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Re: copyright practices

Kenneth Mankoff <mankoff@nagik.cs.colorado.edu> wrote in message
news:Pine.GHP.4.05.9910062117390.24399-100000@nagik.cs.colorado.edu...
> What are the common practices for distributing softare created in IDL?

Check out the GNU Public License:
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/copyleft.html

> Do i need to give credit to RSI?

If you are distributing IDL source, then the answer is no. It would be like
crediting Kernighan and Ritchie in a C program.

>Can i do the following:
> ;;; (c) 1999 me

As previous posters have said, this is probably insufficient. If you really
want to give away source code, then check out the GPL above.

> What are you doing when you make your programs acecessible to the public?

Write a program.
Test it.
Debug it.
Get your colleagues to test it.
Debug it some more.
Create a web page which
- contains a link to the source code and any required support routines,
- explains what the program does,
- gives examples of how to run the program,
- shows screenshots if necessary,
- explains any restrictions (e.g. IDL version required, cases where it won't
work).
Announce the program in comp.lang.idl-pvwave.
Debug it some more when someone emails you with a bug you never anticipated.
Update the program.

Cheers,
Liam.
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/~gumley