Develop Bugs

Hybrid - intellectual property! That's worked out so well for us!

I really don't get what the fuss is about this theme, ok so credit should be given where it's due I'm not arguing, but surely all that's required in this instance is "here's my theme - parts are borrowed from here and here, what do you think?" is sufficient.
It's ridiculous that we even feel the need to debate this, someone went out and built a theme they liked, and decided they would share it with the rest of us, something they did not need to do! Instead of saying thanks, we've shut down a thread because it wasn't precise enough about where it's components were found!
Regarding this theme, i love it, i think it almost perfectly combines the best parts of other themes and apart from the splash screen which i rarely see, makes my phone look great. I can't ask the developer to improve the theme now though thanks to a debate about a couple of icons! fantastic!

faithnolonger said:
I really don't get what the fuss is about this theme, ok so credit should be given where it's due I'm not arguing, but surely all that's required in this instance is "here's my theme - parts are borrowed from here and here, what do you think?" is sufficient.
It's ridiculous that we even feel the need to debate this, someone went out and built a theme they liked, and decided they would share it with the rest of us, something they did not need to do! Instead of saying thanks, we've shut down a thread because it wasn't precise enough about where it's components were found!
Regarding this theme, i love it, i think it almost perfectly combines the best parts of other themes and apart from the splash screen which i rarely see, makes my phone look great. I can't ask the developer to improve the theme now though thanks to a debate about a couple of icons! fantastic!
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thanks faith..
it is clearly ridiculous..but i cant do anything..
HYBRID has in no way stop at all...this is just a set back..
i want my thread back....my original thread..
i am not going to make a new 1 cuz there no neeed..
to everybody that has MY HYBID THEME...or not
please post ur comments and give ur opinion about this whole situation...
and tell the admin/moderators u want my thread re opened....
please help me..
thats all i ask in return...
VIVA LA RESISTANCE!!!!!!!!!! hahah lol

i agree...the thread should be re opened because there is nothing wrong with his theme or how it was created. if you close his then you should close alot others because i know of 3 themes that share the EXACT same clock as the hybrid theme and a few icons and i dont see any reference to whee there clock and icons came from on there thread. everyone is not gonna have a completely different theme, clock, and set of icons. so IMO as long as he acknowledges that he made his theme from a combination of others i feel it is sufficient because whose to sat who FIRST created the black transparant clock that 3THEMES share and icons. as long as he is not saying he created the whole theme from scratch and taking all the cedit then whats the problem? nobody is payin for these themes so its not like he's getting anything from it besides happy hackers who love his work!

If you are referring to the black carbon fiber clock, the actual clock was posted by brandenk in a thread where he gave permission for anyone to use it.

jdwme said:
If you are referring to the black carbon fiber clock, the actual clock was posted by brandenk in a thread where he gave permission for anyone to use it.
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Ok, but there are still a number of themes that share some the same icons and dont give credit to one another.

I do feel that shutting the thread down is the wrong decision...if that is the case, then I want the "Post ONLY your G1 Wallpapers here!" threat shut down...I know for a fact, that there is a Guinness wallpaper on there that I created and uploaded to g1wallz.com that is posted under someone elses name and no credit is given to me. I never really b!tched about it because I dont really care (I posted it on the www afterall, if it was that important to me I would have just kept it to myself)...but if we are going to get picky about giving recognition and asking for permissions then...

Some examples may be helpful, some of us have gotten icons from each other and some from deviantartbut I know the staff doesn't have time to go through every theme that shares something so examples may be needed

Ok here's a simple solution to give credit to all that's do credit.
Disclaimer=
*** I appreciate the hard work and have used icons/images from various sources.. for your hard work I appreciate it and you work lives on in insert theme name here. I wish I can recall all the names of the original makers but I can't as I have scoured the internet and other sources and can't recollect them. If 1 of your images is posted here that should not have been redistributed or used please feel free to contact Theme maker name here and we will work on resolving the issue.
End Disclaimer
The above should quickly cover your own @ss and give credit and thus stopping the fighting.
Now how many people have used google to search an item to recreate? not all are graphic masters and not all while trying to develop something remembers their sources.
I personally thank all theme makers and others for their hard work!!!

ANYONE ANYWHERE MAY USE ANY AND ALL COMPONENTS OF MY THEMES WITH OR WITHOUT ANY REFERENCE TO ME OR THOSE THAT HELP ME
With that said, I am here to help and learn. We are what make this phone awesome, not Google, not HTC, not T-mobile, and not any 1 person. I am truly honored anytime you guys use my components in your own themes, if I didnt I would not bother to make them.
If you guys cant understand that imitation is the highest form of flattery all I can say is go watch Star Trek, I learned this lesson from Data on TNG years ago and it has served me very well. Granted, i love it when you guys mention my name if you use my clock but Im not going to be offended if you dont. Especially since the clock wasnt "my idea". Im sure there are a million people out there that could argue they created something very similar way before me, and to them all I have to say is thank you for the great idea and I hope you appreciate my hard work to take your "idea" to the next level.
My ideal scenario would be everyone taking bits and pieces from themes they like and compiling them into a theme that is perfect for them.

Do you know how many of them probably got their icons from the same source? I know some of the themes were yes, obviously borrowed icons, but others were just coincidence. The whole point of open source is that anyone, can take anything anyone makes, change some ****, and create something totally new. Yes, they SHOULD provide credit, but its not key.
Simply put, if you don't want people to use your ideas, do NOT post them. Simple as that. Any moderator that finds the need to close a thread for that purpose is just, well lack for a better word, dumb.
Now to the theme makers directly, I thank them for all the work they put into the themes, it is a lot of work. However they aren't doing it for us, its for them. I wouldn't create a theme based on what everyone else will want, I'd make one that I like, I enjoy, then later post it here to allow others to use it.
So everyone, stop *****ing, stop complaining, and just enjoy what everyone has to offer.

I used that very same clock in my theme and I credited brandenk for it, what tootall4la is doing is wrong. Some people put allot of work into creating these themes, the least he could do is say thanks to brandenk for his clock and what not. Also, I think he got a complete lack of respect for others. Here's a quote when someone suggested he give credit to other people for using their work to create his "Frankenstein"
its a nice suggestion but will not be taken because..
i already gave credit to those ppl!!!!!!!!!!..
i am claming my theme.. im not claming anything else...
like i explained to jdwme..
and thats where my frankenstein title comes from because i use all these parts to make a new theme(a.k.a frankenstein) a new breed the HYBRID...
just call me creative.. no one else though of doing this.. to not dissapoint other theme makers..why should i ask for permission???haha..well im just doing what i think would be a great looking theme and so far ppl do think it is...so suck it lol.
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I know he never credited me for the resources he used,
Hybrid Version 1.5 RELEASE(JFv 1.41 Compatible)
Improvements:
1.Metal Sheet Status bar...
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which is just the brushed metal I created for my Macdroid theme and there's plenty of other stuff he used and never gave a thanks for it. I'm not trying to be a jerk but it is common courtesy to give a thanks.

