It amazes me how many people claim to have written their own CMS. Really.
Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for those who can do it; it's not a task to take on lightly and it takes time to get right - you need a fair amount of programming knowledge and all that.
So when I come across people who rip off the CodeGrrl Build-A-Blog tutorial series word for word and claim to have written "their own CMS", it annoys me.
Firstly: No, you didn't write a CMS. You copied a load of code off a website, plonked it on your server, added your own layout and voilà! Instant CMS. Did you credit the tutorial? No. Did you change any of the defaults to make it even look like you wrote your own code? No.
Secondly: I know there are debates about this, however, to me, a CMS - Content Management System - is just that. It manages CONTENT. In my view, a CMS should be the central admin panel of your site, you should be able to add posts, pages, change settings, etc. If you use the Build-A-Blog tutorials, you aren't creating a CMS, you're creating a blogging platform.
I have absolutely no problem with those people who use Build-A-Blog for what it's for - building a blog. What I do have a problem with is people who copy the tutorials exactly as they are without bothering to read what each part does or why it's necessary and then claim they "wrote their own CMS". If you're going to do that, at least take out the default text I added to those tutorials, it'll look less obvious that way.
Edit: Ha! Jem wrote something along the same lines at the same time as me! OMG STEALER!!!11
Jem
10/05/2007 at 22:49
I think people who take entire chunks of code and don't credit — whether offered in a tutorial or not — are simply thieves.
Katy
10/05/2007 at 22:51
hmm, it's almost as if you two have a particular site/person in mind here...
Amelie
10/05/2007 at 22:52
I have particular people in mind, heh :P
Amber
11/05/2007 at 6:22
If these people really could do all the things they say then the chances are they wouldn't feel the need to brag about it, in my opinion.
Jenny
11/05/2007 at 15:49
Alas! No idea what you on about. :P
Much.
Corinne
11/05/2007 at 17:45
Personally, I just ignore people who say they are writing/have written their own "CMS" because 9 times out of 10, it's pretty sucky use their site anyway.
However, when I see people—who can't even code HTML pages properly—saying that they want to write their own CMS, I tell them NO, do something else.
I may not know anything about coding, but I know enough to say that I'll never try it.
ps. Love the new layout.
Vera
11/05/2007 at 19:09
This really never crossed my mind. I mean if you follow a tutorial step by step then it is most definitely NOT your work.
It's just the same as with using a script/image/whatever ... the difference being that you need to do some copy and pasting and maybe creating of some files, while with the formers you just paste them into some directory.
Stephen
12/05/2007 at 1:01
To start with: I'm cross-posting this to Jem's site because it's just SO ironic that you two both have the same post about why you shouldn't copy :P Sort yourselves out, girls!
As for the copying of code from the internet - that's kind of what it's there for, isn't it? I've been a programmer for longer than I care to admit, and if I can find a routine online that someone has already done which will save me a day or a week of work, then you can be sure that I'll use it! I check the license, credit where appropriate, and usually rework some of it myself, but the internet is wonderful because it lets us all share stuff and not each have to reinvent the wheel.
Think also about who is doing this: these are probably beginners, proud of themselves for getting anything up at all, and you should encourage them. The best way to learn is by example - we all did when we were starting - and by positive reinforcement. Next time they do something, they'll try to tweak some of the code, or combine stuff from two places, or whatever and they're on their way to doing their own thing.
If the site has a "credit the source" request/requirement then they should do so, but there remains work that the person has put into their site. They had to dig around, find stuff they wanted, understand enough of the process to get a site up - things you don't even think about but which to a beginner is a huge step forwards.
Don't damn the beginners - you were one once yourself.
Vera
12/05/2007 at 5:40
@Stephen: but that's just it. 99% of the time, it DOES say that, but beginners either claim they don't understand what it means, or they don't care enough to do it.
Amelie
12/05/2007 at 9:59
I have never copied a tutorial's example code then claimed it was all my own work, which is what I'm getting at here.
One particular person who has "written their own CMS" by copying the tutorial is not a beginner by any means; I have no idea why they didn't write their own CMS from scratch (because let's face it, there's better than the BAB tutorial :P ), I'm sure they're more than capable.
My point was specifically to address people who say they've completely written their own CMS from scratch on their own and how hard it was and how long it took when all they did is to copy BAB. I don't mind them having done that, but when they boast about how they wrote every tiny detail and slaved over it for hours and the functionality is exactly that of the demo code, I don't believe them.
I copied her because I'm jelus.
Rose
14/05/2007 at 15:10
I'm terrified of creating some huge security hole, which is why I never play around with large scale scripts, especially ones that use mysql.
Plus, unlike most of the world these days (or so it seems), I really like wordpress, and I know how to fudge with it.
Now you should write about people who "learned php" or "want to code their site using php only"
...Not that I wasn't a victim of the latter, back in my loser face days.
Rose
14/05/2007 at 15:10
hmm, I think loserface should have been one word. Stupid spellcheck.
Amelie
14/05/2007 at 15:58
Oh, I went through a phase of wanting to do everything in PHP as well... I had entire pages of HTML through echo()s, just because I could! Heh.
...I wonder who'll be first to write that tutorial (if it hasn't been done already)? "How to convert your site to PHP: just add echo ' to the front of your code then '; at the end and you're done!11!!1"
Jem
15/05/2007 at 11:23
I think Rose was suggesting that those who say they've coded their site with PHP only are simply deluded into thinking that includes == PHP. Obviously only saddos like yourself would echo lines html into a page :P