I was asking myself and now I’m asking you…
Could anyone explain me please the reason to post in free resources(forums) free but encrypted scripts?
Personally I see some:
- Encrypt the script to show a possibility of solution. But it doesn’t make sense for a tool.
- Temporary encrypt the script to give a time to others to find their own solution and compare results. But it should be decrypted later.
- Some sort of teasing others to force them to by the tool (or full version of the tool). But it’s soliciting and usually free resource has to ban against it.
- The personal advertising to show how cool an author.
- Encrypt to hide imperfection.
any other reasons?
Not the kind of answer you want but either way here it goes:
I dont see a reason to post an encrypted free script, if it’s free, it’s supposed to be shared I guess, to have others learn from it, to have others look at it and help you improve it, etc.
That being said… I recently got one of my scripts completly ripped off and had the name changed and released as another script… I guess the lack of etiquette might be one of the few valid reasons to encrypt free scripts.
Cheerio!
I can see some usage for a light version of a script, you can disable some advanced functions. It would be trivial to enable them again is the source was open.
Or if you’ve developed an extensive inhouse framework that the tool takes advantage from, you want to give the tool away but not the entire framework.
Or third, and most likely, if your source is a mess and you don’t feel like cleaning it up
I don’t like Scriptstop for some time. Because there are probably a third of all scripts encrypted. What’s the point? If you want to sell your tools just do it but not use free resources. If you want to help other people with a script why do you hide the code.
Definitely I have my reasons to not post everything what I code, and I don’t do it neither encrypted nor decrypted.
I release free scripts, both open sourced and encrypted.
There are different reasons why I chose to encrypt certain scripts:
-) I don’t want my scripts to be forked and re-released by others.
-) I don’t want to be contacted for support when a modified script is broken.
-) I don’t want to be contacted when inexperienced scripters copy & paste parts of my code (mostly rollouts/UI stuff), and it doesn’t work for them.
all that happened to me more than once, and it’s annoying.
Other reason:
-) I plan to use parts of the script for commercial projects (or lite/pro versions)
All that is more about avoiding copy&paste mentality…I don’t have a problem sharing any methods or algorithms I’m using, if someone asks me.
i see your point. but using somebody else’s code without giving a credit for the author is another problem. only one way to show that your code is original is to show it.
as I said all commercial projects shouldn’t to be in free section.
Denis, I saw your comment on my post earlier and was looking for some spare time to give you my reason for encrypting the tool I just released, so count this post as an answer to that question as well.
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As jonadb said, when a script is using some in house framework that you weren’t planing / allowed to release.
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As also said a couple of times, to avoid embarrassment by a messy old code.
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To force the users to report any bugs instead of fixing them themselves.
As plastic I am also happy to answer any questions about the algorithms behind the encrypted free code that I release, and I am also in favor of open source whenever possible.
Cheers,
Matan.
Max script encrypting is something wrong. Maya mel was never been encrypted and now you can find tons of solutions, sample codes, ui templates just browsing maya directory. The best source for max scripts is still MXS Help.
If you want to make commercial tools and sell it you don’t have to use free resources to post free for using and testing encrypted scripts. If you want to make money please pay for QA.
As you see I’ve never posted final tools because all my tools are commercial. I can’t post them encrypted as well.
Bottom line, I’d rather people share their tools encrypted than not share them at all…
I envy Matan for being allowed to ‘show his work’ to the public, even if encrypted
Many peoples are just using scripts. they do not look at them, they are not interested in if it is clean nice genial or encrypted. They are thankful for them (I hope so). It is 90% of max users.
So if U are afraid of someone stealing your code but U want this warm feeling around your heart:p for doing something for community …
So “FREE” to use not free to learn. all in best tradition of hermeticism.