Comments on: steal my code!

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:37:20 +0000

I have learned both from looking at source code and from reading tutorial sites and the like. The thing about source code is that you can see something in action. If you’re really new, tutorials only help you so much because they tend to show parts, not the sum of all parts.

I agree that HTML is public and you can’t really own it, thus it cannot be stolen. I do think it would be rude to copy and paste someone’s site, though. Like you said, personalize it.

By: Ajemi

Ajemi — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:13:37 +0000

A friend of mine constantly steal each other’s code because we liked the outcome. That’s the way I learned how to do a lot of things in the beginning and then I actually started using tutorials.

I’d have to agree with Jem in that I’m fine with people stealing a small chunk of code if it gets them a desired result but I’m not okay with them stealing an entire design.

By: Rihoj

Rihoj — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:10:28 +0000

I consider myself still a beginer in the world of programing, because there is a lot of stuff I do not know. However, I do know quiet a bit still. The way I first started to learn was by just looking at the source code for websites, trying to figure out how they did things, and then I started to look at tutorials, and now, I usually go for tutorials or help websites, so as I can get better.
Here not to long ago I knew a lot less then I do now, and it was remedied, by my friend and I working together to code. He taught me a lot about php, and I didn’t even know was possible. Pretty much what I am trying to get at, is that tutorial sites are great and all, but sometimes they just don’t have what you need, for what you want, and so you might want to look at the source code.

Great post though, I enjoyed reading this.

By: (Olivia)

(Olivia) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:38:29 +0000

@Jem

I guess that what happens when you do a half-a** read. I now see the “at least have the decency to personalize it” bit.

If people do that it’s fine, because I obviously didn’t create transparencies or drop-down menus.

Still, I think most people wanting to “learn” view tutorials, and those wanting to leech view source codes.

By: kim

kim — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:24:09 +0000

Great article. I know that I first learnt web design mostly by sneaking a peek at people’s source codes to see how they did something.

By: Jem

Jem — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:19:39 +0000

I don’t really see how snooping equates to stealing, Olivia? In fact, I’m looking at your source code as I type this (you could do with optimising it for more ‘semantically appropriate’ tags btw) ..does that make me a thief?

By: (Olivia)

(Olivia) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:12:39 +0000

This article is super old. But I have to freakin’ comment. There are TUTORIAL websites for people who want to learn.
People who go snooping around source codes are stealing not “learning”.
It’s sad people encourage leeching.

By: JJ

JJ — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:49:44 +0000

I highly disagree. I learned from a book and websites that gave examples of how to do links, colors, backgrounds, pictures, ect. dont steal others code with out permission. unless its the main subject of the site.

By: _jaoie_

_jaoie_ — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 09:21:32 +0000

I totally agree with you all. Right clicking scripts are stupid; they can still copy paste your work anyway. However, I do admit that it drives me nuts to peek at heavily coded pages;finding the code you are looking for is excruciatingly hard, what w/ all the codey here and codey there…I prefer hand-coded pages.

By: Artcoder

Artcoder — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 06:30:07 +0000

I agree with the article. I don’t mind other people doing a “view source” for learning purposes. In fact, in my online course, I teach people how to write the exact code that I had used in creating my website http://myBlog.webmarksonline.com. And at the end of the course, the source code is downloadable, and I even grant students the use of this template website for their own use.

By: Jordie

Jordie — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 04:03:15 +0000

I love you. I’m bookmarking this. I cannot express how annoying it is when people play the overprotective parent to their code. You learn by seeing what others have done. Not to mention the disable right click script is utterly useless.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 21:21:46 +0000

Thanks. :) it’s fun to show off your code: you ain’t lyin’!

By: Habit

Habit — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 00:01:47 +0000

Wonderful article. I don’t care if people look at my code- in fact, one of my friends often looks at my code to figure stuff out. If my code helps some newbie out there learn how to make awesome looking websites, then by all means look at it. I don’t mind if people use a small part of my coding, as long as they personalize it, and I can’t tell that it came from my site. Besides, it’s fun to show off your code anyway. :P

By: Alisha

Alisha — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 17:41:55 +0000

I have learned so much by looking at other people’s code and trying to impliment their ideas into my design but add my own twist. There are things designers do with code that I didn’t know was even possible until I took a peek at their CSS files and such.

Right now, I am trying to figure out the best way to design for IE based on screen resolution. I thought my IE CSS file was fine while viewing it on my laptop until I got a new desktop computer and found how bad the design looked with it’s monitor. Right now, after working with the code for hours yesterday, I am fed up with fixing the code. I am hoping to find a good tutorial or just come up with some design made especially for IE to solve all the hassel.

You do a great job with your design though, and I am sure that many people have learned new tricks by checking out your code.

I love the way the site looks, by the way. :)

By: Margarida

Margarida — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 06:22:30 +0000

your site, i have learned html by looking to a website, but well it was mine, my ex offered me, so i didnt want to bother him all the time to update little things and i wanted to change and so i begun to take a look at the site and change here and there, then i made a version total changed, but people didnt think it was me.. and its frustrating making someone and no one believe so i made my personal site, it was just a blog back then, but it was only me and nobody touched that code before, then with the years passed, i just keep improving, sometimes looking at some sources, but i prefer to view tutorials, specially for css. But for people to view the source code is okay.. but it gets annoying even when they ask “hey how do you did that thing you have on your site” .. once in a while it starts to get really annoying, so.. sometimes it should be better if we could disable the code visualization, lol
But i liked the article, and both parts and right.