Open the thread most of the themes contain parts of other themes,I know cause I can see my work all over but that does not matter. Hey guys I also say anything I have done as far as themes can be used with out giving me credit or permission if you want to give credit that would be better but its cool with me either way.
Its not like google or T-Mobile even gave permission to do this lol....I love forum.

manup456 said:
Its not like google or T-Mobile even gave permission to do this lol....I love forum.
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Oh Noes! You mean Mr. T. Mobile himself didnt give you permission to do this?!?! Thats it, im burning my phone and calling the cops on all of your guys!

Well they gave me permission but hey that's me LMAO!!!! Hey an stop calling me I'm off duty.
Theme Police are watcing I need better sun glasses.

Well....this is indeed a touchy subject. I Believe the thread should be reopened as well but.....I agree with Geo411. There does seem to be a lack of respect for other authors. There are authors on here such as Manup and Brandek that do not care, but that does not go for everyone. I for one dont really care for my own theme, but I love and respect all who have contributed to the community and wish that we do give credit to others that worked so hard and actually wanted to be recognized for it. It really does not take that much time to type out a few lines of recognition....Reopen the thread once recognition has been given.

its a nice suggestion but will not be taken because..
i already gave credit to those ppl!!!!!!!!!!..
i am claming my theme.. im not claming anything else...
like i explained to jdwme..
and thats where my frankenstein title comes from because i use all these parts to make a new theme(a.k.a frankenstein) a new breed the HYBRID...
just call me creative.. no one else though of doing this.. to not dissapoint other theme makers..why should i ask for permission???haha..well im just doing what i think would be a great looking theme and so far ppl do think it is...so suck it lol.
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Unless his attitude changes tootall4la will keep hitting a brick wall.
G1 is a fine line with "crediting" sources, since it is open-source.
Although, common courtesy of a thank you to all, is humane, a nice juster.
As for tootall4la's thread to reopen, noticing most theme makers dont mind whether they get credit or not, tootall4la should figure out who he should thank and PM him or them and work it out.
My opinion on this matter doesnt mean a thing. Since im not the mod who closed the thread, i wont be the mod to reopen it without assurance from all, that it's ok to reopen it.

RedCastle said:
Ok here's a simple solution to give credit to all that's do credit.
Disclaimer=
*** I appreciate the hard work and have used icons/images from various sources.. for your hard work I appreciate it and you work lives on in insert theme name here. I wish I can recall all the names of the original makers but I can't as I have scoured the internet and other sources and can't recollect them. If 1 of your images is posted here that should not have been redistributed or used please feel free to contact Theme maker name here and we will work on resolving the issue.
End Disclaimer
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Very Well Put... This Would Really Help Solve All This Madness. and i noticed they shut down the thread but i havent seen ONE post supporting keeping the thread closed which should make a point to the moderators that just because ONE person may have a problem, what ablout the rest of the people on the forums who IMO majority doesn't have a problem and wants the thread re opened.

Agreed, and it is personal taste. As a rule of thumb I think communities like this function more on sharing than owning content so if you want to own your content this community probably isnt the place for you. That said, I would like to encourage the sharing aspect of the community and remember, even tho I dont mind anyone using my components, when I get a thank you it goes a long way. Sometimes its a simple "ty" other times its someone buying me a beer, either way the more I get from you guys for my hard work the more willing I am to bust my balls trying to improve things for you guys.
What goes around comes around.

One Q; if the site really cared if we got credit then why is there no thank you button which would solve the problem. When you drop your theme you can be thanked and get your credit automatic.
Anyway a theme section is what's really needed not people fighting about themes who's icons belong to another designer,does anybody ask them permission?
Keep the piece guys it not that serious I would take what ever part of the theme that the other person is complaining about. Tell me what it is and ill make one for you,but I hope this is not going to be your only theme. I want to see some more work after this original.

Hey I also don't mind if people use/improve my theme, what I'm referring to was the improper etiquette used. Here's a PM from a user on the forum asking if he can improve upon my theme. This is proper etiquette.
Sistum Id said:
Geo411m said:
Sistum Id said:
I am requesting permission to edit and alter your MacDroid v2.2 1.41 theme for the G1. I will be making the aluminum darker (more black), and maybe changing a few icons.
If you want when I'm done I can forward it to you or host it myself and give you credit or never release it publicly.
Mike
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I tried making the brushed metal darker and it doesn't look right. It blended in to much with the rest of the menu icons and made thing harder to see. Well give it a shot perhaps you can make it look better than I did.
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I know what you mean. I tried different ways with photoshop to just change yours and make it darker but it doesnt come out right at all. It looks more bluish gray if anything.
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brandenk said:
As a rule of thumb I think communities like this function more on sharing than owning content so if you want to own your content this community probably isnt the place for you.
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I agree with this, if it wasn't for JF finding loopholes to root or Stericson for sharing what he discovered we about theming, we wouldn't be here modding our phones in the first place.

I am so SICK of this rubbish! Hybrid/Frankie - gone again

Once again the theme i use can no longer be updated! Why for the love of god are we still arguing about giving credit for a few stupid icons? Personally i'm giving up on the xda themes board! Do we honestly want to argue about who owns a freaking metallic bar or clock? Or would we rather have decent themes? Well i know what i wanted, but as i seem to be in the minority I'm giving up on the board and it's Nazi mods - yes i'm sure i'll get banned for this but as it's going to be impossible to download any themes anyway what difference does it make!
Thanks again for taking what's supposed to be a bit of fun and ruining it for everyone!

Didnt that only happen once? And arent there still a bunch of people like me still making themes and not at all bothered by people using them or editing them or copying them?
I just wanted to remind you that what you just described only represents a very small minority of this community.

