Guidelines for Publishing Plugins followup

[Panchdara]

Hi. I believe I've mentioned this before but I'll repeat.

 

(Where i refer to plugin I mean effects and filetypes too)

 

It's really great that there are so many contributions to the plugin library, and having Codelab is yet another reason to build these plugins. No doubt, Codelab is the main reason that there are so many.

 

Okay. Whilst I can appreciate that a considerable amount of effort can be made in coding these additions, and most are donated here, the fact that PDN might have code base changes that might break any particular plugin, and that the author of that plugin might disappear, would it not be a requisite that the source be donated to a "central library" that is available to the PDN maintainers/developers? Should a PDN plugin be "copyright"/"fee driven" then that plugin be maintained on a remote site that the author maintains and not on this site? Gratuitous plugins, I would have thought, would/should have their sources stored where they might be maintained in the event of an author who no longer wishes to support it or can't support it - since it was initially a donation. That being said, there be a permanent register of the initial author and their contribution(s).

 

I trust this makes sense. Sort of like a waiver. If the author believes their work is too valuable then that author should host the plugin elsewhere and make it abundantly clear that the code might never be maintained. The repository of plugins might be only available to PDN developers, but at least there is a possibility of the plugin being maintained in the absence of the initial author. And, respect the initial author by maintaining their name in the credits.

 

Just my 2cents.

 

Best regards

 

edit: ooops, can this topic be moved to the appropriate section? Sorry.

Edited October 22, 2020 by Panchdara

[Rick Brewster]

Plugin authors can post their code on GitHub if they like. But we're not going to be building up a regulatory agency for this stuff. 

[Ego Eram Reputo]

8 hours ago, Panchdara said:

would it not be a requisite that the source be donated to a "central library" that is available to the PDN maintainers/developers?

 

If authors freely publish their code (GitHub or here) there is an expectation it might be picked up and reused. I think that's understood.

 

I recently added a license note to the Tutorial Guidleines (#15 here: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/12138-tutorial-forum-posting-guidelines-updated-20-jan-2014/). The license (or any other) could be applied to plugins and their source.