The US Military Wants my Source Code!

Posted on 2002/10/10 24:05:36 (October 2002) by john.

Crazy, but true.

I'm slightly hesitant about making this post, on the off chance I get "paid a visit" by some men in suits later on, but still, the source of this is an email, and, knowing email is inherantly insecure, and the sender was sending it to an unknown recipient (i.e. me) I'm fairly sure it can't be particularly confidential or anything. Anyway, I received an email yesterday from a consultant whose company was writing some piece of software or other. He said that they needed to use some of the functionality in Photo Studio. At first I wondered why anyone would bother, but after thinking about it, and without wanting to blow my own trumpet, there are a few "world's first" type of features in there. Or at least they were unique at the time they were written, they've probably all been copied (and sold) by now. Clearly, if I can write a particular feature of a program, there must be plenty of other developers capable of doing so as well, but there are at least a couple of issues in there that would have even the most experienced programmer scratching their head for a while. So, the consultants wanted me to license them some of my source code basically, and were seemingly more than prepared to pay for it, and better still (I think) I'd keep the original rights. So to make this absolutely clear, there's a load of files on my hard drive, work I'd already done, for free, and these people were prepared to pay me for a copy of them. I've put loads of effort into Photo Studio over the years, and never made a penny from it. I'd always vaguely thought it might be nice to try and make at least a little cash from it somehow or other. It all sounded too good to be true.

On my second scan though the email, I then noticed that the work was being done for the US military. I've had a hard and fast rule for some time now about not working for the military, however indirect. Phrase it however you like, but what the military is basically about is killing people. Or maybe sometimes just injuring them. If I don't think those activities are morally correct, it logically follows that it would be wrong of me to profit from something that assists them in those activities, however small a part it may play. So, the long and the short of it is that I said no. It is frustrating, I may well have just turned down a four figure sum, for work I had already done. However, in a bizarre moment of what can only be fate this morning, I opened a new tub of Olivio, to find a quote on the little cover inside:

"Real riches are the riches possessed inside." - B. C. Forbes

You never cease to amaze me. You've always been a completely principled kind of person and this just full-stop-and-return-carriages it.

It good to see that not even HUGE WODS of cash will tempt you to the dark side.

If I asked you to come flying with me in a glider on the next families day (June), would you come?

Posted by Rob Lang at 2002/10/10 14:58:18.

Ok. The solution is simple. As I would sell someone a license to visit their own grandma, I'll sell it to them, and then pay you in beer.

Posted by rowanboy at 2002/10/10 15:03:17.

You *know* its for spy satellites, which by a stoke of irony, would be used to catch us stealing a trolley from Sainsburys.

Posted by rowanboy at 2002/10/10 15:05:00.

The thing is, I hadn't really earned that money anyway. I write Photo Studio as a hobby, the same way my Mum knits and my Dad cooks. Sure I guess either of them would like to make a bit of extra cash out of their hobbies if they could, but that isn't the main reason for doing them. If I'd actually set about doing a project comissioned by somebody or other, and had spent months of work and not really enjoyed doing it, only to find out afterwards it was for a customer I didn't feel morally able to hand it over to, then I'd be really pissed off. As it is, I'm actually very pleased with myself.

As for the gliding thing, was this an offer as a moral question or simply a straightforward offer? If it's a moral question, I don't really know if that is right or wrong for me. I guess it's the same as going to the RAF Club - although it is attached to the military, I can't see that it actually helps them at all. In fact, the RAF Club is so lavish and wonderful yet so cheap that they probably lose money by me going there!

Posted by john at 2002/10/10 15:58:53.

It was both John! But by supporting me, you are supporting the military. It's no secret that many cadets have gone off and joined the armed forces.

Perhaps this level of abstraction from 'directly aiding' is a little far though.

Posted by Rob Lang at 2002/10/11 10:07:06.

Good for you John. I've maintained that moral high ground for many years, but its never actually been tested other than not going for interviews at BAe. Hence my current living producing pie charts and bar graphs from peoples phone bills.

Posted by dsp at 2002/10/11 15:09:38.

Thanks for your support Tim. Hey, don't worry about the pie charts, we all do something at least a bit pointless at some level or other. You're my A!

Posted by John at 2002/10/13 10:30:17.

Don't give in the military. The military is a evil business made by the ruthless government people who desires to make money and coropate flaws in the WORLD!!! Keep it to your self and yes "I'am proud of you" to never follow for greed. Greed can kill a person!!! USA government had better to leave program inventors including private ones alone! We programmers are making a difference not the military in the USA!!! If USA Military wants to survive, they make it themselves, not to steal people ideas. If USA military doesn't improve programming and technology, we lost the war. One more thing, try to improve your programming skill including your program.

Sincerely
Kon-ami-OH

END OF LINE (GOT it from TRON)

Posted by Kon-ami-OH at 2003/12/01 19:15:11.

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