[sdiy] synthi A webpage update

[Grant Richter]

> We DO have an issue of other maunfacturers taking things from websites and
> turning them into commercial products.

Publishing design information in a public forum is part of the "peer review"
process, and highly regarded as a public spirited act. It allows someone to
benefit from your experience, and the community as a whole benefits.

It is one issue to get an idea from published documents, modify and improve
it, and use in a commercial design. This is normal development using the
peer review system. It is typical to cite your references and give credit
where due for the origination of ideas. Also to document how you have
modified or improved the ideas.

It is another matter to take a design in total (including website text) and
offer it for sale without any compensation to the originator. You would
expect designers to have more self esteem than outright plagarism.
Regrettably, it seems this has happened in the past.

I just want to assure people the I and Wiard would never plagiarize other
peoples work. All Wiard designs are original, and I scrupulously cite
references and make sure to give credit where it is due. I would never offer
a design based on someone's work without compensation to the originator.

I have even contacted Don Buchla and offered license fees or royalties for
design ideas. Don just laughed at me, he couldn't care less, but I did try.