Protecting my scripts?

[LuaTenshi]

I would love to start coding for servers, but a big issue is that I am afraid that my scripts would be stolen and some one else would take credit for them. My friend told me to put back doors in all my scripts, but I would not like to do that. Any suggestions?

[MrPresident]

You have a couple of different options.

1. CLua. I'm not exactly how it works but we use it for some of our stuff. (One of my coders is paranoid) It allows you to compile your lua into a file that can not be modified unless they have a way to decompile it. (every program has this risk though) Unfortunately, this method requires an external module that interprets the code at runtime though I think..

2. License / Copyright - For code, I would recommend you look into Creative Commons as it is more for opensource... which ultimately LUA is Open Source. It will outline exactly what you allow the end user to do with your code as far as modifying and redistributing or using in their works or not. Also if someone steals a work that is licensed they can be held liable.. so this should be a good deterrent for most people.


Back Doors are not advised. Depending on the kind of back door you code in.. if someone finds it, it could ruin your reputation as a coder.. not to mention any decent coder can/will find it and just simply remove it.

[JamminR]

Hellfox,
We at Team Ulysses have been through the ringer with someone who claimed our code as their own.
The worst part of it was that we pretty much only ask for a credit where appropriate, in a readme and or credits file, not within the code file itself.
The author was quite offended that we asked for this aloud.

Lua is indeed intended in an open source environment.
I'd recommend a  Creative commons license also, and simply remember that some mean people exist and won't respect it.
Those who are worthy coders will, and may assist you in learning if they have deriviative works of your original code that add new and exciting things.

The UTime project here is a good example of that....several derivatives for the various years of SQL modules that have come out over time have helped keep improving it and keeping it alive.

[Megiddo]

The author was quite offended that we asked for this aloud.

Ha ha. That's about the most polite way of putting it possible.

There's really no good answer to this Hellfox. It's one of the unfortunate things we deal with working under Garry. Lua has the ability to run compiled scripts, but Garry disabled it in Gmod to encourage openness and sharing. Definitely do not put back doors in your code if you wish to be trusted as a developer ever again...