Comments on: The Copy-Paste Syndrome http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/ The Chronicles of Nerd-nia Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:37:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Baishampayan Ghose http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Baishampayan Ghose Mon, 29 May 2006 17:40:42 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-18 Camille, No, I haven't read your other proposals. I don't really mind somebody using my spec for writing a proposal ... but why did you just copy-paste stuff like that? I guess you could have very easily rephrased what's written in the spec and put them down in your proposal. Well, never mind now since you are already selected. I will be happy to help you out in the project if needed. Do feel free to ping me if required. And about my comments on your personal traits, I pray to God that I was wrong about those ... best of luck for the project ;) Camille,
No, I haven’t read your other proposals. I don’t really mind somebody using my spec for writing a proposal … but why did you just copy-paste stuff like that? I guess you could have very easily rephrased what’s written in the spec and put them down in your proposal.

Well, never mind now since you are already selected. I will be happy to help you out in the project if needed. Do feel free to ping me if required.

And about my comments on your personal traits, I pray to God that I was wrong about those … best of luck for the project ;)

]]> By: lawgon http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-17 lawgon Mon, 29 May 2006 11:39:51 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-17 Camille, the only mistake you made was not to mention that you had taken the proposal from the wiki. Lots of students took proposals from the wiki and wrote something like this: 'I want to do the project on page 'BlahBlah' on the wiki. The good parts of the spec are: blah blah, i disagree with these points 'blah blah', and i propose to implement the spec like this ...' I am a mentor of a student who also took a proposal from the wiki, but drafted his proposal as above. Camille, the only mistake you made was not to mention that you had taken the proposal from the wiki. Lots of students took proposals from the wiki and wrote something like this:

‘I want to do the project on page ‘BlahBlah’ on the wiki. The good parts of the spec are: blah blah, i disagree with these points ‘blah blah’, and i propose to implement the spec like this …’

I am a mentor of a student who also took a proposal from the wiki, but drafted his proposal as above.

]]> By: Camille Percy http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Camille Percy Sat, 27 May 2006 16:36:02 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-16 Hi Ghose! I don't know whether you read my other proposals or not, I wrote a proposal for an on screen keyboard and a proposal for reboot to another OS and I wrote both of them from scratch. But I found the specification for samba configuration GUI complete and I thought that it was discussed. I would like to have your help on development and maintenance of the project. I didn't know that you wrote this for spec for SoC. although it is my first python/gtk program, I am diving into python ( diveintopython.org) and I think I can do this project. And between please s/ * Laziness * No willingness for attribution * Lack of honesty * Lack of creativity * Lack of judgement * Probably sub-optimal IQ // You can't judge people by just one (maybe) mistake. Hi Ghose!
I don’t know whether you read my other proposals or not, I wrote a proposal for an on screen keyboard and a proposal for reboot to another OS and I wrote both of them from scratch. But I found the specification for samba configuration GUI complete and I thought that it was discussed. I would like to have your help on development and maintenance of the project. I didn’t know that you wrote this for spec for SoC. although it is my first python/gtk program, I am diving into python ( diveintopython.org) and I think I can do this project. And between please s/ * Laziness
* No willingness for attribution
* Lack of honesty
* Lack of creativity
* Lack of judgement
* Probably sub-optimal IQ
//
You can’t judge people by just one (maybe) mistake.

]]> By: tuxplorer http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-15 tuxplorer Fri, 26 May 2006 10:06:32 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-15 Hi Ghose! Yes! After selecting the student and building up lots of dreams in her minds, rejecting her is harsh. But another student who had spent nights preparing his application would be really happy to get accepted now. Hi Ghose!
Yes! After selecting the student and building up lots of dreams in her minds, rejecting her is harsh. But another student who had spent nights preparing his application would be really happy to get accepted now.

