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Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

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Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#541

Post by kazinator »

imiric wrote: post #210
kazinator wrote: post #18

I don't think there is any fundamentally original idea in replit. It is a time-sharing system where you can log in and use a programming language. We have had those since not long after the dawn of computing. Since at least 1970, we also had smart terminals that allowed the user to fill in a form, and validate it, before sending it to the host. So the time-sharing session being carried out by a protocol between the w…

Why does it have to be original to be a product people will pay for? There are plenty of unoriginal yet profitable products. What you've said is all true, but most users today don't use computers like that. Arguably developers already do if they have SSH access somewhere, but if repl.it brings that experience to a general audience via a web browser then it's already valuable. If the Chrome cloud VM idea[1] can raise…

> Why does it have to be original to be a product people will pay for?

No, no; for that it absolutely doesn't. People pay for all sorts of goods that are not original, like loaves of bread, pairs of sneakers or T-shirts.

It had better be original if you're going to harass former interns that they're ripping off some intellectual property, and threaten them with lawyers.

That's all.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#542

Post by knl »

stevebmark wrote: post #323
playpause wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if Repl.it rightly felt it was a breach of their IP, the CEO could have assumed good faith, explained his concerns kindly, and politely requested the project be taken down. The interesting thing is that he seemingly panicked, resorted to legal threats almost immediately, and even stooped to warning the kid that they have deep pockets. It’s like something you’d expect from 90s Microsoft, just more scrappy and tra…

I agree the interaction could have gone more smoothly. I also still think Repl.it and Amjad have reasonable viewpoints. I didn't see a panicky or instant legal threat reply from the emails. I saw an email pointing out the copying issue clearly, then a strong and lengthy pushback email from Riju author, and _then_ a reply about lawyers. The "I did nothing wrong" email from Riju author probably seemed benign, but seeme…

As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I saw a complete jackass reaction that tarnishes the reputation of repl.it.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#543

Post by ilaksh »

I feel that because the legal system is completely broken. Is there another way that we can deal with replit? This type of anti-competitive anti-open-source behavior should not be tolerated without consequence.

https://replit.canny.io/general-feedback/p/how-replit-used-l...

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#544

Post by detaro »

forgotpwd16 wrote: post #495
detaro wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not something you do in "essentially a day" if you want it be secure and reliable. (E.g. the example toy project they link literally just runs python directly on the server: https://github.com/raxod502/python-in-a-box/blob/master/serv... - you'll need to stop doing that very quickly if public). The parts of their stack that repl.it has put on their own Github looks loads more valuable (and I assume are also not…

>Which makes the reaction weird. Consider that funders and investors like the parent reply will say "huh, that's so easy it isn't worth that much money" and it won't be that weird.

With a view that shallow, tons of well-funded tech companies are "easy", and get funding and success nevertheless.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#547

Post by Dah00n »

tzs wrote: post #389
robertkrahn01 wrote: post #110

I've worked for ten years on the Lively Kernel project [1,2,3], originally created by Dan Ingalls at Sun Microsystems. Running JavaScript, Smalltalk, R, Clojure, Haskell, Python, C++ and a few other languages in it. When I first saw replit, I thought, wow someone copied 1/4 of Lively. Do they really think they had an original idea? [1] https://lively-kernel.org [2] https://lively-next.org [3] https://cloxp.github.io/…

Did any of the Replit people work on Lively Kernel? I think what has the Replit guy upset is not that some random person did something similar, but rather that someone who worked at Replit did something similar. As far as Lively Kernel goes, is there a list of languages it supports? All I got from your links is that it is a JavaScript-based web development environment, seems to have a lot of Smalltalk related stuff,…

No but the CEO worked at Code Academy so he actually kinda did what he is accusing the intern of doing.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#548

Post by ejboy »

dogman144 wrote: post #382
stevebmark wrote: post #58

Did the author disclose the work on Riju as a prior invention before joining Repl.it? If so that puts him in the clear. I would also check your hiring contract to see what kind of clauses are in there about prior inventions. For larger companies, I don't think this company behavior would surprise anyone. I think I can understand where Repl.it is coming from. All I know is this behavior (by Riju author) isn't somethin…

Yeah in general this strikes me as a learning lesson. If you're at all career-wise (and/or have signed a contract recently), this area is usually anywhere from an ethically gray area, to a contractural third rail. A CEO flexing on an early-career SWE is the height of nonsense, but this sounds like an early-career mistake to make on the engineer's end. For the SWE it's a project, for the CEO it's existential. Of cours…

How exactly it's existential if a single intern could copy their product? Imagine Microsoft/GitHub or someone with deep pockets going after them?

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#549

Post by ipodopt »

yewenjie wrote: post #325

Slightly off-topic - what is a secure way to run arbitrary code in arbitrary languages in a server? I know replit's polygott docker container allows it. https://github.com/replit/polygott/

I would look at how the major clouds are running their compute instances. This might help:

https://www.nomadproject.io/

Which is basically k8s but lets you use vms.

I was thinking of using Tekton to make a CI/CD service at one point but I would pretty much need to smash the whole k8s VM/Node every time I do something and only allow one participant at a time. There are ways to run vm pods instead of containers in k8s but there are other issues at play. It's been a sec.

Re: Replit used legal threats to kill my open-source project

#550

Post by creata »

jollybean wrote: post #426
Driko04 wrote: post #245

anyone who has ever interviewed with Amjad knows hes two-faced. He had a posting for a marketing position open forever and would have you work about 3 weeks for the interview. He would ask for marketing campaigns and how to implementing them. thinking that he was testing your skill set but actually just stealing ideas. I use to use Repl.it but forget. I really hope this company burns. He lacks the understanding of wh…

So this is a serious claim, did this happen to you? Or is this a situation you have intimate knowledge of? Of is this hearsay?

> i just remember how i was treated

Pretty sure it's a personal recount.

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