What would you do?

NormDroid

A typical Billy Bullshiter

Dalek Dave

More of Woofer!

------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC League Table Link CCC Link[^]

Lost User

Why am I always accused of running phone numbers where you are charged much money per minute and where the TV commercials are only shown after midnight? :-D

A while ago he asked me what he should have printed on my business cards. I said 'Wizard'. I read books which nobody else understand. Then I do something which nobody understands. After that the computer does something which nobody understands. When asked, I say things about the results which nobody understand. But everybody expects miracles from me on a regular basis. Looks to me like the classical definition of a wizard.

Lost User

Learn from the BOFH.

Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]

Andy Brummer

I'd report it as it is the best way to protect yourself. I know someone that is being prosecuted for taking a copy of some source with him when he left a company. He's been on leave from his current company while he is being investigated, which has been going on for about a year.

Curvature of the Mind

realJSOP

If you don't own the company, I wouldn't do anything. It would be difficult to prove he didn't reinvent it on his own, and besides, you said the code was crap, so why even worry about it?

.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001

Ennis Ray Lynch Jr

Have the company lawyer send him a polite email and then drop it.

Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost

Tomz_KV

I would not do anything. It is almost not possible to tell the difference between taking the code from a previous company and writing the code using his knowledge.

TOMZ_KV

SlamDunk46

I would say report it but there is that nasty little tidbit regarding "Intellectual Property". In the eyes of the law he may be entitled to it since he developed it and was paid to do so. Although he should respectively divulge intellectual property may be his copyright is the companies. Just depends on the interpretation of everyone involved. Since it's small and trivial and it doesn't really hurt the company, why split hairs.

ErrolErrol

So, her trivial code looks just like your trivial code, except that it is different in some small ways, and you discovered this by what means? You might want to really document the theft a little better. Maybe you need to find a bigger theft. Is there something move valuable than the trivial code that you mention that “could” have been stolen during the period of employment? With so many excellent sources of free trivial code available today, only a real maroooonnn "steals" trivial code! Theft should be dealt with in the most vigorous manner. It drives up costs, it reduces competitive advantages, and it has the tendency to drive down the value intellectual property creators. Cheaters must be made to suffer, as a deterrent to potential cheaters if for no other reason. Thou shalt not steal, seems like a clear statement of principal that all should be able to adopt. But, you better be sure, really sure, before you accuse someone of a life ruining crime.

Fabio Franco

Before making your decision, consider these: 1 - It's possible that you might mess his life up real good, will you feel good about it? Has he done anything to you to deserve this? Not that I'm in favor of revenge, but maybe he doesn't even deserve it. 2 - Does this application compete with the one in your company? Is "his" application by any means interfering with your job / company 3 - What will you get by reporting him? If I were you, I'd talk to him (mail, phone, whatever) and tell him that I know about it, that I will not report him this time, but that he should be careful with this kind of stuff as he might be not so lucky next time.

Fabio Franco

I wonder if you would like to have on your conscience that you ruined someone's life. Even though it is a kind of theft (actually unauthorized copying), it does not mean the perpetrator is a bad person that deservers a life ruining experience

Michael J Collins

That absolutely cracked me up.... Thanks :)

Michael J. Collins Web Application Programmer

Vic Rauch

I would report it, the sooner the better. I do agree that whenever someone leaves a job for another, we always take something with us. Generally, most of what we take is in our heads, but there are the occasional snippets that we either "invented" ourself or are so used to using that we just "need" it. One thing to remember, the new job has (at least should have) their own standards, so what we are accustom to just might not be acceptable in the new job because of their standards. I had to fire a man that stoled a complete system from his previous company, and told the manager that hired him that he was authorized to have it because he wrote most of it. I talked to his previous employer and found out he had not even worked on the system, but did work with the system he stoled. While working for our company, he continued to steal, or try to steal PC software is why I even starting thinking the software he brought with him was stolen.

ErrolErrol

In the abstract, morality always has a hard and often very sharp edge. That is why it is so important to adhere to the moral principles that are established within our societies, so as not to suffer the consequences found outside of the established boundaries. A “small” amount of stealing is difficult to differentiate from a “large” amount of stealing, in the abstract. If stealing cattle is wrong, then stealing one cow is every bit as bad as stealing a herd, again in the abstract. If we bend our principles at some ill-defined threshold then the ambiguity of our stated principals opens the door to bad acts of all types. Does a snippet of trivial code allow me to land on the moon sooner than my competitor? Has an inconsequential nail served to win a battle and topple a nation? Abstraction relieves me of the need to “feel”, and as a member of a civilized society, my “feelings” must be set aside for the greater good.

