Question abouth procedure and Part Author ethics

[Daniel Goerner]

Practical Example: http://www.ldraw.org/cgi-bin/ptdetail.cg...6bpx83.dat

This part is on hold for over 3 months, the author not responding (to reviews) for over 6 months. I don't know if the author is still active and/or just has lost interest in working on this part.

I'd like to make this part from scratch. What would be the right procedure without stepping on the toes of anybody? And how would I submit it if the partnumber is already in use?

[EDIT] Okay, I've just seen, that Stan is still active in this forum. So, Stan, would you mind if I give a try in making the Leia head?

[Willy Tschager]

No need asking. We've set up this policy:

http://www.ldraw.org/library/tracker/ref/policy/

• New parts (and fixes) with a hold vote, which haven't been fixed within three months are open to anyone. Grab it and fix it right away without asking permission. The author has got the chance to respond to a hold vote, and if he hasn't, at least he has had his chance to either correct the part or defend its correctness. On the other side it gives the community the opportunity to work the queue of held parts.
  

exactly for this kind of situation.

w.

[Daniel Goerner]

Yeah, but I don't want to fix it. I made a new one from scratch, so this is my file and not his anymore. That's why I asked. Same question for parts in the library, where I think the pattern could be improved:

[Chris Dee]

You should still leave the original author in the Name: line, but it is OK to write "complete rewrite" in the HISTORY line.

[Orion Pobursky]

Part author credit is usually given to the first author to submit the part. Even if you do a complete rewrite, you still can't change the main author line. Simply add a !HISTORY statement.

[Daniel Goerner]

How about subparts? The original authours didn't use subparts, but both faces are symmetric so I created subparts with half the face. Same procedure here, or should I name myself as author in the subparts? Don't get me wrong, I really don't care, I just want to make it right.

[Chris Dee]

If you are the first author of the subpart file then you should put your name in the Name: line.

[Daniel Goerner]

Thanks.

[Owen Burgoyne]

Hi all,

I've just started tinkering with parts authoring, and I have a question in regards to author clarification. I've had a look through the forums, as well as what I can of LDraw.org while some of it's down, but could not find the answer I'm exactly after.

My first example is 72454 Slope, Inverted 45 4 x 4 Double with 2 Holes. I have created this for LDraw, as I could not find it on the parts tracker or in LDraw's part list. As it is essentially 4854 (which was authored by James Jessiman), I have modified the original LDraw file and added the holes to the part.

Therefore, would I be classed as the author and mark the relationship to the original part in a comment, or mark James as the author?

Secondly, I've created a couple of "assembly" pieces using files that already exist, but have added official colour variations. For example 32283c01 has a black base. It also exists with a Dark Gray base, but this version is not available in LDraw.

Again, if I'm simply creating a new assembly based on one that already exists, would I be the author or would I cite the creator of the original assembly?

As a slightly different query, if I've fixed some files that have been "official" for some time. Do these also go to the Parts Tracker in the standard way (with a !HISTORY comment), and would they be marked as unofficial parts to begin with?

Any clarification would be welcome.

[Willy Tschager]

I have some opinions on this but will leave the comment to Chris. Anyway the answer to your last question is YES, they go through the PT as unofficials.

w.


PS. Chris, could you please sum up the above thread in a short guideline and add it to the Parts Tracker Policies.

[Chris Dee]

If you are the creator of a new file, then you should put you name in the Author: line, regardless of how much of the content has been copied from elsewhere in the official parts library or parts still on the Parts Tracker. You don't need to credit the author or authors whose work you have used.

Even with Parts Tracker submission privileges, you will not be able to submit an update an already official part. That needs to be sent to me at [email protected] and will be "proxy" submitted for you (usually within 24 hours). The !LDRAW_ORG line should show it as unofficial, and you should add a !HISTORY line to describe what you have changed. Changing the orientation of origin is not permissible to ensure backward compatibility. Once your new unofficial version is on the Parts Tracker fuether updates can be made without my intervention.