Vincent Puglia — Sat, 11 Nov 2000 20:20:17 +0000

Hi pixel,

If you want to learn how most people are dealing with the viewing of source code problems, see the following thread:

http://www.javascriptcity.com/forums/showthread.php3?threadid=316&pagenumber=1

It will lead you to 2 other threads.

My personal beliefs are that it:
1) cannot be done, and
2) should not be done.

The threads above discuss what can be done and why they don't work. Maverick etal. have discussed some of the reasons why it shouldn't be attempted.

At my site, I provide a 'view-source' button for the user's benefit. And, since the purpose of my site is javascript and learning, I encourage people to take the source. What I don't encourage taking is the content -- the actual tutorials that help people understand what the source code is and how it works.

One last thing: I (and many others) refuse to help people with coding problems who have noRightClick scripts in place.

Vinny

Mark Hensler — Sat, 11 Nov 2000 18:16:19 +0000

Megan-

I fell the same way. When I develope something that took me quit a while, I expect a certain level of 'respect of privacy' from other developers. However, if someone came to me with a question about a specific 'feature' on my site, I would most likely help them understand the logic (while trying to stay away from having to show my exact code).

As far as content goes, if it's original content that I create, it's off limits (without prior permision). However, if it's public knowledge, heck, take it.

just my 1/2 cent

Megan — Sat, 11 Nov 2000 17:41:51 +0000

Pixel - I think that this conversation is growing beyond your original question here, so don't take offense to what people are saying - you have a right to your opinion.

I think this comes down to your personal opinion of what the web is and what your role is as a developer. I see myself as part of a huge community of developers, helping each other to do new things and push the technology at hand. Once I post my work to the web, I consider it to be a gift of sorts. With the sort of stuff I do, it's more of a gift to that topic area - the community surrounding that topic rather than the community of developers, but it could work the other way, or both ways.

Of course, I would be pretty pissed off if somebody stole all my content and posted it on another site, just as any developer would be annoyed if somebody stole all of their code and used it for another site. There's a difference between stealing the whole thing and borrowing ideas. I don't have a problem with the latter, and any self respecting webmaster should have a problem with the former and know not to do it, or even want to do it.

omni — Sat, 11 Nov 2000 01:51:33 +0000

One trick I've seen is to add about 100 blank lines before your code. Fools most gooberheads that want to rip source.

Greg

pixel — Fri, 10 Nov 2000 22:12:46 +0000

Maverick,
Please don't misconstrue what I said

Maverick — Fri, 10 Nov 2000 21:54:58 +0000

A Macromedia Flash .swf file can be decompiled into a 99% accurate .fla file just like a Java .class can be turned into it's source, or C++ .exe and .dll can be turned into theirs. The results are not ever 100% perfect just like translating from English to Latin and back to English might lose something along the way (try it with an online language translator sometime) but they're close enough that anyone with minimal knowledge can easily reconstruct the original. You can hide code and make it harder to view, but as soon as it's published on the web or elsewhere, true security is lost.

I just have to wonder about 2 things. First, is your code really that good that millions of others cannot reproduce it just be looking at the end result? If it is, you should be good enough to protect it with 100% certainty Second, are you the only person on earth that's never taken a look as somebody else's code to get an idea of how it was done? That's how most of us learn, a snippet here and a snippet there. If that sort of thing makes you paranoid about the security of your coding, the only perfectly reliable solution is to un-network your machine and keep the code in a vacuum.

things to consider

Suzanne — Fri, 10 Nov 2000 21:28:12 +0000

Hiding your source code is like hiding the wiring in a car -- it can be done to some extent (external files, cgi, making it not human readable) but the fact is that HOW the information is presented is a large part of the information itself.

Moving to xHTML and XML, CSS, et cetera, moves to separate the content from the presentation, but it doesn't hide the content.

Free-for-all isn't what the web is! I am so tired of hearing this shite. The web is supposed to be freely accessible. As in anyone can come online and see the pages and information. It is not supposed to be anyone can take what they please. So I do understand the desire to protect your work.

But the point is, if you don't want anyone seeing what you are doing, don't show anyone. This is true in ANY media. Once an idea, writing, programming, et cetera gets air, it grows. If it's good, even if you don't tell people how you did it, and manage to hide it, someone out there is better than you, will figure it out and tell everyone.

You have to pick your battles. HTML is not worth it. Client side scripting, for the most part, is not worth it. CGI/ASP, well that is. It's complex, it takes a long time to develop, et cetera. And it's not viewable.

Pick your battles.

Suzanne

AndyB — Fri, 10 Nov 2000 20:50:53 +0000

At the risk of being thought dogmatic, you cannot prevent people from viewing your source code ... it's on their computer somewhere. My page on the topic is at http://continue.to/hope

pixel — Fri, 10 Nov 2000 18:34:48 +0000

Next time you are "viewing" a Flashed Macromeadia web page, try and view the source code for it as well....I think you will find you would need a to ask Macromeadia for a software tool to do that (or i am sure someone else has made one as well) or ask the Author. I think Macromedia may see it as the Authors rights that a web browers can't view the source code......

pixel — Fri, 10 Nov 2000 18:24:56 +0000

Quote: Maverick said...
If your work is so spectacular that it pains you to have it viewed by others, then it should not be placed on the web.

hehehe sorry I don't believe in the "free for all" of the web (nor does alot of poeple I guess....things are changing) but I think you have me wrong....it's not that I think my work is so spectacular, it's just I want the option of poeple viewing my work and or how I did my work.... that is my right!