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Doing Open-Source Development, Anonymously?
An anonymous reader asks: "I have some free time, and I've recently started looking into some open-source projects that I'd like to start working on. (I'm a great fan of open-source. A package that I wrote four years ago, and which shall remain un-named, is probably running on you Linux system). But I have a problem: I strongly suspect that my after-hours work might be 'frowned upon' by my employer, and although I have no contractual commitment to abstain from such work, and I will not use office-computers or anything, I realize that in these times it might get me into trouble. So I figured I'll use an assumed identity. However, in order to release copyleft software, you have to first claim copyright to it, and this is not likely to legaly hold for an assumed identity. I don't want to release to the public-domain either. So what can I do?"
Ever heard of Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clements? Magically, he managed to keep a copyright on his shit. Or how about Lewis Carroll, aka. Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson?
If you cared so much about fucking copyright, you'd do it with your real name. You want all the credit without a shred of responsibility. Bullshit. Man the fuck up. If it's not against whatever assraping contract you signed, you've got nothing stopping you except a weak constitution.