From: strake@coos.dartmouth.edu (strake)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud,rec.games.mud.diku
Subject: Re: Renegade Outpost DIKUMud
Date: 2 Oct 92 23:19:59 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH


wow, start classes, don't read news for a week, and I miss all sorts of exciting
flamewars. For starters I am very amused at being called Mr. Strake.
I've never really thought myself I mister, although I suppose I do qualify
it just sounds funny.  Strake will do fine thanks.

>>Jeffrey Stine writes:
>>
>>>Does Dartmouth have a large CS program? Please say no, I'd hate to think of
>>>what these people could do to our legal system.
>>>Those things "of value" are exactly what people try to protect and if
>>>you wish to share yours with others that is fine but please don't expect
>>>the rest of us to believe this.
>>
>>After reading this message, I was convinced that Stine was attacking the CS
>>department at Dartmouth for sharing code.  This of course pissed me off, 
>>because I believe strongly in code sharing.  If Stine actually thought that
>>the Dartmouth CS department encouraged their students to STEAL code, then
>>I apologize for jumping down his throat.
>>
>I disdainfully reflected the connection that Mr. Strake made between what
>he says is "policy" for Dartmoth's CS courses and the fact that someone
>has ripped off someone else's code.
>I did not truely believe that they condoned actual theft, but rather the
>message was garbled somewhere at that end. And I would gladly have _quietly_
>read a correction or clarification on his part.
>Even better a public denunciation from Mr. Strake of theft of any code
>would clear this up, since up to this point he has done nothing but come
>down on Mr. Russell for publicly proclaiming there is a thief at RO.

well for starters, here it is.
Yes, my post was a poorly written response to something which bothered me while
I was at work near the end of my shift. I highly doubt that dartmouth thinks
stealing code is OK.  I do know that for our homework assignments, they
encourage us to us whatever resources we have available in order to make our
code working and usable and correct and tell us to credit anything we use.
Usually this means using or paraphrasing code from textbooks, old homework
assignments, or even in some cases code handed in by people who took the class
before you. But like I said I don't think that qualifies as stealing.
It does however, certainly toe the line of our honor code, which is something
I've often wondered about.

I personally believe that _stealing_ code is a bad thing. The thing that
bothered me about Mr. Russell's post was the 'I'm never going to read this group
attitude' he had over something that no one else had actually disaggreed with
yet. What originally annoyed me about the whole initial thread was the fact
that there were public, and potentially damaging, accusations being made and
I had yet to see anything substantial to back up those claims.
I have since received more information which was very helpful, and informative,
thank you.

So yes, I did come down on Mr Russell for publicly proclaiming a thief, and
not IMHO doing anything more than that.  Accusations along the lines of
'He's a thief, he has code just like mine' just doesn't cut it with me. sorry.

>As to why you should be concerned about my remarks on Dartmouth, I am
>also unclear on. You do go to washington? Any relation to Dartmouth?
>Can you shed any light on Dartmouth policy? Are you a relative of Mr. Strake?

Not that I know of :)

>I am more guilty? That is to laugh. I didn't flame him.. well maybe a light
>toasting. In the context of the thread his post looked screwy and I brought
>this to light. I did not read his post wrong. Maybe I drew an erroneous
>conclusion, but I did not ever say that he condoned theft. Whilst you
>most definitely took me to task for not wanting to share.

You call that a flame, I hope not, Thanks for your post, I needed it, and
deserved it, because i didn't express myself properly. You read my post
and drew conclusions based on the post, and they were wrong, that's mostly
my fault for not writing clearly. 

Sorry I couldn't reply sooner, It's been a busy week.

--
                    . . . . .                      strake@dartmouth.edu
         .     :    .       .    :     .
   :     :    .  :             :  .    :     :      it seemed a good
   :          :                   :          :      idea at the time
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