everyone can steal every flash ideas !!

[kb1827]

Open-source is only open-source if the creator/onventor decides to make it in that category. Transmeta's new Linux was released, and in the Linux tradition, open-sourced. Why? Because Transmeta didn't really care if people found out how they did "it". Once it is picked apart, dome people will probably say, "hey, they could have done it this way instead of my way. And if it was done my way, it would run cleaner!" With those comments, Transmeta could significantly improve their porgrams. Microsoft would not do the same thing with Windows. Why? Because open-sourcing Windows has not been done, and Microsoft already makes a large pile of money with it. Linux, on the other hand, is only paid for if it comes in the boxed version, with manuals, CD's, etc...

Same thing goes for .swf's. If the creator of the file ALLOWS the user/reviewer/(insert title here) to pick apart the file, other people could point out internal errors. Ripping apart .swf's is only morally incorrect when the owner does not give the permissoin to do so.

[corcordium]

All hail KIng Arthur. Well said.

Not to belabor the Edison analogy, but for the sake of enlightenment . . . .

It seems that an inventor named Joseph Swan demonstrated the same carbon filament lightbulb in Newcastle at least ten months prior to Edison's announcement. In addition, Swan received a British patent in 1878 for the same bulb that Edison patented in the U. S. in 1879.

Did Edison know about Swan's work, or did they simply work independently and arrive at the same conclusion? There is no question that Edison had seen a Scientific American article on Swan's preliminary work with carbon filament electric lighting. But Swan's work had not been perfected at this point, so Edison may have arrived at his invention by improving on Swan's preliminary designs.

Eventually, Edison was the one making the big $$$ off this invention and Swan was rightfully upset with this situation.

So, if you were in Swan's boots, what would you do?

Sue the pants off of Edison.

And that is exactly what Swan did.

Edison lost in the British courts for infringement of Swan's patent. As part of the settlement, Edison was forced to take Swan in as a partner in his British electric works. The company was called the Edison and Swan United Electric Company.

[inspector]

well if i was swan, id be making sure edison saw the light shining out of where the light dont shine

[ironmallet]

"invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration"
-Thomas Edison

Edison made it work.

Edison invented 1000's of things, the light bulb was no fluke.

No big surprise that an english court ruled against Edison.

btw Alfred Wallace originated the theory of evolution, Darwin just stated it more clearly and more publicly.

Don't go hypothesizing about potentially marketable ideas and then expect noone to pick them up and run with them.

Stealing swfs, on the other hand, is blasphemy.




[Edited by ironmallet on 05-11-2001 at 10:55 PM]

[darkstar]

who owns the swf code for your fla,
is it the property of MM or the creator?
is it protectable or copyrightable or classed as intellectual goods?
[Edited by darkstar on 05-12-2001 at 02:53 PM]

[canuckster]

Am I annoyed that people out there can rip apart my creations and steal my code? Sure. Am I worried that it will have anything more than a negligible impact on my livelihood or reputation? No.

To me, the bottom line is that there will always be a few people who will go to great lengths to steal something, but for most would-be thiefs the time it takes isn't worth it.

Say I promised a client a nifty interactive menu that I haven't a clue about how to program. I go searching around recommended Flash sites, looking for something that will do what I need. I see lots of things that are close to what I want, but don't quite fit the bill. I don't bother hacking these SWF's because if I don't have the ability to program in the first place, I sure as heck don't want to spend much time modifying someone else's code--so I keep looking for the 'perfect' SWF.

Finally I find it, then start into the hacking/modifying process. When all is said and done, I've spent so much time that I could've found the appropriate open source code on Flashkit or a similar site, and done everything above board. Or maybe I could've just worked through things on my own and figured it all out.

So I don't think many people really go to the trouble of stealing this stuff. And for those who do? So they manage to get a contract or two out of it. Good for them. Pretty soon it will become clear to potential clients that this person is lacking in integrity (perhaps in ways that have nothing to do with Flash). Like the old adage says, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

The only people who truly make a living from doing nothing but stealing have to do a lot of work to keep it up. At least as much work as figuring everything out for yourself. They do it for the criminal thrill, I'm sure. And I'm convinced they're a tiny minority.

One other point about these 'SWF hacking' programs:

Sometime I plan to download one of these programs myself. Why? Because I've got a huge SWF (a 15-minute animation, with voices) whose source FLA I accidentally (and very stupidly) deleted last summer. Luckily the SWF was basically complete, so I could show it to friends, but I'd like to go back and make some changes. A SWF hacking program will be my only hope.

Just wanted to share my thoughts...

[kb1827]

Sometime I plan to download one of these programs myself. Why? Because I've got a huge SWF (a 15-minute animation, with voices) whose source FLA I accidentally (and very stupidly) deleted last summer. Luckily the SWF was basically complete, so I could show it to friends, but I'd like to go back and make some changes. A SWF hacking program will be my only hope.

This is the use that ASV 2.0 reccomends on it's site. Not hacking other people's code, but retrieving files.