So long as you ask for permission BEFORE you post any "hybrids", then there shouldn't be a problem. A few "stupid" icons is someone's hard work. Permission for releasing SOMEONE ELSE'S work is required anywhere. It is not a XDA forums only deal.

faithnolonger said:
Once again the theme i use can no longer be updated! Why for the love of god are we still arguing about giving credit for a few stupid icons? Personally i'm giving up on the xda themes board! Do we honestly want to argue about who owns a freaking metallic bar or clock? Or would we rather have decent themes? Well i know what i wanted, but as i seem to be in the minority I'm giving up on the board and it's Nazi mods - yes i'm sure i'll get banned for this but as it's going to be impossible to download any themes anyway what difference does it make!
Thanks again for taking what's supposed to be a bit of fun and ruining it for everyone!
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Shut up nerd. You want something, make it yourself then.

i dont use the theme but yeah this dumb imho.. especially like brandek said.. most devs have said they honestly dont care.. a nice gesture.. but not required.. oh well.. guess our community lost a theme and a developer over some nonsense.. =/

faithnolonger said:
Once again the theme i use can no longer be updated! Why for the love of god are we still arguing about giving credit for a few stupid icons? Personally i'm giving up on the xda themes board! Do we honestly want to argue about who owns a freaking metallic bar or clock? Or would we rather have decent themes? Well i know what i wanted, but as i seem to be in the minority I'm giving up on the board and it's Nazi mods - yes i'm sure i'll get banned for this but as it's going to be impossible to download any themes anyway what difference does it make!
Thanks again for taking what's supposed to be a bit of fun and ruining it for everyone!
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atool4all or whatever his name was decided not to respect anybody else's work even after he was given a chance to rectify things. No respect for others that put in hard work shouldn't be accepted anywhere. If you can't see that then I hoped you enjoy your stay here on these boards. so long, bye, cya

To be completely unbiased about the whole situation and shed a bit of light on the whole issue... if the theme developers who originally created the art are open to anyone using their work they need to specifically say so in their posting of a theme. Taking icons from deviant art and not giving credit is a violation of intellectual property rights and could result in lawsuits if appropriate actions are not taken and if permission directly from the artist is not given. Being a person that worked for several years in the entertainment industry, I can tell you first hand that you need to cite work if its not yours... regardless where it comes from. If you "borrow" art for your own purposes, good for you but don't expect a good reaction if you release it as your own.
Recap:
1. Theme makers, if you don't care if people use your original artwork for their own themes... make sure to document very clearly when posting your themes.
2. "Tracers" <'Chasing Amy' reference for those who know it> if a theme maker says they don't care that you use their work please give credit. The artwork isn't as easy as it looks to be and a lot of free time that could be spent else where is being used to contribute to the freedom that we have on this forum.
Know what I'm saying??? Moderators agree???

all the mods said is add your sources but he did not, and as for a few icons just from my theme his dialer and a few icons are from me how hard is it to thank the creators for the use of their work? it is the polite thing to do. like i said i don't care if people use my images but post where you get the images from. i am sorry to see he is banned for good all he had to do was add the sources.we all would like a descent theme but if you are asked to add sources do it, no big deal.the rules are fair and understandable. i would have liked to see him get one more warning, but i don't know if he did. when you make a theme or wallpaper you like to here looks good or nice or get some positive post on it same with the images.

I Dont Care
I dont care if anyone asks me to use my theme parts or not... personally i dont.
I think of this as open source work for anyone to use without my permission or giving me credit.. if they like it to use it thats my credit... I know what I created and its a form of flattery to me.
hard work or not... I like to see what people do with other parts of themes.
Use my stuff... I dont care.. its not like it is paid work or anything... if they get paid for my stuff than thats different... but as for now....
I DONT CARE...lol

good riddance. even i can make a theme from someone elses work. the photoshop editing is the hard part. this guy is no developer or theme creator. he is a hack and should be banned.

I agree.. he borrows other peoples work (some theme devs care, others don't) and doesn't credit anyone. It's just kind of rude, if you ask me... Personally, I don't care if he's here or gone. I thought his hybrid theme sucked any ways. It was a big sloppy mess, imo.

I'm sure I don't know everything that transpired, but I sure hope tootall4la was issued a deadline to cite sources in the OP before the ban became permanent
after all, in the IP world, "borrowing" someone's work only becomes problematic when the borrowee takes issue with it

i smell this coming:
THREAD CLOSED
btw dont really care about this topic

alapapa said:
I'm sure I don't know everything that transpired, but I sure hope tootall4la was issued a deadline to cite sources in the OP before the ban became permanent
after all, in the IP world, "borrowing" someone's work only becomes problematic when the borrowee takes issue with it
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He was given a week to cite sources and failed to do so.

haitiankid4lyf said:
i smell this coming:
THREAD CLOSED
btw dont really care about this topic
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wish it would hurry up and get closed.
i'm sick of this Hybrid theme debate, the theme was a pile of crap anyway, it's not like it took any effort to cut n' paste a few icons.

MOONSSPOON said:
He was given a week to cite sources and failed to do so.
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As long as this was made abundantly clear and he didn't comply, he deserved the ban.

my $0.02 before the thread gets closed or deleted.
If the creator of hybrid can take the time to edit and take apart everyones theme to create his "hybrid" why can't he take 3 minutes to cite who's theme icon A was taken from?
He has no valid argument, he could of been given permission or not, giving credit where credit is due is just right.
I wonder what he would of said if I downloaded "hybrid" changed a couple of things and released it as my own work?

The OP was given a temp ban just over 1 week ago for not citing his sources and getting testy with some of the Mods.
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All it sounds like is miss use power of the mods. He gave credit to the authors of the themes he said. Still he gets banned for not complying with some rule pulled out of the air after a week. But I mean a week... maybe something came up.
I remember in school if you failed to give credit to your source for a essay you just got marked down a few % in your grade. you didnt get dropped from the class or kicked out of school for it.

Sistum Id said:
All it sounds like is miss use power of the mods. He gave credit to the authors of the themes he said. Still he gets banned for not complying with some rule pulled out of the air after a week. But I mean a week... maybe something came up.
I remember in school if you failed to give credit to your source for a essay you just got marked down a few % in your grade. you didnt get dropped from the class or kicked out of school for it.
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He was asked to give credit to the themes which he borrowed and he gave attitude. So he got a 1 week ban to cool off and come back to make things right. He didn't and gave more attitude and now he is banned for good. He had his chance and he blew it. Oh well his theme was ugly and wasn't even a good mashup.

Sistum Id said:
All it sounds like is miss use power of the mods. He gave credit to the authors of the themes he said. Still he gets banned for not complying with some rule pulled out of the air after a week. But I mean a week... maybe something came up.
I remember in school if you failed to give credit to your source for a essay you just got marked down a few % in your grade. you didnt get dropped from the class or kicked out of school for it.
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........I was dropped..........................
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.........................................
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....on my head............
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Re-re porters at large!!!

