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My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

hackoftheday.securitytube.net

31–40 of 54 posts

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#31
post #14

Does including GPL code in your project (movie) makes this project (movie) GPL too and requires release of all movie source code? (i.e. 3d models, scenes, screenplay, etc.) And if yes, if someone will rebuild whole movie, will it be possible to download binary version of it compiled by some Joe for free?

Unless the GPL license is different from what I read here (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html) then it does not extend to make the entire film subject to the GPL license. The GPL license only extends to "covered works" (works based on the GPL'd work).

If the entire movie was based on the GPL'd work then the GPL could extend to the entire movie and its source assets. For example, if the code of the GPL'd work formed a central pillar of the plot of the movie (the actual code itself, not just its function or purpose because those things are not copyrightable), then the GPL could possibly extend to the entire movie. However, in movies the GPL'd work is usually just shown briefly on-screen to fill out a scene involving computer code; it does not form the basis of any part of the movie itself.

A bright line test: if the code could easily be replaced with random mumbo-jumbo psuedo code (or even jibberish) without meaningfully altering the tested work (i.e., the movie), then the GPL won't apply to the tested work.

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#32
post #28
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming that the GPL is fully representative of Stallman's views, they would not be be required to release 3d models, scenes, or the screenplay. Those parts would not be considered software. However, I am not sure about the source code involved in the movie. He makes a distinction between art and software because software is meant to do "practical jobs" whereas art is not so he does not put the free requirement on t…

> Assuming that the GPL is fully representative of Stallman's views, What does Stallman or his views have to do with it? The GPL is a document that is interpreted by judges and juries, not by Stallman. The text of the GPL itself makes no distinction between software or other things that can be copyrighted. GPLv3 even changes its language to make it clearer that it can be applied to non-software things. For example, i…

[deleted]

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#33
Hmm, as far as I can tell most of the pointer casts I see there are unnecessary.

- ifr_name is cast to char pointer. It's already a char array.

- A few memcpy() calls cast their arguments to void pointer. This is just silly. All pointer types implicitly convert to that. This anti-pattern can create bugs with some 64-bit compilers if you fail to declare a function prototype (implicit `int` from undeclared function, cast into `void pointer` = bad times).

- The file ends in `.c`, but the return type of `malloc` is cast to different pointer types. This is a big "author has no idea what they're doing" red flag to me. In C you can implicitly convert void pointer to any other pointer type. It's not the same as C++. This also happens to let you fall into the "convert `int` to `void pointer` trap of the previous point.

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#34
post #17
post #14

Does including GPL code in your project (movie) makes this project (movie) GPL too and requires release of all movie source code? (i.e. 3d models, scenes, screenplay, etc.) And if yes, if someone will rebuild whole movie, will it be possible to download binary version of it compiled by some Joe for free?

Assuming that the GPL is fully representative of Stallman's views, they would not be be required to release 3d models, scenes, or the screenplay. Those parts would not be considered software. However, I am not sure about the source code involved in the movie. He makes a distinction between art and software because software is meant to do "practical jobs" whereas art is not so he does not put the free requirement on t…

The GPL refers to the use of software, the licensing, the linking thereof.

This is nothing that would ever be covered or considered to be covered by the license. It's a screen shot of source code.

I don't think - well I know he's not - entitled to acknowledgement either, any more than the producers of a movie would be required to acknowledge the NYT because one of the characters is reading it in a coffee store.

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#35

Hmm, as far as I can tell most of the pointer casts I see there are unnecessary. - ifr_name is cast to char pointer. It's already a char array. - A few memcpy() calls cast their arguments to void pointer. This is just silly. All pointer types implicitly convert to that. This anti-pattern can create bugs with some 64-bit compilers if you fail to declare a function prototype (implicit `int` from undeclared function, ca…

I hate it when people assume that they know everything and attempt to lecture others. Especially when you go on large platitudes like "This is a big 'author has no idea what they're doing' red flag to me." Maybe, the author is actually compiling the code with a c++ compiler?

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#36
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, do we have a list of good computer movies ? I liked the movie hackers when I was a kid and first came out with Jolie and everything but it's kinda ridiculous and the approach is very hollywood-esque. I found Sneakers to be a great movie. War Games was kinda old to get me involved when I first saw it. Tr0n is unwatchable (at least the latest version). I like the matrix (imho best karate one-on-one fighting s…

23 is the best hacker film I know of. It's German and based on the Karl Koch story. It's not exclusively about hacking, necessarily, but it is far more realistic than any other I've seen. Reboot from 2012 is a short film that features a whole lot of real world penetration testing tools and security lingo, but was overall poorly executed and nonsensical. Still worth a look just to spot all the references. Antitrust is…

I'm watching the P = NP right now and it is amazing. Thanks for the hint :-)

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#37

Hmm, as far as I can tell most of the pointer casts I see there are unnecessary. - ifr_name is cast to char pointer. It's already a char array. - A few memcpy() calls cast their arguments to void pointer. This is just silly. All pointer types implicitly convert to that. This anti-pattern can create bugs with some 64-bit compilers if you fail to declare a function prototype (implicit `int` from undeclared function, ca…

I hate it when people assume that they know everything and attempt to lecture others. Especially when you go on large platitudes like "This is a big 'author has no idea what they're doing' red flag to me." Maybe, the author is actually compiling the code with a c++ compiler?

No actually, in my experience it is a red flag, and worse, it hides really nasty bugs like the conversion from int that I mentioned.

To elaborate, I do find misuse of casts to be a reliable shibboleth to determine competence in C and C++. If a programmer writes lots of pointer casts that don't make sense, that's usually reliable a signal that the programmer doesn't really understand the warnings from their compiler and is just trying to shut up the warnings (real or perceived) rather than fix actual problems. This approximation has played out well in my experience.

It's not meant to be judgmental, I too made the same mistakes when I was learning C. I remember in 2000 or so I made the "cast memcpy args to void pointer" mistake because the manpage said void pointer and I didn't know what that was yet. If nobody ever pointed that out to me, maybe I'd still be doing it today. This kind of "pedantry" you're accusing me of is how a lot of people get better.

By the way, the most popular compilers most people use today (llvm, gcc, MSVC) don't do what you're describing when the file ends in .c which it does here.

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#38
post #12
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, do we have a list of good computer movies ? I liked the movie hackers when I was a kid and first came out with Jolie and everything but it's kinda ridiculous and the approach is very hollywood-esque. I found Sneakers to be a great movie. War Games was kinda old to get me involved when I first saw it. Tr0n is unwatchable (at least the latest version). I like the matrix (imho best karate one-on-one fighting s…

The Internship (2013) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234155/ Good and funny movie, and realistic (if you don't mind the Google logo everywhere) Antitrust (2001, also known as "Startup") http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218817/ Good movie that shows some C, Java and HTML code and also explains "open source". Miguel de Icaza helped them, so you see GNU/Linux desktops and GNOME shell and bash.

"The Internship" is less realistic than you'd think.

Re: My Code made it to a Hollywood Movie

#39
post #29

This is definitely the best hacking clip: http://youtu.be/u8qgehH3kEQ four hands on the keyboard...

LOL … that was great.

I've always thought this CSI clip was amazing too…

“I’ll create a GUI interface using Visual Basic…see if I can track down an IP address.”

http://brad.me/1hGJgIk

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