This broke a number of builds that depended on the (previously) published modules, here's a GitHub issue showcasing that: https://github.com/azer/left-pad/issues/4
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I've Just Liberated My Modules
11–20 of 827 posts
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#12Seriously? "When I started coding Kik, didn’t know there is a company with same name. And I didn’t want to let a company force me to change the name of it. After I refused them, they reached NPM’s support emphasizing their lawyer power in every single e-mail CC’ing me. I was hoping that NPM would protect me, because I always believed that NPM is a nice organization."
a) Ignorance is no excuse.
b) Expecting others to fight for one is lame. Either have the balls and fight or STFU.
"Summary; NPM is no longer a place that I’ll share my open source work at, so, I’ve just unpublished all my modules. This is not a knee-jerk action."
Wrong, that is the prototype of a knee-jerk action.
Last but not least, whining about it in public in the hope "something will happen" is pathetic.
What I'd suggest (though now it is too late): Rename the module to comply with legal claims, put up a new module under the old name that throws errors when called that describe the reason so developers see it and put shame on the threatening company/lawyers.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#13That's pretty much the worst handling of this issue I could ever imagine. Spine-less flip-flopping–because taking a stand would have been too inconvenient. What did people expect from some 20 year olds managing a centralized piece of infrastructure?
No, the original author didn't change his mind. The people at NPM undid his unpublishing so that peoples' builds would pass while the mess gets sorted out.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#14Hopefully NPM will think of this in the future, next time they try something like this.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#15This is a surprisingly effective protest action. It got the attention of an incredible number of people very quickly, and the damage is mostly limited to wasting the time of a bunch of build cops.
I don't have much of an opinion on his actual reasons for protesting, but I do think it was a pretty cool protest.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#16Wow, first they steal a package from the original author, then they do this. Why will anyone want to publish to NPM after this again?
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#17Not sure I follow this completely...
You start a project with the same name as a company, which owns the registered brand and are surprised when some 3rd party complies with legal suggestions to make an adjustment?
Seems kind of silly to expect that NPM would want to fight for your project name when you didn't seem to do your own due diligence when picking a name. Also, a bit backwards to go remove all your modules as well, therefore breaking builds.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#18Seems odd that a patent lawyer is being involved in a trademark dispute. Also, given the fact that he didn't make any money off it, I severely doubt that it would ever go to court.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#19Update: NPM takes "unprecidented action [...] given the severity and widespread nature of the breakage" and un-un-publishes left-pad https://twitter.com/seldo/status/712414400808755200
Seriously, it's a disgrace that Javascript has such piss-poor string handling built into it's standard library that such a thing is necessary.
Re: I've Just Liberated My Modules
#20"eventually create a truly free alternative for NPM."
Which will either comply with copyright laws, or get blasted off the 'netz and break everyone's build...
The rules are messed up, but dramatic gestures and abstract hopes that "free software will save us" aren't going to fix them.