, even it is explicitly placed in the public domain. It never seems to match my style, it is harder to maintain, doesn't fit in well with my structure, etc, etc - but YMMV.
Even if it were for purely private use, I would recommend just reading other people's code and studying it, then coding from scratch.
And often it's just quicker to roll your own than to understand someone else's ...
LeonixSolutions
2010-10-16 08:54:23
Reusing other people's stuff is not an evil thing -- sometimes, it's even necessary. No one knows everything. It's reusing without any understanding of what the stuff does that's bad. (You don't have to know every little detail, but knowing a bit more than just "include this code, call this function" never hurts.)
cHao
2010-10-16 08:59:00
LeonixSolutions
2010-10-16 09:05:39