To Whom It May Concern!
Don't port over other theme dever's stuff unless they give the ok.
in this scenario you either get permission or make your own.
STAY AWAY FROM MANUP456 THEME'S IF OTHER THEME DEVER'S ARE OK WITH IT BE MY GUEST!
EDIT#1s. this post edit is decdicated to all you ALL CAP HATERS!! get over it and just read the flippin post!!!!
Edit#2:This thread was taken way out of context there has been an extreme amount of negativity spawned from this post. I did not intend to offend and at the time of the orignal post I admitt I approached the topic in the wrong state of mind again my appologies and I want to express my apprreciation to all dev's and themers you guys kepp this sight going. . . Although I spoke-out before I thought, this EDIT is much needed.. Now if its not to much to ask let's move.. the last thing XDA need is another flame war.

Um, I see other posts (see MOONSSPOON's post in the Gloos/Aero port thread) where the original developer doesn't seem to mind the port. If you don't want people porting your work just say so, but I don't personally think the people porting are "pirates". They are just trying to help out because of all of the recent new releases.
I'm sure different theme developers have different opinions on this, just state in your original post if you don't want people using it. Though I have to say, if JF/Hakyro/etc all said "this is my work you can't use it" where would development be right now? That being the case though, I do think people should respect your request and not port it if that's what you want. Though it's going to be really silly if ports start showing up on torrent trackers lol. (come on you know that's funny)

big nu said:
To Whom It May Concern!!
you know who you are!!!
STOP! STOP! STOP! PORTING OVER THEMES THAT YOU DID'NT DEVELOPE WITH OUT ASKING PERMISSION FIRST THATS JUST DISRESPECTFULL!!! YOU HAVE 2 OPTIONS IN THIS SCENARIO WAIT FOR THE DEVELOPER TO PORT IT OVER OFFICIALLY OR (DRUMROLL PLEASE). . .MAKE YOUR OWN!!!!
AS FOR THOSE OF YOU FLASHING THESE THEMES KNOW ONE THING, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THESE "PIRATE-PORTERS" TO GIVE YOU AND OFFCIAL, 100%PRODUCT SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT CREATE IT!! SO ON THAT NOTE FLASH AT YOUR OWN RISK
HEY PIRATE-PORTERS!!! STOP CHOPPING UP PEOPLES WORK!!!
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1) All caps is never a way to get your point across effectively
2) As the above poster said, the unwritten rule around here is that yes, it's great to ask the developer first. If you don't, however, it's perfectly acceptable to just say "I ported _____s theme over to 1.5" as long as you're not taking credit for the original theme.
This community is based on collaboration, and as long as people give credit where it is due, it's ok (at least in my book).

Oh come on...
1. Please edit it to normal letters... you behave like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDEhLw1PVI
2. I really dont like people porting themes and presenting them beeing their own, but there is nearly no one doing it. So please think before you post...

How many people do we need porting one theme is the problem,if the dev says its cool then fine but four and five people porting the same theme is bound to end up in a mess. I myself will port my own themes which all theme devs should be doing. It is not safe to have people who are just jumping into this porting themes and or creating them,its all fun till people start messing up there phones then the volume of threads and post will go up because people will need to know how to fix there phone. If the people porting don't have a good amount of experience then what happens then? its becomes another's person's problem to help them.
Food for thought.

manup456 said:
It is not safe to have people who are just jumping into this porting themes and or creating them...
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Isn't that exactally the idea?
[HOW TO]Manuals for creating a Theam
There's even a manual to show people how to get started. I think if you're on these forums and flashing your phone it's a given that you're taking a risk. That's what it's all about, if you don't want that risk you shouldn't be downloading stuff from here, use an application with themes on the market.
Everyone starts not knowing how to do it, it's a learning process.
Again, I think people shouldn't be stepping on the toes of the developer. I also think you should edit your post so that you don't claim to speak for all theme developers.
Well that's my $.02 anyway.

im with manup, if you make a theme for one version, its a lot easier to port it, then it is to make a whole new one.
Just be considerate and patient... let the Theme-Creator take his/her time to what they want...
im all for requests to port a theme to a certain version, and for the most part it gets done.

Who's porting manup's themes?

Porting is not creating if you are learning to create theme fine then create one. The guides are very basic they teach you how to get started if everyone could create themes they would just like the devs who create builds for the phone. The problem is if you want to mess up your phone fine but why risk others phones in your learning process? Dude's build and all the new builds have a bunch of extra icons how are you going about that?
It pains me to see people taking builds/themes chopping them up and putting them back together with very little knowledge of what's really going on in there. There is no way for someone porting a theme to know if there are any .xml edits or .jar edits like stericson is doing.

Ryanmo5 said:
Who's porting manup's themes?
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There was a request for a port to JF1.5 in the PS theme thread. I was going to post a port but didn't (at his request) and another poster said he had one that he wouldn't post.
I haven't seen one actually posted though. I assume this post was due to the request for the theme port.

Ryanmo5 said:
Who's porting manup's themes?
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Don't worry bro thats a main reason we started this my themes cant be ported by anyone but me.

I kinda felt a little weird and a little scared to port all these old themes with new people all of the sudden taking other members themes and screwing and chopping them. I also would think the better choice is to maybe wait for the original theme creator to port it for whatever new update comes out. just to kinda keep things safe. Its cool to do it for your personal use or mess around a little with other people's ish but i personally wouldn't really want anyone messing with my themes if i was the creator. just my .02

My theme was ported without my permission, I didn't say anything because this is just my contribution back to the community. The only problem I see with other people porting themes is that they might leave stuff out. I'm still in the process of porting my Aero theme to 1.5, that will include everything that was from the other version plus more.

I think it's great to see people want themes so bad they are doing the port themselves BUT at the same time, I agree that it should be done by the dev. I put a lot of time into my themes, making sure everything is just right, before even posting I have one available. Over the last 2 or 3 months themes have become so much more intricate than just icon changes and a status bar change. And if you port one over but don't move everything over, it can ruin the overall appeal of the theme. Once everything settles down with the 1.5 builds then I'll start porting my own over, the first will be carbon, and like spikey, it'll have a lot more done to it, I'm basically only using the orignal icons and that's it.
Also with 1.5 the custom edits are a lot different, and it's taking time to get them out. Thanks to Stericson we're finally starting to get some available.
I don't think it's piracy, but also wouldn't want one of my themes ported and posted without my permission. I know it happens and we can't stop it from happening, but show a little respect and patience, devs want to make sure our initial ideas remain through all versions of our themes

let the authors go after people that port their work without permission...
are you the authors? Of course correct thing to do is ask them first hand. However, If nothing is said to these "pirates", then authors probably dont care, dont do the caring for them.

