Question: The MG 08 machine gun was an adaptation of a gun invented by who?

Context paragraphs:
Maxim gun: The Maxim gun was a weapon invented by American-British inventor Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1883: it was the first recoil-operated machine gun.  It has been called "the weapon most associated with the British imperial conquest", and likewise was used in colonial wars by other countries between 1886–1914.

MG 08: The "Maschinengewehr" 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun.  It was produced in a number of variants during the war.  The MG 08 served during World War II as a heavy machine gun in many German infantry divisions, although by the end of the war it had mostly been relegated to second-rate fortress units.

M2 Browning: The M2 Machine Gun or Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun designed toward the end of World War I by John Browning.  Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge.  The M2 uses the much larger and much more powerful .50 BMG cartridge, which was developed alongside and takes its name from the gun itself (BMG standing for "Browning Machine Gun").  It has been referred to as "Ma Deuce", in reference to its M2 nomenclature.  The design has had many specific designations; the official designation for the current infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal.  .50, M2, HB, Flexible.  It is effective against infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats, light fortifications and low-flying aircraft.  The M2 has been produced longer than any other machine gun.

MG 29: The Flieger MG 29 (also called the Flab MG or FLab MG 29/38) was a Swiss light machine gun developed in the 1920s and produced until shortly before the dawn of the Second World War.  It was mounted on aircraft and was later used as an anti-aircraft gun.  However, it was too heavy to be used as am infantry support weapon.  It employed a closed bolt system.  Some guns had the ability to bolt a large box onto the bottom of the machine gun to hold the ammunition belt.  Two versions of the gun existed, the "normal" version and a second version which bolted two guns together and made them to fire from the same trigger, known as the "Doppel-MG" (double machine gun).  After the second world war, better anti aircraft systems and aircraft weapons were available to Switzerland and the infantry support role was filled by the MG 51.  The higher rate of fire, but much heavier MG 29 was finally mounted on the first prototype of the Panzer 58, the precursor to the more famous Panzer 61 tank before being retired.

MG 51: The 7.5 mm Maschinengewehr 1951 or Mg 51 is a general-purpose machine gun manufactured by W+F of Switzerland.  The weapon was introduced into Swiss service when the Swiss Army initiated a competition for a new service machine gun to replace the MG 11 heavy machine gun and the Furrer M25 light machine gun adopted in 1911 and 1925 respectively.

08/15 (film series): 08/15 is a 1954–55 West German film trilogy directed by Paul May and based on the novel "08/15" by Hans Hellmut Kirst who also served as the film's screenwriter (published in English as "The Revolt of Gunner Asch").  The term "08/15" (nill-eight/fifteen, German: "Null-Acht/Fünfzehn" ) refers to the German Army's standard machine gun, the 08/15 (or MG 08 model 15), by far, the most common German machine gun deployed in World War I.  It was manufactured in such large quantities that it became the German Army slang for anything that was standard issue.

MG 11: The Maschinengewehr Modell 1911 or MG 11 is a Swiss heavy machine gun which was introduced before and during World War I.  The MG 11 has a narrow constructive relationship with the German MG 08 heavy machine gun.

08/15 (1954 film): 08/15 is a 1954 West German film directed by Paul May and based on the novel "08/15" by Hans Hellmut Kirst who also served as the film's screenwriter.  The term "08/15" (nill-eight/fifteen, German: "Null-Acht/Fünfzehn" ) refers to the German Army's standard machine gun, the 08/15 (or MG 08 model 15), by far, the most common German machine gun deployed in World War I.  It was manufactured in such large quantities that it became the German Army slang for anything that was standard issue.  08/15 is also the first part of the 08/15 film trilogy, hence it is also named "Teil 1: In der Kaserne" ("Part 1: In the Barracks").

Parabellum MG 14: The Parabellum MG14 was a 7.9 mm caliber World War I machine gun built by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken.  It was a redesign of the Maschinengewehr 08 machine gun (itself an adaptation of the Maxim gun) system intended for use on aircraft and zeppelins, that used a toggle action that broke upwards rather than downwards opposite the MG 08, making for a much more compact receiver.  The fusee spring was dispensed with for an internal spring design, the breech block was completely different and the spent cartridges dropped out the bottom of the receiver rather than forward through a hole in receiver.  There appears to be no action or receiver parts interchangeable with the MG 08.  The MG08's belt-style ammunition feed was enclosed in a drum, the recoil casing was lightened and the cooling jacket was modified for air- instead of water-cooling.  The rate of fire was 700 rounds/minute.  The belt was reduced to 30 mm in width.

MG 17 machine gun: The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament, but also used as fixed, remotely-fired tail guns in certain aircraft variants, such as the Do 217.  The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine gun, as was its defensive flexible-mount counterpart, the MG 15 machine gun, which was of the same caliber and general size.  Modifications to the design included removal of the buttstock, switching from magazine to belt-fed ammunition, and from open-bolt operation to closed bolt operation, to allow it to be installed in synchronized applications, firing through the propeller arc.  The MG 15 retained open bolt operation, but used 75 round saddle-type drum magazines, and likewise lost its buttstock, to fit better in the tight confines of an aircraft.  The MG 30 was also the basis for the famed MG 34 and MG 42 designs; variants of the latter are still in service in certain areas.

Supporting paragraphs: MG 08 Maxim gun
Answer: Hiram Stevens Maxim