Re: Notice of REMOVAL

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

mystix@direct.ca (Herbert Fung) wrote:

>The key word is permission, after all it is polite. Notice how many people
>become offended and rude when permission isn't requested.

I agree.  What I don't understand is why the writings were copied
at all.  How hard is it to read something, understand it, and write
it in ones own words.  If that was done, I'm sure no one would have
objected.

I scanned this thread and found one side arguing "public knowlege
is free" while the other side argues for protection of ones own
writings.  This is how I see it.  If you went to France and wrote
about the Eiffel Tower and I copied you article and posted it with
comments, that would indeed be wrong.  It would be impolite also.
But I could have wrote my own article about France and
incorporated your observations by citing my own understanding of
your article as in "when Herbert Fung visited France, he wrote in
TravelLog magazine that he found the Eiffel Tower one of the most
elegant structures in thw world."  Assuming you didn't use those
exact same words, all would be well.  I'm just observing your
observations.

I think that's the heart of the matter.  Flat out lifting text is wrong.
Reading, digesting, and writing in ones own words is different.
Unfortunately, this case appears to be the former.