since everyone else has their two cents in here i'm gonna throw mine in too. i personally have no problem with people porting my work, but of course i expect credit for the theme itself, and if i find out the theme porter got a donation for the theme i will rip off his balls and shove them down his throat. i see why manup would be upset that people are porting his work, i would be willing to bet that if he is given credit then people will go to him and say something like "hi i was using your haykuro 1.5 port of your ninja theme and now my phone won't boot. can you tell me how to fix it?"(i used this example becasue i am pretty sure no one has ported it yet) if someone is going to port another's work i prefer the rule of don't touch it till you have permission. i see DVD's and CDs the same way, it's leagal to make a digital copy for personal use, but not to distribute, if you wanna port your favorite theme yourself for your personal phone then fine go ahead but you are responsible for the brick you end up with.
as a general rule unless the dev says it's ok just let them port the theme, you are more likely to get a full port if you wait for the dev to do it since they are the original creator and know what they changed. as to multiple people porting the same themes that needs to stop because people will get confused and i will not be able to contain myself when the threads start popping up the the dev forum "i bricked my phone after porting XXXXX theme"
(steps down off soapbox) that's just my opinion

zeezee said:
let the authors go after people that port their work without permission...
are you the authors? Of course correct thing to do is ask them first hand. However, If nothing is said to these "pirates", then authors probably dont care, dont do the caring for them.
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Click to collapse
thanks for your input zeezee, but i work hand and hand w/ the author and he and i agreed on posting this thread.. fyi he's not the only one that isnt crazy about people porting other peoples work and w/ all the themes we have on this forum, and all the new builds that are out, this is a subject that needed to be clarified...

Hey hypocrites...do you see google posting to this board that we "ruined the consistency of there theme" or "don't want us to ruin our phones w/ hackware and then ask them questions when a jf/haykuro/dude port messed them up." NO, I didn't think so. You should be grateful someone likes your theme enough to port it. You don't own your theme...this is a community involved project (developing for this phone as a whole). You can't TM Or copyright a theme on a hacked phone and the notion that you would if you could is beyond me. Bottom line is if the credit is given to the origonal dev it should be ok....except for Manups (and that's only done out of respect). This thread has so far made me sick and I don't have a strong gag reflex.
Can you honestly imagine if more themers/devs thought this way? Xda wouldn't be!
Here's a motto to live by in this type of community setting. "Why write code twice" meaning if somethings out there you can improve on, use it giving credit where due...but WHY would you write it again....
MODS SHOULD CLOSE THIS THREAD...for obvious reasons, and before the fighting starts, like going against everything XDA even stands for.

I really appreciate all the hard work xda's theme developers do to create all these themes. I have absolutely no photoshop skills (never even used it) and haven't found the time to set up the resigning tool.
Whenever something has gone wrong with a custom theme, I never feel the need to bother theme developers. Anyone who has actually read through this forum should know common troubleshooting steps e.g. wipe, reflash, etc.
Keeping that in mind, there are many people who don't take the time to actually read threads around here, and regardless of who ports what, I would think that the questions will keep coming no matter what.
That said, I have a ported theme on my phone right now, and I really appreciate work done by a "pirate". like i said, i'm not set up right now to port themes on my own, and a "pirate" saved me a lot of time. He didn't have to share, but he did and i appreciate that. You can imagine the fuss that would be raised if someone was holding out on other members..
I'd rather be using a full theme, but what I want out of this theme is slightly modified, and I'm not sure if the theme dev will oblige me.
So big thanks to devs and pirates alike, i love the way my phone looks. Hopefully all of you will be able to work out all the important details and the community will continue to thrive!

knight4linux said:
Hey hypocrites...do you see google posting to this board that we "ruined the consistency of there theme" or "don't want us to ruin our phones w/ hackware and then ask them questions when a jf/haykuro/dude port messed them up." NO, I didn't think so. You should be grateful someone likes your theme enough to port it. You don't own your theme...this is a community involved project (developing for this phone as a whole). You can't TM Or copyright a theme on a hacked phone and the notion that you would if you could is beyond me. Bottom line is if the credit is given to the origonal dev it should be ok....except for Manups (and that's only done out of respect). This thread has so far made me sick and I don't have a strong gag reflex.
Can you honestly imagine if more themers/devs thought this way? Xda wouldn't be!
Here's a motto to live by in this type of community setting. "Why write code twice" meaning if somethings out there you can improve on, use it giving credit where due...but WHY would you write it again....
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Click to collapse
Amen, brother.
Also, just curious if all of the theme devs actually designed their own artwork (all of it) or if they just took images from online and used them without permission regardless of copyright infringement? (and I know the overall answer.. because I see a LOT of copyrighted images in many themes, icon sets and backgrounds.) If I stole a bunch of Mickey Mouse(TM) artwork and made backgrounds, icon sets, etc.. I wouldnt really be able to complain about people stealing my theme, since I stole the images, right?
As far as being respectful, sure.. I can understand and agree with that, but if I make a theme and never port it to newer versions.. well, I would expect someone to go ahead and do it (if there was a demand for my theme). I would expect them to keep the theme name and give me credit for the original port. This is afterall, an open source community..
In the end, all you can do as a theme dev is attach a Readme.txt to your themes with you name, forum name, email address and other contact information and ask that people please do not port your theme without your permission.
Good luck enforcing the issue though..
Rick

[Q] Why not make a theme and stop making a duplicate ROM with a theme on it?

Ok, I'm properly going to get a lot of negative people on here telling me to go F$%K myself or whatever which will properly include the supposedly "developers" of these so called roms of the links below as well BUT I'm going to say it anyways!
What happened to all the creative developers on here? I mean I admire XxXViRuSXxX, Cyanogen and echoside to name a few BUT I think the rest need to step up their game because looking at other forums on here and is not even close to the quality of work! I'm not sure about everyone else on here because every time I think I got you guys figured out, I get surprised BUT I'm tired of seeing a CM7 ROM with a theme on it and being posted in the development section! Oh and is not only CM7 Roms....is Sense Roms as well with NOTHING to add or anything....is an exact copy of the freaking rom! I could understand if you made a change to something other then a freaking .png then I wouldn't be as mad but when you just switch out .png's and call yourself a developer...COME ON, that's BULL!!
Now I know what's coming (I hope..lol), you guys are going to say that I'm wrong and that I need to chill out BUT I would like for someone to explain these roms below to me.......BECAUSE they don't provide nothing special except a theme!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1067648
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1039921
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1055623
I could pull up more but I think 3 was enough to prove my point.....
If you going to make a duplicate rom with a theme then do me and hopefully everyone else a favor and just make a .zip and post it in the themes and apps section because is getting OLD....it really is!
Oh and sorry for the rant but I just needed to get that off my chest....LOL

I agree to an extent
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Go F%$K YOURSELF!
LOL

