URL:
<http://gna.org/bugs/?9913>
Summary: Bad behaviour to claim credit for other people's
work
Project: Battle for Wesnoth
Submitted by: None
Submitted on: Saturday 09/01/2007 at 11:41 CEST
Category: Bug
Severity: 3 - Normal
Priority: 5 - Normal
Item Group: None of the others
Status: None
Privacy: Public
Assigned to: None
Originator Email:
Open/Closed: Open
Discussion Lock: Any
Release: r20012
Operating System: -
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Details:
I chanced to catch r20012 from the irclogs. (Committed by Soliton, but the
blame is not on him but the originator of the changed files, Doc P.)
The revision adds "Designed by" to MP objectives (a somewhat odd change in
itself, akin to a degree of self-promotion, but I'll let the devs discuss
whether this is really wanted).
In at least two maps, Charge and Blitz, the original designer (pg) is not
credited. (In 4 p maps, to the contrary, he seems to be...)
(I only refer to these two maps, since their origins I know (and these
origins have been rehearsed in the forum flames). I haven't checked all
current MP maps, nor have I researched the pedigree of all of them. I'm
actually also wondering who created Divide & Conquer (sp.) (based on Charge,
IIRC), the precursor of Caves of the Basilisk, there's no credit given to the
originators either.)
--
I have four points against this revision:
- One, it is bad form in a GPL project to omit crediting the _original_
contributor / designer / coder / whatever. (Mentions like "substantive
redesign" etc. can be and are used in coding projects to indicate changes of
a major nature, but the original creator is generally always mentioned.) This
holds, even if pg would've "desired to keep control over his own maps"
(IIUC).
- Two, I will argue that it is generally easier to adapt and modify a map to
suit a purpose than come up with an original design from scratch. Stating a
map was "Designed by" the one editing it in a case like this is, arguably,
quite arrogant. If this is really wanted, having different fields for
"Original design by:" and "Edited by:" would IMO seem far more appropriate.
(Mind you, I don't intend to take away Doc P's credit for the balancing work.
All I ask for is that if credit is given, it be given appropriately also to
the creators of the original design.)
- Three, considering the separation between original designer and later
editors, the order of names mentioned could better be chronological. (Again,
if it's wanted at all.)
- Four, even if Doc P. claims (from the forum flames) that a substantive
number of hexes in the two maps in question have been changed, this isn't
really significant, and doesn't take away the origins from which these maps
have evolved. (Even if it _were_ significant, which it isn't, as a longtime
MP player I can ascertain that the original map features are IMO still very
much present in the maps' current incarnations.)
--
For all dubious people, I suppose I have to state that I'm not pg. I just
happen to value the originality in his map designs, which were (again, IMO) a
large part in the early success of Wesnoth MP. (Some later edits to these maps
have been beneficial IMO, and some not, but that's completely beside the
point, which is giving credit where credit is due, _both_ for original design
and for later edits.)
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