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Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

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Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#111

Post by barbecue_sauce »

m12k wrote: post #95
miav wrote: post #52

There have been multiple attacks like this and it seems the stolen code is usually made public in the end. I presume people will look at it and reuse some concepts and I wonder if this could lead to the technical state of the industry becoming better as a whole.

In general the problem in the game industry isn't that people don't know better ways to structure their code, but that they are under extreme pressure to ship and get absolutely no time to refactor. Between GDC presentations and published computer graphics papers, the game industry is actually quite open about sharing its best ideas.

Or SIGGRAPH for that matter.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#112

Post by whiddershins »

toyg wrote: post #104
whiddershins wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thise entire line of reasoning is reaching, it is rationalization for unethical behavior. Stop justifying poor behavior. Just stop. Trust me, your cognitive dissonance will reduce, and life will overall get easier.

I doubt life will get easier when I don't question any established power-structure and just do (or pay) what I'm told. Or rather, somebody's life will probably get easier - just not mine.

Taking advantage, in any way shape or form, of someone else's efforts, against their will, which efforts and work product were not in public but expressly in private, isn't sticking it to the man or fighting the power structure.

It is just taking advantage of someone without their permission. That's all it is. There's nothing revolutionary or awesome about it. It isn't novel. It isn't creative. It isn't rebellious.

It is simply an unethical use of force.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#114

Post by toyg »

whiddershins wrote: post #112
toyg wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt life will get easier when I don't question any established power-structure and just do (or pay) what I'm told. Or rather, somebody's life will probably get easier - just not mine.

Taking advantage, in any way shape or form, of someone else's efforts, against their will, which efforts and work product were not in public but expressly in private, isn't sticking it to the man or fighting the power structure. It is just taking advantage of someone without their permission. That's all it is. There's nothing revolutionary or awesome about it. It isn't novel. It isn't creative. It isn't rebellious. I…

When that someone enjoys disproportionate advantages in so many different ways, typically accumulated unjustly, and forces the world to follow certain rules in order to entrench such advantages forever, there is an ethical perspective where defying such rules is an act of resistance.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#115

Post by EvilEy3 »

danielheath wrote: post #15
dabeledo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in the same way that you can steal secrets

When I copy your secrets, you no longer have secrets - just information that someone else also has. When I copy your code, you still have the code.

Code is worthless on it's own.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#116

Post by tovej »

jart wrote: post #90
tovej wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a question of information asymmetry. It's always easier to be on the attacking side of cyber security. If the attackers have good intel, and the defense isn't organized, their work is much easier. With (popular) open source projects, there are hundreds of eyeballs looking at the source and trying to fix security issues before they can be exploited. The closed source project is typically less secure, but attacker…

The logical conclusion of your statement is that the strongest software would be projects that are collaboratively maintained by a large number of people, similar to an open source project, except behind the veil of confidentiality at a big company.

It has potential. But it is better than open source only if you trust all the maintainers in the organization. And previous maintainers who have now left the org.

And only if the codebase is routinely looked over and tested, no part of the codebase gets forgotten and becomes unmaintainable because somebody left the company.

Open source has the added benefit that maintainers typically don't disappear complete from the project overnight because they got a new job/were fired.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#117

Post by whiddershins »

toyg wrote: post #114
whiddershins wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taking advantage, in any way shape or form, of someone else's efforts, against their will, which efforts and work product were not in public but expressly in private, isn't sticking it to the man or fighting the power structure. It is just taking advantage of someone without their permission. That's all it is. There's nothing revolutionary or awesome about it. It isn't novel. It isn't creative. It isn't rebellious. I…

When that someone enjoys disproportionate advantages in so many different ways, typically accumulated unjustly, and forces the world to follow certain rules in order to entrench such advantages forever, there is an ethical perspective where defying such rules is an act of resistance.

You are right that there are situations where that is true.

For most activities in the United States, in 2021, this mode of analysis is flat out wrong.

Realizing this distinction is a path to liberation.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#118

Post by toyg »

whiddershins wrote: post #117
toyg wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When that someone enjoys disproportionate advantages in so many different ways, typically accumulated unjustly, and forces the world to follow certain rules in order to entrench such advantages forever, there is an ethical perspective where defying such rules is an act of resistance.

You are right that there are situations where that is true. For most activities in the United States, in 2021, this mode of analysis is flat out wrong. Realizing this distinction is a path to liberation.

Your insistence in using words like "liberation" gives a sense of your ideological zealotry.

Re: Hackers breach Electronic Arts, stealing game source code and tools

#119

Post by whiddershins »

toyg wrote: post #118
whiddershins wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are right that there are situations where that is true. For most activities in the United States, in 2021, this mode of analysis is flat out wrong. Realizing this distinction is a path to liberation.

Your insistence in using words like "liberation" gives a sense of your ideological zealotry.

That’s projection.
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