Well, let us look at those three links you posted. You kind of lose your credibility by using those as your main argument.
Anyone with half a brain will realize that those threads look like failures. They barely have posts in them. People respond to the ROMs that interest them--and ROMs like that don't interest people, simple as that.
There's no way to just make people stop doing that, but it is quite obvious that the people who do that don't get many hits. They don't contribute anything, so people don't pay attention to them.
We have some amazing developers here, like Cyanogen, Virus, Myn, and so on. You said it yourself.
The development forums for the Evo are quite active, and so it is pretty obvious that you would have people who want to try to look like developers posting carbon copy ROMs.
I agree with you on the basic idea of the thread though; you aren't a ROM developer if you simply make a theme and throw some apps in. You're a theme developer. I would enjoy more creative and interesting ROMs, but I also at the same time feel that the Evo developer community delivers very well, and I'm glad we have all of the great developers we do.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Good job sora. I've been telling you that for a while. Looks like you finally understand

Jmoney47 said:
Good job sora. I've been telling you that for a while. Looks like you finally understand
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Click to collapse
I've always understood that. >=(

Community Engagement

Community Engagement on xda developers
Where has the spirit gone of developers, making something better for all.
We like to make our devices better then what "stock" brings us.
But some people seem to forget what we are doing here: Create & Share
Why do people think that the "Open Source" software we are modifying or hacking is theirs to claim or Copyright.
Why are we not sharing and making better what others create...
Has the spirit here really gone?
And do we just want FAME ! !
If I was to create an app and hack Android, HTC or Samsung software by re-writing and adding code to it.
If this took me hours to do, this is still "Open Source" and people can copy my code in to their work.
The devs here are all working in a "Grey" area, and it's really hard not to see your work else where.
Consider it as a compliment if it is that way.
It took Google, HTC & Samsung hours to create what they made, do we care, and not touch it...
I don't think so ! !
HTC encrypts the Sense software because they don't want people to modify it... Do we care?
I don't think so...
So why do people/devs here on xda think that they can claim it for themselves?
Why do other devs get banned, or threads get closed if something similar is published?
We all Kang from Google, HTC & Samsung, but if we use some code from our fellow devs on xda, are we doing something wrong?
I don't get this!
I would really like this to be an open discussion, and try to clear this up for all of us.
My intention is not to start a fight, so please reply in a civilized way.
This also not directed to anybody in person
I hope the XDA staff can put themselves in my/our position, and try to understand it from this point of view.
My thoughts 1 day later @ post 141
DutchDanny said:
After a full day on this thread, I got more response then what I expected.
Thank you all for your participation.
You took the time to read this and give your opinion.
You all made me grow in my opinion, and maybe even change it a bit
What did it bring me:
Sharing now is for me: Collectively Developing (tnx Hacre)
I have no problems in being wrong, and might not have picked the correct words in some parts.
HIS POST
Good explanation on how the staff thinks
Thanks to my friend Russ for his well spoken words
HIS POST - HIS POST
What is reasonable and what not.
Tnx Ben, my fellow team member got me thinking as well
HIS POST - HIS POST
What am I gonna do now
beside building a rom and a kernel....
Gonna dig even more in the smali code (tnx af974)
HIS POST - HIS POST
For me this discussion is finished... Tnx ALL I'm gonna move on...
If the staff thinks the same, lock it for reference.
Cheers
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Click to collapse

The ETHOS of XDA-Developers
Back when I was a Senior Moderator, I was asked to put into words what the mythical Ethos of XDA-Developers was. This was then debated by the moderators, Administrators and owners, it was never formally adopted but it was accepted by most as the closest anyone had come to defining what XDA is (was).
Ethos: an English word based on a Greek word and denotes the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, a nation or an ideology.
XDA-Developers was founded on the simple principal that SHARING IS GOOD and when many people SHARE what they know, EVERYONE benefits. We exist upon this Ethos, we respect each other, we SHARE with each other, we do not judge one another and we HELP all who ask. We believe that while some may have more knowledge than another, none are more important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It pains me greatly to see how XDA has degraded over the years to become a playground of egos and pissing contests between little boys who think they own what they stole from someone else.
I have been a strong supporter of XDA for many, many years but, I find my desire to support XDA is waning as the climate of sharing and camaraderie shift toward a climate of ownership and entitlement.

agreed so many phones left behind due to ego and epeen ppl always bailing on phones just because its not popular it takes work to get publicity ...
Sent from my LG-P920 using Tapatalk

it was the same issues on the galaxy s2. people kanging others and people getting annoyed and ending up releasing stuff with the exclusivity and banning others from using it.
android is an open source at the end of the day. if someone wants to kang someone as long as credits are given and links to the originator's thread what is wrong with that? at the end of the day it should be a compliment to the originator that someone wants to kang your work and share it with the masses.
now i can understand if someone passes something over as their own and did not give credits. that is wrong and the culprits should be banned. but as stated above if proper credits are given then i do not see the harm in things.
but again on the flip side though if i was to spend hours and hours on something then the person who asks me for permission they should respect that i do not want to share...it kinda goes both ways really so it is hard to judge...but there are devs and themers included who act like real divas and most of the time now they do things for fame as Danny mentioned.
at the end of the day we are xda and we are here as a community and here to make our phones better and that is why the devs on this awesome site come in...devs should be sharing ideas together..not competing against each other

Franzferdinan51 said:
agreed so many phones left behind due to ego and epeen ppl always bailing on phones just because its not popular it takes work to get publicity ...
Sent from my LG-P920 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure we are talking about the same thing here my friend, its a much more important subject, sharing, the main reason XDA exists (or so I thought)
btw, thanked u when i was trying to quote ya, oh well, Ill share some love
There is really no better way to say it as both Danny and Russ summarized it very well. We are all here for one reason and one reason only, to SHARE. Isnt this what the "community" is about? I just hope the admins take a moment and reevaluate some of the people with powers around.
Ah before I forget, if you are gonna patent your "ideas" I really think its time for you to get a hold of apple, you already qualified with this mentality and in MY opinion, you do NOT belong here.
OK done venting... Thank u for listening.