]]> By: Baishampayan http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Baishampayan Fri, 26 May 2006 09:35:31 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-14 Chris -- Thanks a lot for looking into the matter. :) JaneW -- I understand the problems, it happens. Thanks a lot for your kind words ... I appreciate. Thanks for taking quick action. We will miss you :( Chris — Thanks a lot for looking into the matter. :)

JaneW — I understand the problems, it happens. Thanks a lot for your kind words … I appreciate. Thanks for taking quick action. We will miss you :(

]]> By: JaneW http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-13 JaneW Fri, 26 May 2006 09:27:03 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-13 In Ubuntu's defence we had 240 applications - not easy to review that many! Also with our release next week our team is also pretty busy right now, not really an excuse, but it could account for something falling through the cracks unintentionally. Thirdly the application is question was not on our final list, but was added during a last minute shuffle by Goggle to resolve conflicts where students were accepted at more than one org. We lost 3 good projects (and students) and gained 3 lesser ones. Right now what's done is done and all we can do is make the best of it. I am sorry the system and process was not perfect, but we will endevour to improve next time. G0SUB thanks for your effort on putting good specs and proposals together. You applocation was highly regarded, so all the best with your project. In Ubuntu’s defence we had 240 applications – not easy to review that many!
Also with our release next week our team is also pretty busy right now, not really an excuse, but it could account for something falling through the cracks unintentionally.
Thirdly the application is question was not on our final list, but was added during a last minute shuffle by Goggle to resolve conflicts where students were accepted at more than one org. We lost 3 good projects (and students) and gained 3 lesser ones.

Right now what’s done is done and all we can do is make the best of it.

I am sorry the system and process was not perfect, but we will endevour to improve next time.

G0SUB thanks for your effort on putting good specs and proposals together. You applocation was highly regarded, so all the best with your project.

]]> By: Chris DiBona http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Chris DiBona Fri, 26 May 2006 08:34:59 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-12 Please know that we are looking into this. Please know that we are looking into this.

]]> By: lawgon http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-11 lawgon Fri, 26 May 2006 08:28:24 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-11 the only thing that worries me is that this same attitude may get extended to copyrighted material too. I saw many proposals that took stuff from the mentoring orgs wiki/docs - but always acknowledged, thought about and expanded on. the only thing that worries me is that this same attitude may get extended to copyrighted material too. I saw many proposals that took stuff from the mentoring orgs wiki/docs – but always acknowledged, thought about and expanded on.

]]> By: Baishampayan http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Baishampayan Fri, 26 May 2006 08:22:11 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-10 I don't want her scholarship to be revoked right-away. That'd really be too harsh. But may be she could revamp her proposal or provide some acceptable explanation. I don’t want her scholarship to be revoked right-away. That’d really be too harsh. But may be she could revamp her proposal or provide some acceptable explanation.

]]> By: anant http://freegeek.in/blog/2006/05/the-copy-paste-syndrome/comment-page-1/#comment-9 anant Fri, 26 May 2006 07:45:30 +0000 https://g33k.wordpress.com/2006/05/26/the-copy-paste-syndrome/#comment-9 A lot of us expected that there will be copy-paste applications, but never could one imagine that one of them will actually be selected. Think about it, the student gets $500 for just making that proposal. While hundreds of others have suffered heart-burn for being rejected because they thought there proposal was good and saw no reason for rejection. For example, the Internet2 applicants were automatically required to have an extremely high-standard because of the quality of mentors. The blame is a bit more on Ubuntu, rather than Google, the spec was right there on Ubuntu's Wiki, linked from the ideas page. Many organisations specifically mention that "You cannot expect to copy-paste our proposal ideas and get away with it". But it seems like someone indeed has. Revoking the students acceptance is a bit harsh though, the best you can do is to ask the student to re-write a more detailed proposal and explain the situation. I'm going to call this the "Joe and Jane Scam" :) Whew, a lot of things didn't go as they were supposed to this SoC! A lot of us expected that there will be copy-paste applications, but never could one imagine that one of them will actually be selected.

Think about it, the student gets $500 for just making that proposal. While hundreds of others have suffered heart-burn for being rejected because they thought there proposal was good and saw no reason for rejection. For example, the Internet2 applicants were automatically required to have an extremely high-standard because of the quality of mentors.

The blame is a bit more on Ubuntu, rather than Google, the spec was right there on Ubuntu’s Wiki, linked from the ideas page. Many organisations specifically mention that “You cannot expect to copy-paste our proposal ideas and get away with it”. But it seems like someone indeed has.

Revoking the students acceptance is a bit harsh though, the best you can do is to ask the student to re-write a more detailed proposal and explain the situation.

I’m going to call this the “Joe and Jane Scam” :)

Whew, a lot of things didn’t go as they were supposed to this SoC!

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