[thelist] Intellectual property on source files

Andy Warwick andy.war at ntlworld.com
Thu Jan 25 13:59:40 CST 2001


>> True, but you also wouldn't expect Ford to supply you with the machining
>> tools or the engineers to add those wheels and spoilers. If you wanted to
>> completely replace the engine in the deliverable car, you would need to
>> start that section from scratch.
> 
> The metaphor is getting a bit strained, I think :-)

Not at all; we can stretch it much farther before it breaks :-)

> You can modify or replace the engine in a car without having access to the
> engine manufacturer's mathematics. However, it is tricky to modify a Web
> site without getting at the source (and thus the thinking behind *how* it
> does what it does).
> 
> I guess the neatest IP approach is to encapsulate as much code as possible
> in COM objects (or something similar), giving the client the *interfaces*,
> and whatever basic HTML is necessary to stitch the compiled code together.
> 
> That way, you are much closer to the car analogy - knowing *what* the code
> does, and how it communicates with the outside world, the client can write
> (or commission) a replacement object without getting access to the original
> developer's toolkit.
> 
> Not very "open" though, is it?

There is a place for open source and for closed; to me open source is much
better, and I will freely give up source files for my own projects to anyone
who wants them. At the end of the day, for a website that is mine, only I
know the ftp passwords to make alterations, whether someone can look at the
source code or not. When I work for a client, it's their choice to open
source up. What I will not do is give a client source that isn't their own
IP in such a manner that prevents me using it for other clients in future.

At the end of the day, I want to get paid for what I do. If a client wants
source, 9 times out of 10 he can have it, as long as in doing so he doesn't
prevent me from using similar or the same code for other clients. The code
represents my skill and experience.

In practice I have never had to deal with a client who wants source simply
so he can get it done cheaper elsewhere; if he is that way inclined, he is
far more likely to take his business elsewhere long before that becomes an
issue, as he is unlikely to pay a fair price for a good job.

Andy W





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