[nocrapchurch]

Originally posted by kb1827

This is the use that ASV 2.0 reccomends on it's site. Not hacking other people's code, but retrieving files.

Where can I find this little program?

-scott
http://www.scottmanning.com

[kb1827]

The ASV 2.0 Homepage-
http://www.buraks.com/asv/index.html


The ASV 2.0 Pricing Page-
http://www.buraks.com/asv/7.html

[phooka]

I don't think these kind of programs are so disgraceful. The problem is THE USE. I mean, maybe because IMHO knowedge should be free for all (having a communist mum doesn't help! ), if someone uses it to learn HOW TO do stg, I think that's cool.

However, if used to simply copy someone's work, well, that is nasty.

Like most things in life, the tools are never the problem, but the ppl using them...

just my 2cents

[mizzouaudiophile]

Originally posted by SickBoy303
Is there any tool to seperate the sounds from an swf ?

Considering practically no one answered your actual question, I can't either, because I have no idea.

[canuckster]

I read the following on CNET. It might be useful:

Obscure File Locations
Why not lead would-be Flash hackers on a wild goose chase? Laying false tracks to your file locations can be a subtle and effective security measure, depending on the novelty and
complexity of its implementation.

To obscure the location of a file, you can use the Load Movie, Get URL, and Load Data actions in combination to hide the true location of the content you want to protect. You can
use the false tracks method to protect secret algorithms or other ActionScript code, but it works just as well for graphics and audio in less complex movies.

How It Works
Here's an example of how a site builder could confuse the location of files to protect Flash content:

An HTML page on your Web site has a Flash Player movie named base.swf embedded in it.
Base.swf doesn't actually contain any content; it simply calls for a second file, divider.gif, to be loaded into the player using Load Movie.
Divider.gif is actually an SWF file that has had its .swf extension changed to .gif to confuse anyone digging through his or her browser cache. Flash Player will play the SWF
file regardless of its altered extension. Divider.gif uses another Load Movie action to load logo.jpg.
Logo.jpg, another renamed SWF file, contains the final content.

By using common file names such as logo.jpg or divider.gif, you can make the discovery of the final content more difficult. A user can determine the path to the final file using
ActionScript extraction tools, but only the most persistent trackers will do so.

False Tracks Caveat
Precautions that confuse thieves can end up confusing you, too. The major drawback to obscuring file locations is that it complicates site management.

[ShawnC]

Originally posted by Savatar
Ideas are "stolen", changed a teensy bit and rebroadcast all the time. You think everyone had an idea about 'reality shows' at the same time?

Plagiarism is nothing new...it has just evolved.

Yeah, i aggree bout those stupid 'reality shows'.
I think the swf hacking programs are ok, if, and ONLY if, they are used to learn about someone elses source. Even with taht it is kind of like cheating. i mean the person who originally thought of the design and teh scriptign for it deserves some credit or authority of whether or not people could even look at his source, thats why macromedia has that feature in the publish tab. With these new programs though it doesnt really matter.
i dont know i dont even know what im talking about anymroe, not sure how i stand on this issue but definetly dont aggree with any sort of copying sites, it really pisses me off.

shawn

[kb1827]

Originally posted by ShawnC



I think the swf hacking programs are ok, if, and ONLY if, they are used to learn about someone elses source. Even with taht it is kind of like cheating. i mean the person who originally thought of the design and teh scriptign for it deserves some credit or authority of whether or not people could even look at his source, thats why macromedia has that feature in the publish tab. With these new programs though it doesnt really matter.
i dont know i dont even know what im talking about anymroe, not sure how i stand on this issue but definetly dont aggree with any sort of copying sites, it really pisses me off.

shawn

I agree. If you want to find out how to do something, go to the FK tutorials and open source movies. If it is not there, gather all of the tutorials that have something to do with what you want. If you do this, you will have that satisfaction of learning how to do this, and can now make your own tute for other people!

[ej0c]

Thomas Edison, invented the phonograph, which was a precurser to the Compact disk. Compact disks were what peole listened to music on before Napster. No one here has used Napster, I presume, so you might still be confused bout Edison.

--
Darkstar, who owns the rights to the binaries of Word, Microsoft or AT&T (owner of C, C++)?

--
None of you have a unlicensed guitar lick on your sites, do you?

e

[Ilya]

Hi !

But you can fight with ASV using only 4 symbols in the beginning of each action window
1();
So i think that reading FK actionsript forums may solve most problems

[canuckster]

Originally posted by Ilya
Hi !

But you can fight with ASV using only 4 symbols in the beginning of each action window
1();
So i think that reading FK actionsript forums may solve most problems

Huh? What do you mean? How does putting 1(); in your first frame do anything?

[kb1827]

Originally posted by Ilya
Hi !

But you can fight with ASV using only 4 symbols in the beginning of each action window

what do you mean by putting 4 symbols in the beggining of each action window

[Ilya]

Hi !

Just try to put

1();

as first string in action window and try to look at that action from ASV (ASV just generates error ans shows nothing)
Or it was fixed apready ?