DaDoctor said:
Not sure we are talking about the same thing here my friend, its a much more important subject, sharing, the main reason XDA exists (or so I thought)
btw, thanked u when i was trying to quote ya, oh well, Ill share some love
There is really no better way to say it as both Danny and Russ summarized it very well. We are all here for one reason and one reason only, to SHARE. Isnt this what the "community" is about? I just hope the admins take a moment and reevaluate some of the people with powers around.
Ah before I forget, if you are gonna patent your "ideas" I really think its time for you to get a hold of apple, you already qualified with this mentality and in MY opinion, you do NOT belong here.
OK done venting... Thank u for listening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh trust me it happens in other forums as well. sometimes xda favors those who they want to favor and do not pay any attention to the other party and they side with those who they want to side with..it looks like politics sometimes and whoever is the topdog here should re-valuate the way the mods run the show here.
But the other thing though is devs who do not want to share there work, the dev who asked for permission and got knocked back should respect the other dev's decision. like i said at my post above it goes both ways. we can share but we can also not share as well....it is a difficult scenario really...but kanging and not getting permission is wrong

Goku80 said:
oh trust me it happens in other forums as well. sometimes xda favors those who they want to favor and do not pay any attention to the other party and they side with those who they want to side with..it looks like politics sometimes and whoever is the topdog here should re-valuate the way the mods run the show here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats an other part of the discussion...
Who has the best friends here at XDA will win...
And those discussions are behind close doors.. As it would be better to show the "community" how they come to a decision.
And my post did not come out off the blue, but got me thinking on thinks that happend somewhere this week...
and made me a bit mad and disappointed @ xda
And I see a lot of people pushing the "thanks" button.. but I would like them to reply even more (hint xda staff )

DutchDanny said:
Thats an other part of the discussion...
Who has the best friends here at XDA will win...
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Click to collapse
ahh mate that is so true. but not going to get into that. things should stay private specially between devs and mods. but sometimes us normal members like me would like to know what goes on though cause at the end of the day all this pickering effects the users of the roms cause we are the ones who miss out on class roms...so sometimes acting like kids is not always the best way to go about.

Goku80 said:
ahh mate that is so true. but not going to get into that. things should stay private specially between devs and mods. but sometimes us normal members like me would like to know what goes on though cause at the end of the day all this pickering effects the users of the roms cause we are the ones who miss out on class roms...so sometimes acting like kids is not always the best way to go about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would not wanna see the whole discussion, but they could publish the outcome in the thread(s) involved. So the community knows what happend and why.
And if all devs did share, the users would have even more choice to pick from.
And if all devs did share, the hack/tweak would only get better/bigger.

Here is my view on it.... we all agree that the spirit of XDA is about sharing. So if a certain person has spent many hours on programming/creating something and refuses to share it... why post it on XDA in the first place. I just don't get it, because in my eyes that's something small children do when one has something better than the others and refuses to share.
If you want to go 'look at what I've done, isn't it good, aren't I good?' And then go 'but you can't use it, because if you do I'm going to throw a tantrum...' Don't post it on XDA... somewhere, where the main rule is about sharing what you've done.
Just my opinion
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

One of the main reason why I choose android is because of the openess of it. The reason why I'm in XDA is because of some great devs/hackers who spend time creating something wonderful and share it with the community without expecting anything in return. I really hope it stays that way.

DutchDanny said:
I would not wanna see the whole discussion, but they could publish the outcome in the thread(s) involved. So the community knows what happend and why.
And if all devs did share, the users would have even more choice to pick from.
And if all devs did share, the hack/tweak would only get better/bigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DutchDanny, I know what happened this week, and believe me: I feel for you (at least in the part of permissions). If you try to ask some devs for permission to use their work, you don't get any answers, if you don't, they cry murder and let xda infract you. That can't be right in the long run. I've been around some years and xda was always about using other peoples work and build upon it (be it companies' work like HTC or Google, or other devs' work). But unfortunately that has changed in the last year or so. I have no problem with the fact that devs want to know who uses their work and for what and that a dev demands being credited for the use of his work. But I have a problem with the fact that some devs/themers/modders can prohibit the use of their work for others. When they claim copyright on that work, they should be reminded that they broke the copyright of numerous other ppl by simply creating their work.
So in my humble opinion, xda MUST change it's sharing policy.
My suggestion: People that want to use the official titles of recognized developers or themers should officially put all work they release on xda into public domain from the moment they release it (under the condition of being credited for it by everybody who uses it). Being RD or RT also includes some rules for conduct, and that sharing policy should be a part of that.
just my 2ct.

jotha said:
DutchDanny, I know what happened this week, and believe me: I feel for you. If you try to ask some devs for permission to use their work, you don't get any answers, if you don't, they cry murder and let xda infract you. That can't be right in the long run. I've been around some years and xda was always about using other peoples work and build upon it (be it companies' work like HTC or Google, or other devs' work). But unfortunately that has changed in the last year or so. I have no problem with the fact that devs want to know who uses their work and for what and that a dev demands being credited for the use of his work. But I have a problem with the fact that some devs/themers/modders can prohibit the use of their work for others. When they claim copyright on that work, they should be reminded that they broke the copyright of numerous other ppl by simply creating their work.
So in my humble opinion, xda MUST change it's sharing policy.
My suggestion: People that want to use the official titles of recognized developers or themers should officially put all work they release on xda into public domain from the moment they release it (under the condition of being credited for it by everybody who uses it). Being RD or RT also includes some rules for conduct, and that sharing policy should be a part of that.
just my 2ct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you and me never saw eye to eye but you could not have put it any better. Well written post.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

In part i agree but in part nope.
The real fault is by people that have no respect for other people or developers, take this little example:
User A make a rom, some smali changes, some scripts, some apps, a good room in the end.
It comes user B and say " uhm, nice rom but if i'll delete these 2 apk from it then it will be perfect"
So it do that, make thread and people enjoy his work claiming that his rom is better then user A.....
And?? Where is Development? No way, 7zip isn't a tool that can be said for development and the site name is pretty clear, it is not XDAKangers or XDA-ctrl&C/ctrl&V.
Don't get me wrong i'm all for sharing but some people think that sharing means just grab it and use it and the real problem aren't the mods but n00bs that don't know what is the respect for other developers.......that's whay so many thread are closed by mods.
Different story is when a Recognized Developer refuse to give permissions to use his work to another RD or another well know senior member, this should be changed.

