SCO invokes DMCA, announces earnings
Posted Dec 22, 2003 23:16 UTC (Mon) by
ajs318 (guest, #18043)
Parent article:
SCO invokes DMCA, announces earnings
Is it possible that two people working independently of one another could
write what amounted to the same header file?
Let's examine what is in a header file. It is a list of the names
of the variables, constants and functions used in the main programme
source code. The names of these entities are chosen at the whim of the
programmer, but good practice teaches that names should be short and
meaningful; this is done for the benefit of future developers. Two
programmers who learned from similar texts might develop a particular
style. Of course, some names might be influenced by specific extant
personality traits. If psychometric testing of the two programmers
revealed significant differences that might influence choice of variable
names, then we might be surer that the two sets of header files are
derived from a common ancestor.
Then there is the question of ordering. Convention dictates that
the declarations be split into groups by type, and ordered either
alphabetically or as they appear in the programme proper. If both
programmers have used alphabetical ordering then this is not an issue, but
given some automatic latitude by virtue of mathematical equivalency in the
order of statements, it would be a greater coincidence for two programmers
to code their functions, make use of constants and initialise their
variables in the same order.
Of course, if the code in question is trivial, the circumstances
are such that names are effectively prescribed {for instance, "port_addr"
might well be a popular choice for a variable specifying a port address;
and "init_printer()" is a logical choice of a name for a function to
initialise a printer}, and/or it acts in certain very specific ways that
depend on an exact sequence of instructions {thereby negating the
"automatic latitude" proposed above} then there is more likelihood that
two programmers would produce identical code when working independently to
perform the same function.
The greatest degree of freedom comes in the addition of comments
to code. An individual will inevitably develop a particular style in
writing comments. Even this might be influenced by mood. Anything beyond
the mere explanatory {for instance, "Jeff was here 9T6!"} is as
individual as a fingerprint. However, coding convention in certain
environments {a corporation keen to project a "professional" image, for
instance; or a fluid international collaborative effort} might demand
that comments are confined to the minimum necessary to explain the
functionality of the code, with correspondingly less scope for personal
expression.
In the light of the fact that we are talking about short
programmes to accomplish specific simple tasks, in an environment which
necessarily minimises an individual's latitude to leave a personal stamp
on their code, it becomes more likely that two independent developers
could indeed produce identical code. Alternatively, the existence of
ancestral code on which Linux could legally have been based would cast
reasonable doubt on SCO's assertions that portions of Linux were copied
from SCO Unix.
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