Bill Gross Tech

What? "Finders keepers, losers weepers" is prevailing here? That's crap!

A loyal employee has an obligation to notify the company that its intellectual property has been compromised. If the knowledgable employee is not loyal enough to report the incident, then the company had better protect itself further by firing the employee.

It is one thing for developers to leave with code they helped develop if its later use is only for one's own educational development. That's not much different than referring to old notes and assignments from bygone school courses. That shouldn't cause too much heartburn. It is entirely another thing if that code becomes another company's product, particularly if it is a competing company. That's wrong.

Do the right thing. Report it.

Euhemerus

leppie wrote:

So you are saying the company has to get a warrant to search employee's homes for evidence of company property (code in this case) when they leave the company?

It shouldn't have got that far in the first place. The Company is obviously lax in guarding its intellectual property. Where I used to work, ANYTHING produced on a company computer was regarded by the Company as THEIR property. This was made plain in the contract of employment terms. No computer had a recordable CD/DVD drive, and USB ports were disabled. Also, all email went through a scrutinising process so that the chances of any company information actually leaving the company was miniscule. Can you imagine Microsoft letting their developers have the ability to take their code home? Somehow, I can't.

Nobody can get the truth out of me because even I don't know what it is. I keep myself in a constant state of utter confusion. - Col. Flagg

Fabio Franco

Apparently the fate of somenoe and his family would not affect you if you did nothing wrong. But, setting aside all this conceptual establishment of right and wrong, I would not rest easy over my pillow knowing that I ruined the life of someone who never directly hurt someone emotionally or physically just because he copied a piece of code. You might say that stealing a candy bar is just as bad as stealing a bank. Or that a hungry kid stealing a bottle of milk is just as bad as a rich dude stealing from many but I don't see it that way. I don't agree with you that judging the deserving fate of someone is unatached to interpretation or situation analysis. Laws are often impartial, but if written laws by themselves were enough, judges wouldn't be necessary to decide the sentence. To me morality does not need to be the judge too. Nor I think we can determine someone's morality just by the course of one of his action, specially not knowing his beliefs or situation. If greater good means pure punishment, then totalitary nations with dictatory leaders would be the ideal way to rule a nation.

JasonPSage

1: Stealing is wrong - you better be 100% correct before throwing someone under the bus 2: Blackmail is as wrong as stealing: if you're moved by a theft and even consider blackmail: you're an accomplice My own integrity: If I write code; I have a copy for my own reference unless client has stated specific rules they expect followed. If a client says from the onset there code is not to leave or they expect full ownership of any code I write for them and believe me they say as much if they are concerned usually in an NDA or something; It stays in their house. I also don't bring in my own code to such folks unless there is a clear line between "Wrote this for YOU; this is code I'm letting you use" and I document it as such and they understand. Data: Never goes anywhere! Structures; test data.. but live stuff... stays in said clients folder or databases only as long as is warranted by assigned responsibility: no responsibility for it? Cool: Delete it! The last thing I want to do is take intellectual property from anyone; likewise I expect mine to be respected. Besides: everytime I personally had code I wrote for a client I have never used it for more than a reference on "what I did to solve for x"... or what usually happens: This is an example of what never to do... because frankly I usually am handed a system that already exists and am asked to make it do something new or talk to some other system... all of which usually means I'm inheriting someone else's design. My Jegas Application Server is my own web server/crm/integration software designed from the ground up in a non-mainstream language so all the code is my own and not from clients: but it's where it is today from all the experience I have on what not to do. It's not perfect: but it's pretty awesome. Besides... didn't you say the code this fellow allegedly grabbed was trivial? Like what? A 20 line code snip? You think this guy has the wherewithall to write that little bit of code from scratch if he wanted? I usually leave employers on a good note and they usually don't care if your moral fiber is solid in my experience. I got to tell you the comment about someone taking code from one company and using it to build a system for a new employer.. that sounds completely over the line of what is just to me personally. Building a good data model can take a long time: somehow this bothers me much more than some silverlight code snip that does some little thing. Probably because of it's monetary worth seems closer to grand theft auto th

Bergholt Stuttley Johnson

Euhemerus wrote:

Can you imagine Microsoft letting their developers have the ability to take their code home? Somehow, I can't.

why not? it is how they started after all!

You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start