I have to agree with the the majority so far, it does seem against the open source culture in which XDA tries to foster.
It does seem with the increase in "kanging" it creates a conundrum for Mods & Admins as to how to manage this, Do we enforce sharing? Do we try to create our own sort of "patent" system in which certain things must be shared under a so called "fair" use and other items such as themes for example be left under the current system we have as present?
We need to find a consensus amongst us as a community with a right way to proceed with this maybe danny could add a poll this to garner opinion on weather people would like to keep the current system or change it to get some sort of indication on weather the current system is working or not.

jotha said:
DutchDanny, I know what happened this week, and believe me: I feel for you. If you try to ask some devs for permission to use their work, you don't get any answers, if you don't, they cry murder and let xda infract you. That can't be right in the long run. I've been around some years and xda was always about using other peoples work and build upon it (be it companies' work like HTC or Google, or other devs' work). But unfortunately that has changed in the last year or so. I have no problem with the fact that devs want to know who uses their work and for what and that a dev demands being credited for the use of his work. But I have a problem with the fact that some devs/themers/modders can prohibit the use of their work for others. When they claim copyright on that work, they should be reminded that they broke the copyright of numerous other ppl by simply creating their work.
So in my humble opinion, xda MUST change it's sharing policy.
My suggestion: People that want to use the official titles of recognized developers or themers should officially put all work they release on xda into public domain from the moment they release it (under the condition of being credited for it by everybody who uses it). Being RD or RT also includes some rules for conduct, and that sharing policy should be a part of that.
just my 2ct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you have a real good point there.
All that is released on XDA is under sharing policy.
And not to be claimed.
Credits are the least we could do...
btw: noting happend to me, but to members close to me.. But thanks
af974 said:
In part i agree but in part nope.
The real fault is by people that have no respect for other people or developers, take this little example:
User A make a rom, some smali changes, some scripts, some apps, a good room in the end.
It comes user B and say " uhm, nice rom but if i'll delete these 2 apk from it then it will be perfect"
So it do that, make thread and people enjoy his work claiming that his rom is better then user A.....
And?? Where is Development? No way, 7zip isn't a tool that can be said for development and the site name is pretty clear, it is not XDAKangers or XDA-ctrl&C/ctrl&V.
Don't get me wrong i'm all for sharing but some people think that sharing means just grab it and use it and the real problem aren't the mods but n00bs that don't know what is the respect for other developers.......that's whay so many thread are closed by mods.
Different story is when a Recognized Developer refuse to give permissions to use his work to another RD or another well know senior member, this should be changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please take this in consideration, cause this is what made me mad on xda for the decission it made this week, and what made me start this open discussion.

af974 said:
In part i agree but in part nope.
The real fault is by people that have no respect for other people or developers, take this little example:
User A make a rom, some smali changes, some scripts, some apps, a good room in the end.
It comes user B and say " uhm, nice rom but if i'll delete these 2 apk from it then it will be perfect"
So it do that, make thread and people enjoy his work claiming that his rom is better then user A.....
And?? Where is Development? No way, 7zip isn't a tool that can be said for development and the site name is pretty clear, it is not XDAKangers or XDA-ctrl&C/ctrl&V.
Don't get me wrong i'm all for sharing but some people think that sharing means just grab it and use it and the real problem aren't the mods but n00bs that don't know what is the respect for other developers.......that's whay so many thread are closed by mods.
Different story is when a Recognized Developer refuse to give permissions to use his work to another RD or another well know senior member, this should be changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very well said, but to stay in your example, couldn't it be that the rom WITHOUT the two apk's is really "better" (in the sense of "more popular") than the original? And as long as the creator of that second version stats in his OP the he took the complete work of dev 1 and streamlined it, shouldn't that be enough?
You are absolutely right. The problem really is that some (more and more) guys lack that deserved respect for developers and just don't credit the source, thus pi... off the creator and making him "close" the source, thus restraining true development (if only by removing two apk ). The way to ensure a "fair use" should be discussed and finally fixed. Staying with the situation we have now, that ppl can keep others from using their bits more or less deliberately, maybe just because they don't like their "nose", can't be right. If there are good reasons (history of kanging or whatever), thats something else again.

I'm very sorry, cause I'm not a real dev or themer or contributor, just a young Andoid user and member who's integrated one team after pass sometime to found or help others xda members.
Why I came here on xda site. I'm french, my english is average, but some french forums bored me, that's why I came here, for all that @danny, @russ try to explain in this thread.
And since a couple of time, all of this spirit is gone. For what ?
Money, glory, respect...maybe? But I think not for the last term.
I am here because I want to share and help other members.
But also and because the eco-system Android allows this exchange and to move forward development for the pleasure of all.
Then stop, stop theses local wars and let yours feets on earth.
If you want to make some money, don't diffuse your codes, I think it's not necessary to stay here. Open your site and nobody will be able to take your codes.
Thanks for your listening

Here are my feelings on it.
What has angered me with certain attitudes towards sharing in xda recently, is that it seems to have been initially offered, then retracted. We are given a taste, then told "no more, go make your own". Was the plan to hook us like junkies, then we'd all only have one place to run to for our "fix"? Then when we are all hooked, the price goes up? No more freedom. Only one choice. Is that how you should gain followers on xda? I think we've been treated like guinea pigs then discarded. Permission is withdrawn, refused, then terms like "respect" get banded about. Don't treat us like this.
So we break free. Start from fresh. We are off the hook. Clean. But someone doesn't like us off the hook, pushing our own "product" and, worried about some false notion of competition or turf invasion, goes to lengths to make sure there is only one messiah.
Except this isn't a competition. We are not rivals in different factions or tribes or gangs depending on what Rom we choose to get involved with. We should not be in it for glory, or to be the "Big Dog" whose Rom is forbidden fruit to be envied by those who choose to wear the wrong colors. We are not looking to amass the biggest army as a mark of our success.
Why has this gotten this far? Without getting bogged down in the legalities of open source and gpl, I just think some people in high places need to take a step back. Stop and think. Where do you draw the line between keeping healthy community, encouraging development, and simply looking after your "homies"?
I feel this line is currently drawn in the wrong place. And it didn't use to be.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

There does need to be a clear consensus and line drawn, so we can all ensure that the rules are clear and followed.
That being said; I, like many agree but also disagree.
Sharing here is much like in a store; you as a consumer have a choice. Now albeit here we do not pay for your 'goods' we do still take certain risks(warranty's etc). Now, XDA is also about offering choice so if the sharing policy extends to the point that we can take everything then what choice will be left. Much like you see everywhere on XDA choice is being eliminated everywhere as more builds are essentially the same but for a few wallpapers and tweaks in the build.prop which quite frankly ruins the whole point of having choice and there being more than one available.
Fair enough if someone has spent hours/days/weeks making something and shares it here but that shouldn't automatically then mean that every other 'dev' can bang it in theirs. All they have to do it ctrl+c, ctrl+v the thing after all your hard spent effort on it. The developer should be allowed to be proud of their work and it not to be diluted with it being everywhere. Yes I think we should help, share and combine efforts but if you have improved something and don't wish to share it then fair enough there is no law to state you have to and should someone effectively plagiarise your work then there should be punishments.
If I ask someone for something I would like and they say no, then I go get it myself or do without. I don't just take it anyway, that's what babies do when they don't understand the laws of society which even apply when you are online.
That's my input.