Facebook Autopoke Update

It's been a few months since my last post.  After a few months, I finally got in touch with the folks at Greasemonkey.  It looks like Jesse Andrew is no longer running things, which is great for him.  He's got a lot on his plate and it's good to see him giving away some things.

But it did make making the DMCA takedown's a bit longer.  There is only one script left that violates GPL.  Since it's one script, I will be releasing the newest autopoke script sooner than anticipated.

Please note that the public version of the script will be an obfuscated version.  This does accomplishes two things:

• Makes it much easier to see who is actively copying my script without permission
• Also allows those who have "pirated" scripts to know they may be using an outdated or insecure version.

By no means is this perfect, but it gives people like Tony White, who does nothing but copy scripts and claims them as his own, another hurdle to jump through.

If you are a developer and would like access to the "development" version, feel free to look through the Google Code project.  I use mercurial so it should be easy to figure out which is which.  (Sorry, no further clues will be given.  You're a developer.  It's easy to figure out.)

Speaking of Tony White, I'd like to take a brief moment to share a few thoughts about the GPL and litigation.  First, I don't enjoy using a public forum to address a personal issue.  But he has left me no choice since he has yet to respond to any of my messages.  I have asked Tony White on four separate occasions to bring his scripts into compliance.  I could understand a one-time mistake.  Most people don't understand how the GPL works.  However, after reviewing all of his scripts, the vast majority of them are copies of other people's work.  He then removes the original author's name and substitutes his own.

My goal is to not make money off of any of my scripts.  They are freely available, both in speech and in beer.  That is why I did not sue Userscripts or Tony White.  However, claiming someone else's work as your own is simply despicable.

I cannot fight for other people's copyrights.  But I can fight for my own.

Tony White has blocked private messages, either only from me or from everyone.  Either way, here is the bottom line:

If Tony White is found to have a copy of my Facebook Autopoke script, I intend to file suit in Federal Court for injunctive and damage relief.  I plan to ask the court for $1000 for each violation, which will include each copy that was downloaded.  And since he was a repeat offender, I can triple any damages that are awarded.

That being said, I hope to release the newest version of the Facebook Autopoke within a month.