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VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

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Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#721

Post by voganmother42 »

dmitriv wrote: post #643
sandeepkd wrote: post #589

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for jumping in the conversation. Logically it does makes sense to attribute the authors correctly, however in this context it might be helpful if you can provide any details about the users complaining that their PR's are being marked as co-authored even when they have not used the copilot? Is that intentional or a missed check in the implementation. Also for layman readers like me who might not be actively in…

The fact that non-AI changes are attributed to Copilot is a bug. The intent was to allow customers to add attribution of AI-generated code. As with any bug, it was not intetional.

you intentionally ignored internal reports of if not working

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#722

Post by maccard »

albedoa wrote: post #684
dmitriv wrote: post #629

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First comment does not sound constructive - are you interested in my opinion on (n)vim? I am not a legal, so can't comment on legal things. However, I have already responded elsewhere here that this feature has nothing to do with licensing or ownership and was added for those that want the attribution. I understand the desire to see anything Microsoft as bad and evil, but we are really just trying to make a better ex…

It was pretty obvious from your first comment that you were going to get creative with the definition of "constructive". > are you interested in my opinion on (n)vim? The first comment is three short lines. One of them is the extremely reasonable and relevant question of where else this has happened in VSCode. And you think that the commenter is wondering about your opinion on (n)vim? That is what you think they are…

Comments like this are why developers don’t engage directly. The first link is “just asking questions” and implying that the project is rotten. He’s not being “creative” he’s just not engaging in bait.

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#723

Post by delecti »

Esophagus4 wrote: post #281
yankohr wrote: post #84

This feels like the modern version of 'Sent from my iPhone' but much more invasive. Git commits are legal and technical records. Falsifying who authored a piece of code just to pump up AI usage stats is a huge breach of trust and it is disappointing to see Microsoft prioritize branding over the integrity of the developer's log. I expect my IDE to record what happened, not what the marketing department wants people to…

And also those early Spotify days where Spotify would automatically post what you’re listening to to your Facebook wall. I’ve always seen that practice of using the user as your recommendation lever without their consent as unethical.

Those services always asked ahead of time though. And at the time, it was seen as cool, like a not-so-subtle "look at me, listening to music on this cool service".

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#725

Post by sham1 »

quectophoton wrote: post #650
avd201 wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing the annoys me the most (to use polite language) is that product design went off the window with the AI craze. You could probably ship actual products that actual people would want to use, but instead everyone wants to turn everything into a chatbot, as if chatbots are the pinnacle of user interface, the crabs of software, the purpose, goal, and telos of technology. It drives me nuts.

A text input field for entering your command line(s), with a text log for the output, does indeed seem to be the crabs of software. Usually with some abstractions that allow you to write longer scripts[1] and just refer to them by a short name or alias, and compose those scripts together from your command prompt. You could say it's the terminal [2] user interface. [1]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrip…

While this is very pithy, we need to acknowledge and remember that there's a gulf of difference between normal terminal interfaces and command line interfaces, and whatever the chatbots are doing.

Yes, both have a prompt where you type text to do things and get text back, but the type of text you write in one is very different than what you'd write in another. Prose versus commands and so on. Oh, and normal terminals don't waste electricity and water in amounts approaching small countries.

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#726

Post by jdenning »

dmitriv wrote: post #629
jdenning wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992781 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992568 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992475

First comment does not sound constructive - are you interested in my opinion on (n)vim? I am not a legal, so can't comment on legal things. However, I have already responded elsewhere here that this feature has nothing to do with licensing or ownership and was added for those that want the attribution. I understand the desire to see anything Microsoft as bad and evil, but we are really just trying to make a better ex…

Perhaps next time you should consult with legal before asserting co-authorship on end users’ code. The appended comment was not “edited with VS code” or “sent from VS code”, it was “co-authored by Copilot”. You do understand that there are legal implications to claims of authorship, right?

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#727

Post by lelanthran »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #649
lelanthran wrote: post #516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The bot (and therefore microsoft) doesn't get any copyright at all. But then neither do you, for every commit that was marked with copilot.

What makes you say that? If a monkey uses a typewriter, there's no copyright. If I use a typewriter with a monkey, I get copyright and the monkey doesn't. Why would the monkey need copyright for me to get copyright?

> If I use a typewriter with a monkey, I get copyright and the monkey doesn't.

Right, because monkeys cannot be granted copyright. If you use a typewriter along with Microsoft, the resulting copyright will be owned jointly.

This story isn't about a monkey claiming co-authorship, it's about Microsoft claiming co-authorship.

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#728

Post by lelanthran »

baobabKoodaa wrote: post #677
lelanthran wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If it's actually co authored then you should be fine on copyright How so? All your outoutput is now legally partly owned by Microsoft?

If I write "I own lelanthran's car", does that make me the legal owner of your car? No?

> If I write "I own lelanthran's car", does that make me the legal owner of your car?

If I counter sign agreement, certainly. How do you think that sales of both movable and immovable property work?

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#729

Post by baobabKoodaa »

lelanthran wrote: post #728
baobabKoodaa wrote: post #677

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I write "I own lelanthran's car", does that make me the legal owner of your car? No?

> If I write "I own lelanthran's car", does that make me the legal owner of your car? If I counter sign agreement, certainly. How do you think that sales of both movable and immovable property work?

That's not what we were talking about. We were talking about a third party modifying your document without your consent (and sometimes even without your knowledge). You write git commit "Fix bug" and then a third party swoops in the night and modifies that with "Co-authored by: Microsoft".

Re: VS Code inserting 'Co-Authored-by Copilot' into commits regardless of usage

#730

Post by chrisweekly »

kevincox wrote: post #662
chrisweekly wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huge difference: the commit signature may not have had anything to do with Copilot, whereas email sent by mobile Outlook was... sent by Outlook.

Nah, they are both unacceptable spam. Don't put words in my mouth and don't hijack my communication for marketing.

I was just pointing out there's a difference, not endorsing any of it.
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