Giving credit where credit is due
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:35 am
When borrowing source code, it is appropriate to say where it came from. There are two
motivations for this, one scientific and the other personal/politic.
The scientific motivation is that all model source code was developed in a context. That
context, whether a body of empirical observations or a set of theoretical postulates, is the
basis for the assumptions that are embodied in the code. When one evaluates the code, it
can be very helpful to know what that context is.
The personal/politic motivation, of course, is that it is a reasonable courtesy to the authors
of the code to credit them for it.
motivations for this, one scientific and the other personal/politic.
The scientific motivation is that all model source code was developed in a context. That
context, whether a body of empirical observations or a set of theoretical postulates, is the
basis for the assumptions that are embodied in the code. When one evaluates the code, it
can be very helpful to know what that context is.
The personal/politic motivation, of course, is that it is a reasonable courtesy to the authors
of the code to credit them for it.