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Doing Open-Source Development, Anonymously?

Posted by Cliff on from the the-masked-coder-strikes-again dept.

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?"

5 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. RMS IS THAT YOU! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    RMS, I have been faithful, I use your ``emacs'' package every day!

  2. Re:Carlo Wood by bobv-pillars-net · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hmm.. Somebody contributes to a significant number of GNU projects yet remains anonymous (and therefore unaccountable.)

    Microsoft mole?

    --
    The Web is like Usenet, but
    the elephants are untrained.
  3. Re:What can you do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ever heard of Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clements? Magically, he managed to keep a copyright on his shit.

    And as you showed, he didn't manage to keep his anonymity.

  4. Hey.. by zulux · · Score: 3, Funny

    (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)

    Hey, you must have been the guy that wrote Mozilla's HTML-form submission spell checker. Thanks! It werks wonderfuly!

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  5. Re:ask your employer... by /dev/trash · · Score: 3, Funny

    If the poster actually does quit his job because of this, could he please contact me? I've been out of work for 13+ months and silly copyright claims by an employer don't bother me anymore.