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Hello:
I would like to take a minute to express my extreme disappointment in
one very unscrupulous individual who has attempted to steal my good
name in the BASIC programming community.  Since I do not know who that
crook is, I am posting this as an open letter to him.  (I'll say "him"
because I don't know if it was a man or a woman!)
On March 28, 1993, I posted in the FidoNet QUIK_BAS echo what has come
to be known far and wide as an excellent QB FAQ.  It has been referred
to by professional and amateur programmers alike, and has been cited
when answering questions such as "What is Hashing?"
I wrote that FAQ, and my name was included in the FAQ throughout.  I
also gave credit to EVERY programmer whose source code was included in
the FAQ.
It has come to my attention today, fellow programmers, that there are
versions of my FAQ out there from which my name has been ENTIRELY
deleted!  Someone whom I know and trust accidentally included the
bastardized version in the ABC collection, since he was unable to
locate the original author -- how could he have located me?  My name
was completely erased from the thing!  He is not to blame -- but
whoever erased my name from it certainly is!
I know for a fact that whoever did this, took the time and effort to
make sure that my name was obliterated.  Consider the two following
sections of the FAQ:
AS I POSTED IT:
'
'            Microsoft's source code modified by Quinn Tyler Jackson
'
AS THE CROOK ALTERED IT:
'            Microsoft's source code modified as needed
'
Needless to say, this type of thing occurs throughout the raped
version.
Ladies and gentlemen:
Those who know my good name in the BASIC programming community know
that I have donated very many quality sections of source code to the
public domain, not the least of which were my LANSI and ARDAF programs
-- something you don't come by every day for free.
By erasing my name from the file and thereby anonymizing it, this
person has raped my good name as a programmer.
This is my warning:
Should this EVER happen again to any of my code I will not only stop
posting public domain code.  I will stop being helpful.  I will revoke
the right to use ANY of my copyrighted code which I have always
distributed freely.
I will go into my records and take note of EVERY posting I've ever
made that was not public domain, and I will formally revoke everyone's
right to use that code -- forever.  Look it up in the law -- I have
the right to do that.  As for the code which I've released in the
public domain -- well, it will be on everyone's conscience if they use
it should I *ever* be raped like this again.
I am outraged.  The only thing a programmer who writes code and
releases it to the public domain has is his or her good name.
Mine has been erased.
Don't ever let me see that hapenning again.
Sign me disgusted,
--
Voting Member: Editors' Association of Canada ||  Quinn Tyler Jackson
Contributing Editor:       Tickled by Thunder ||    (aka 'Jamshid')
Programmer:        PowerBASIC, C++/C, ['LPM'$ |+---------------------
Speak/Write:           English, French, Farsi ||  qjackson@direct.ca
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 * POW 1.2  On Trial * A crook by any other name is a thief...
--- Maximus/2 2.01wb
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