[Axiom-developer] Re: Copyright notice Re: pfaffian.input.pamphlet

[Martin Rubey]

root <address@hidden> writes:

> In total number of characters and time, the source text TeX, the regression
> test case generation, the system merge issues, the testing and the patch
> generation exceed the number of characters posted in the algorithm.

Characters maybe, time I doubt.  It took me quite a while to figure out that
there is a misprint in the article.

> And the wikipedia text, despite appearances, is not "cut and paste" but is
> hand written in latex format.

So what?  If you retype a copyrighted book, you are still breaking copyright.

> In total I spent quite a few hours on making the pamphlet.  If you had posted
> the final pamphlet documentation with regression tests as a diff-Naur patch I
> would have had nothing to contribute.

I'm sorry about that.

> The fact that you understand the pfaffian enough to write a program does not
> mean that the next person who has to maintain/extend/rewrite the pfaffian has
> the same understanding.

Yes, that's what I think, too.  Although I hurry to say that I do *not*
understand the Pfaffian enough.

> The point of the game is to make the code live beyond the original
> author. Otherwise, what is science for?

Maybe for you.  I just needed a Pfaffian to do some experiments, and couldn't
find an implementation.  So I looked for an algorithm I thought I was able to
implement.  If you can use it, fine, if you can't, leave it.

Martin