Thread: How to prove you wrote it

  1. #1
    Banned nickname_changed's Avatar
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    How to prove you wrote it

    What ways, if any, are there to prove you actually wrote a program? I have source that I've worked on in the past that I have kept hold of even when the projects have closed down, that I would like to use as some sort of example of my work in the future (or maybe just to show my grand children one day).

    Is it enough just to have the code on a disk with some sort of time stamp?

  2. #2
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    You can always copyright it. For $30 though. Generaly if you put a copyright notice on it w/o registering it nobody will try to steal it. If you understand your source (and you should) you shouldn't have to worry about prooving it's yours, because you can.
    --

  3. #3
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    http://profs.lp.findlaw.com/copyright/
    There are some other good articiles conserning copyrights on findlaw also. Its a good site that I recommend people bookmark

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    This is a neat idea I saw somewhere. Print out the source (or put it on a cd). FedX/UPS it to yourself and don't open it. If there is ever a question of who wrote it, the date on the evelope will prove that you did it first/orignial writer.

  5. #5
    mov.w #$1337,D0 Jeremy G's Avatar
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    Always back door the software to allow you unrestricted, and unmetered access any time in teh future. Never know when you will need that kind of power. Oh yeah, I cant wait to sell my new banking software to the govt.
    c++->visualc++->directx->opengl->c++;
    (it should be realized my posts are all in a light hearted manner. And should not be taken offense to.)

  6. #6
    'AlHamdulillah
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    hmm... speaking on this topic. Say if you had enough experience in C++ that you wanted to say skip it as a requirement in college, but in order to do so, you had to show your work. How could on prove they wrote a certain program and did not just copy and paste off the web?

  7. #7
    5|-|1+|-|34|) ober's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Speedy5
    This is a neat idea I saw somewhere. Print out the source (or put it on a cd). FedX/UPS it to yourself and don't open it. If there is ever a question of who wrote it, the date on the evelope will prove that you did it first/orignial writer.
    A.K.A The Poor Man's Copyright

    >> How could on prove they wrote a certain program and did not just copy and paste off the web?

    You could never do this. No reputable college would allow you to skip a course by supplying your work. The only way to skip over a class would be to complete a competency test.

  8. #8
    'AlHamdulillah
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    good thing I didnt try asking, that would of been stupid for me.

  9. #9
    aurė entuluva! mithrandir's Avatar
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    Have your DNA sequence embedded throughout the code.

  10. #10
    Senior Member joshdick's Avatar
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    To test out of a C++ course in college, I had to pass a test and write a program.
    FAQ

    "The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity can be created in the form of computer programs." -- Joseph Weizenbaum.

    "If you cannot grok the overall structure of a program while taking a shower, you are not ready to code it." -- Richard Pattis.

  11. #11
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    This is a neat idea I saw somewhere. Print out the source (or put it on a cd). FedX/UPS it to yourself and don't open it. If there is ever a question of who wrote it, the date on the evelope will prove that you did it first/orignial writer.
    While doing some research I came across an article on FindLaw that addressed this issue. Basically it doesn't offer any protection. The best way is to register it with the copyright office.
    If I have time later I'll try to find the article again.

  12. #12
    aurė entuluva! mithrandir's Avatar
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    When I was in the Marines they called me Gunny. And they said, "Gunny, how do we prove we wrote our own reports?" I stood up, straightened my tie, and said clearly, "I don't have a $$$$ing clue".

    True story.

  13. #13
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    when I was in the marines I used my ssgts and gysgts as filters for after actions reports so I could say "it didn't come from me"

  14. #14
    aurė entuluva! mithrandir's Avatar
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    I remember having to do an AC-21 they were a $$$$$, I mean a real $$$$$ because you'd have to do an BX-25 first, then a YW-55 after that. And the canteen food, that was so goddamn awful after eating like a king at Westpoint.

    Wait, a second...am I just making this up?!

  15. #15
    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    Originally posted by mithrandir
    Have your DNA sequence embedded throughout the code.
    Nobody would have been suprised.

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