The open source conundrum

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geocom

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#195503 21-Apr-2016 23:44

So in my day to day job of coding I sometimes find open source scripts or gems(plug-ins) that due to age just no longer work. Where I can I usually try to fix these issues and create pull requests in git hub. Sometimes they just don't get accepted because the creator is no longer active and thats fine thing happen and sometimes you have to just move on. At the very least the pull request will exist there so that others can find it and pull from my source anyway.

Last night I was shocked to see that someone had taken my exact code and put it into there own fork of the original code and submitted a pull request for the same gem.

My pull request https://github.com/nethacker/usagewatch/pull/13

Their pull request https://github.com/nethacker/usagewatch/pull/19

In reality due to the licence that the original creator provided they are within there right to do so because I never changed the licence file to add my name. Under normal circumstances I would not have a problem with them doing what ever with my open source code(I willingly gave it to the project after all).

But creating a pull request to the original source when my one is still sitting there waiting for approval just feels wrong. I don't know what his intent is all I know is it is word for word my code with no reference to this being the case.

So what would you do in this situation.

Geoff E

michaelmurfy

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#1537814 21-Apr-2016 23:49

Honestly happens all the time. If your pull request is approved it more-or-less overrides his request. Just honestly some people are pricks and looking at his GitHub profile proves to be the case (he is seen doing this on other projects - likely attempting to build up a portfolio).

This is the problem with using a public and popular site like GitHub.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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geocom

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#1537920 22-Apr-2016 09:13

Thanks Michael yea I'm thinking more and more that he is a prick given how long now he has had to yank the request but has not done so.

It's one of those situations where all I can do it say it goes against the ethos but otherwise i cannot really do anything and it sucks.

Geoff E

nunz

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#1538212 22-Apr-2016 16:06

What languages? Michael and Geocom.

geocom

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#1538230 22-Apr-2016 16:26

nunz:

What languages? Michael and Geocom.

I use ruby(and rails), html, css and javascript every day.

But I also can read and understand most languages and have written some code in objective c, c, php and shell scripts from time to time. I have done some java stuff for android application development as well. I have also helped out with python code(Its just not my sort of language) and there will be some others as well that I am likely forgetting.

Geoff E

SumnerBoy

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#1538240 22-Apr-2016 16:42

Must admit I have never seen something like that - pretty cheeky! But as you say, not much you can do. One of the very few downsides of OSS.

nunz

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#1538241 22-Apr-2016 16:42

geocom:

nunz:

What languages? Michael and Geocom.

I use ruby(and rails), html, css and javascript every day.

But I also can read and understand most languages and have written some code in objective c, c, php and shell scripts from time to time. I have done some java stuff for android application development as well. I have also helped out with python code(Its just not my sort of language) and there will be some others as well that I am likely forgetting.

I tried learning Python but not having {} or similar delimiters around blocks and using spaces got to me. I'm also more of a strongly typed language guy - explicit conversions much more efficient and make you think about what you're doing than untyped languages.

I worked more in the Windows world - VBA, visual Basic, Basica, Java, Jade, Pascal / Delphi, some C, lots of scripts (REXX, Batch, etc) and a whole lot of Lotus Notes Macro, Script, HTML, CSS, Javascript, - and the obligatory SQL as well. COM / OLE / Corba type work often dominated (Crystal Reports, inter app communications)

Learning PHP by pulling apart Wordpress, tried Rails but didn't click. Will get better at PHP and come back to it.

For me the challenge is there are some many systems out there now: Ajax, node.js, json, jquery, Frameworks by the train load. I need to retire so I have enough time to relearn again.

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darylblake

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#1538286 22-Apr-2016 17:43

Yeh there are some people around that do this but I wouldn't sweat about it. But I have a love/hate relationship with open source. *more love than hate.

I find repository's all the time and fix stuff up people have tried this on me before. And personally think open source has so many more pros than it has cons.

Ipv89

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#1560218 26-May-2016 18:55

I have never had this happen to me but its a shame that people do this. While its not illegal it is just not right. Good on you for contributing to opensource projects, don't this this put you off :)

Mike

LesF

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#1568977 9-Jun-2016 20:51

Are you sure it wasn't just an honest over-sight?

The guy may have wanted to get what looked like the latest/best version of the code to apply his own changes to.

Assume innocence and/or good will in others until forcefully proven wrong. You will live happier, but maybe not for as long...

: )

--
Les

geocom

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#1569002 9-Jun-2016 21:16

LesF:

Are you sure it wasn't just an honest over-sight?

The guy may have wanted to get what looked like the latest/best version of the code to apply his own changes to.

Assume innocence and/or good will in others until forcefully proven wrong. You will live happier, but maybe not for as long...

: )

Take a look at the files changed tab and you will see that the changes are the same. If he wanted to make changes to it there is no need to submit a pull request with the exact same code as my fork just fork my code make the improvements.

So yea pretty sure its not an honest oversight and given that it's been almost 2 months and he has not said anything to me on the pull request or yanked the code. Also his way requires more work.

And wow check his last created issue.

Geoff E