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Justin Hammonds
7,841 PointsSnippets, Tools, Sharing... In the web community, where does acceptable borrowing end and intellectual property begin?
I am still in the process of learning the basics in my quest to become a self-taught developer... and I have noticed that there is an abundance of sharing of snippets, code sequences, tricks some developers have figured out and share for the benefit of all in an open source format. Second, I often hear discussions or read where developers are using 'this or that' tool or software to speed up or simplify the development process and save time.
Question One: How common is it that developers 'borrow these code snippets, and tricks' and use these developer tools/software in development?
As I said, I am learning, so at this point I value learning by discovering/solving some of the development issues that occur along the way (things collapsing, etc...) or looking up more information when something isn't working the way I thought it would. But...
Question Two: Will there come a point when it would be acceptable to use tools to simply the process, or is that "a cheap shortcut" to good custom development?
1 Answer
Ricky Catron
13,023 PointsQuestion 1: Everybody uses others code everyday. Tons framework, library, and functions were written and shared with the community. It all depends how stuff is licensed. Most library have their own license. Skim that or email the developer and you should be fine.
Question 2: It is always fine to use a tool to do something simply make sure it is the correct tool to do the job. If Wordpress meets your needs use it. Never reinvent the wheel unless your trying to learn how it works. The only time you should build something in a development environment is when their isn't something readily available that does what you want. That said if it takes 3 days to modify a library to your needs and only 1 to write it yourself write it yourself. Saving time is key.
Goodluck! --Ricky