Chinese vendor apologizes for claiming Microsoft open source code was its own product

Chinese consultancy Digital Guandong has apologized after publishing a product based on open source code from Microsoft without properly disclosing that fact. The firm's apology concerns a product called CEC-IDE, which appears in Microsoft's Visual Studio Marketplace and on GitHub and is billed as offering the chance to " …

[Pascal Monett]

"with a small amount of modification and some functions added"

Yeah, you included censorship and obfuscated the origin of the software. So basically the developer took the code of an Open Source product, plugged in Big Beijing and sold it off as his own work. Without bothering to check copyright notices included in the code.

That's what I call a bad programmer.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: "with a small amount of modification and some functions added"

A good programmer would have dealt with the copyright notices?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "with a small amount of modification and some functions added"

It's a safe bet that will be their long term solution. It's called "programming with Chinese characteristics",

[captain veg]

Re: "with a small amount of modification and some functions added"

A good programmer would have, you know, actually programmed a solution.

Copy and paste is not programming.

-A.

[LazLong]

Re: "with a small amount of modification and some functions added"

That's what I call a typical Chinese programmer.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "with a small amount of modification and some functions added"

Without bothering to check copyright notices included in the code.

That's what I call...

... Microsft GitHub.

Of course unlike Microsoft, they are issuing an apology.

[45RPM]

The remarkable part of this story isn’t that they did the wrong thing in the first place, but that they apologised for it when caught. I say kudos for that at least.

In this febrile global climate, apologising for doing the wrong thing is becoming an increasingly scarce trait - and it betrays a lack of moral fibre.

[Doctor Syntax]

Maybe it could be forked by adding a start up popup displaying a random entry from the FONT (File Of Naughty Things).

[Hans 1]

"Xi Jinping intimidated Taiwan" What's wrong with that ? This is the offending equivalent: 习近平恐吓台湾

[Anonymous Coward]

My guess is it's a phrase from a news/opinion article they wanted to censor.

Also, you are not allowed to say anything that implies Taiwan exists as a separate country. It is supposed to be a province of China. (which incidentally means the China weather service produces some good weather reports for it, because they have a legal obligation to run their simulations at the same accuracy in all Chinese provinces)

[RAMChYLD]

Incidentally tho, any references to a certain silly old bear isn't in the list. That, I find surprising given the overreaction from the CCP that I've heard.

[DerekCurrie]

Oh, Surprise.

Ripping off IP from the rest of the world, where reward inspires incentive, inspires creativity and invention and innovation, is Standard Daily Practice throughout the CCP dictated country. It's been the same old shyte since 1998, well documented, proven to continue every single day.

What's extraordinary here is apology. Apparently, the Chinese (ironically like Microsoft circa 1994 stealing Apple Quicktime code) are not into international lawsuits.

There are some incredible technos in China. I have some of the gear! But such is communism that it takes considerable breaking of the rules to allow citizens to benefit from their creativity. And even then, the CCP have to play at IRON GRIP and deservedly make purchasers of Chinese products and services paranoid.

Give it up CCP and let China ACTUALLY thrive without your blundering, destructive BS.

:-D

[Michael B.]

Re: Oh, Surprise.

It wasn't Microsoft that stole the code. It was done by the "San Francisco Canyon Company" who had earlier ported Quicktime from Mac to Windows and was hired to improve the performance of Video For Windows by Intel.

[captain veg]

Re: Oh, Surprise.

> the rest of the world, where reward inspires incentive, inspires creativity and invention and innovation

Mostly it rewards turning up at the office and sycophancy to the boss.

-A.

[NanoMeter]

Stealing the works from everybody else

That's what China is best at.