Re: PDFKit code

[Gregory Casamento]

Sir,

I have no problem using this code, but I will comment on a few of your
responses below...

On Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 8:21 AM, Ultra Vga <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hey,
>
> 1: Reason I wrote this: I think the way Skim handles docs  better than
> evince and (no offence intended), vespuci. Skim uses PDFKit, so, I thought a
> free version would be useful. Also, wanted to see how 'dynamic' objective-c
> is -- how much info could you obtain using the objective-c runtime. So I
> decided to figure out how PDFKit works.

Understandable..

> 2: Reason I used an alias: I live in a country that seems to like lawsuits,
> like IBM being sued by because SCO says IBM reverse engineered UNIX, like
> the guy who was sued by Sony because he figured out how the ROM works and so
> forth. I like GNUStep, I like free software, I want to contribute, but I
> don't understand law, I don't know if Apple can sue anyone for contributing
> to GNUStep. In summary: I want to contribute, but am afraid of getting sued.

The project has been around for 15 years, I've been on it for 10, I
have yet to be sued and I use my real name.   While I can understand
your decision, it increases our ability to trust you if you use your
real name.

> 3: How I wrote this code: I started with the PDF sample application from
> Apple (a demo which shows how to use PDFKit, the starting point for
> applications like Skim.app). Then used the objective-c introspection APIs
> (ivar_getName, class_copyPropertyList, property_getName,
> class_copyMethodList...) to figure out the layout of the underlying
> implementation. Then created new classes for Document and so forth, and
> started replacing 1 method at a time, and placing breakpoint in other
> classes to see what leads where to figure out the logic. I'm actually
> electrical engineer for an aftermarket automotive parts company, so I'm
> pretty good and figuring out to create replacement parts.

This kind of reverse engineering is just fine in the US and in the
Europe, I believe.

Just trying to calm the mood here a little and let you know it's okay
to use your real name and I think it would go a long way towards
building trust in our community.