Ignoring original designers/developers

Developers
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A few days ago, Homey Developer Award winners were announced.
In itself it is very thoughtful of Athom to appreciate developers, but…

I was an active developer in the beginning, but stopped because Athom’s update policy was unworkable.
With every firmware update, apps had to be updated to keep them working, even when the app was not affected by the new system update.

For example, I was the developer of an elaborate tado app, but my very first and most beloved project was “LED Ring Collection”. This app is completely developed by me, including ALL LED patterns.
Because Athom has an unworkable update policy, which would end the operation of LED Ring Collection, I transferred the app to Martijn Poppen for maintenance and further development. Mainly because I thought it was unfair that users were being duped by Athom’s compulsive update policy.

A few days ago I saw that Martijn Poppen has received a Homey Developer Award for LED Ring Collection.
And as far as I’m concerned, another line has been crossed by Athom.
Ater 4 to 5 years I transferred the maintenance of the app in 2021, but legally the creative property ALWAYS remains with the artist, as applies to all other creative works such as music pieces, drawings, paintings, book texts, etc. This legal provision takes precedence over any conflicting terms.

The entire basic design of the app was done by me, including the creative input of all the LED patterns.

Martijn has provided compatibility with firmware update and an additional selection setting to save memory, but the blog writes: “His most popular app, LED-Ring collection, has made many living rooms light up in beautiful patterns.”.
I certainly give Martijn Poppen SOME credit, but it goes too far for me when the original creative input is completely withheld, while other apps do mention an acquisition!
This crosses the line on plagiarism to me!

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I will better not comment on some of your, unnecessary, injectives towards another developer, but honestly, yours statements are far far from being fair. While your original app has been mentioned indeed (as one of another 9 ! apps), is it back in Feb / 2021 you handed over development?

Changelog

2.5.4Feb 17, 2022FIX: saving screensavers wrong index
2.5.3Feb 17, 2022FIX: saving screensavers wrong index
2.5.2Feb 17, 2022FIX: issue with saving screensavers
2.5.1Feb 10, 2022
2.5.0Feb 10, 2022NEW: Red Green Yellow - screensavers
2.4.4Aug 31, 2021
2.4.3Jul 6, 2021FIX: timeout on adding screensavers
2.4.2Apr 20, 2021
2.4.1Apr 16, 2021Improve performance
2.4.0Apr 9, 2021NEW: add dimmed spectrum - Sort screensavers on i18n name
2.3.1Apr 1, 2021NEW: update performance and implement disable/enable per screensaver
2.3.0Apr 1, 2021NEW: update performance and implement disable/enable per screensaver
2.2.2Mar 19, 2021
2.2.1Feb 15, 2021
2.2.0Feb 12, 2021
2.1.3Feb 11, 2021
2.1.2Feb 11, 2021
2.1.1Feb 11, 2021
2.1.0Feb 11, 2021
2.0.2Feb 11, 2021Updated to SDK 2 - Homey v5 support - New Developer

While you complain about very challenging updating policy of Homey (and yes, I saw this several times when great developers gave up, it’s always a pity for community, believe me that!), this is still understandable when Athom is keeping their products under active development - I still appreciate whenever someone understand this and keep facing this developers challenge, while actually majority does.

It’s a pity you don’t adress this directly to Athom, instead you are addressing this to the community while we can’t do much about that. Yet, by such articles you are seriosly demotivating actually some of those that haven’t gave up.

Speaking about those devs awarded in recent round, I must say they should maybe also get “most active, most open, most supporting developers since the last award” - all of them.

Last but not least, none of them are doing it because of any tangible income nor Athom award nor they can themselves influence Athom’s decision/selection.

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The person who wrote that blog is magically suposed to know this app was taken over? I only see your name in the volunteers section so that is the only place this app has a reference to you for me.

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I’m not talking about development. I’m talking about not recognizing an original artist.
Athom says: “His most popular app, LED-Ring collection, has made many living rooms light up in beautiful patterns.”, and that is false!
The patterns and the associated symbolic names (original artwork) have been considered.
Athom has the right to use the App, and I have transferred the app to Martijn for maintenance.
Original creative works ALWAYS remain under the copyright of the creator. Just as a photo app may have the right to display images of classical painters, but will never be able to claim the copyright over the images.

I therefore do not accept that MY patterns are promoted as someone else’s product.
This does not apply to simple general patterns such as “lighthouse” or “satellite”, but does apply to orignal patterns such as “Sparkle”, “Frontal pulse”, “Gort”, “Newton lights”, “Pulsar”, “Pulse train”, “Oncoming traffic” , “Clock work” and “Butterfly”.
For that reason alone my name should have always remained visible as “Original artwork designer”… but my name has completely disappeared, which is illegal under copyright law.

For this reason I expect a legal rectifying notice regarding the artwork and the Award, otherwise I will have to forbid further use of MY patterns.

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I was a volunteer in development. But my artwork is my artwork and will always be my artwork.
Whether it concerns my graphic work, my video work, my music compositions or LED patterns. Original art always remains original art, copyright can only pass to heirs… Unless otherwise agreed, which never happened.

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I will just say again how can we know that?

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You would know that if Athom hadn’t removed my name as the original Developer.
Indeed, I no longer see that in the description “volunteer”, which completely detracts from my actual contribution to the app.

Anyway… the how-and-why of Athom’s business is none of my business. Their stubbornness was an important reason for me not to want to be responsible for the consequences of their choices.

Because I also didn’t want users to become victims of this business, I transferred the development of the app to Martijn, so that he could keep the app compatible after every system update.
I don’t blame Martijn at all, since he has no influence on how my work is mentioned in the app store.
I myself hadn’t been to the app store in a few years, so I only found out today (after you mentioned it) that my work isn’t even mentioned anymore… because “volunteer” says absolutely nothing about the actual nature of my work. I even think it is humiliating.

Anyway… the user is most welcome to continue using my patterns. That was my original goal, and the reason I kept MY work publicly available… thanks to Martijn’s efforts.

I like to give, but I don’t let others dictate whether they can take something from me without some appreciation in “showy” public emails. My job is to create. Thanks to that I can survive.
It is painful for any creator to see others show off YOUR work. That seems to me to be a good reason to demand rectification, or at least a public apology.

Also, I’m not posting this to blame Athom, but because I can’t stand it when people are abused. And that is something that does not have to be kept secret from others.

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We are talking about a light pattern here? A series of led’s that light up in a particular order?
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I thank Martijn for his hard work for the community and congratulate him with this very well deserved honour! :clap::smiley:

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Apparently there’s something you don’t understand, and you think legal copyright is ridiculous. That’s where I should draw the line to take you seriously. Personal opinions are completely worthless when it comes to creative property.

Copyright is certainly not ridiculous. For example, it prohibits the removal of the creator’s name from original works.

Paintings are not a collection of paint blobs, music is not a package of air movements, video is not a collection of colored pixels, books are not dried wood/textile pastes with ink. And so this app is not a simple collection of light patterns. It’s just the engine that shows my creations.

And indeed… compliments to Martijn for maintaining the app.

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In Dutch I would say “mand”. But instead I will ask you this: what do you want to achieve with this rant on a community forum?

Is it possible that you are barking at the wrong tree here?

Edit: I understand copyrights and therefore your pain, but I’m not sure what the community can do about this.

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This is where community developers hang out. It might be posted as a cautionary tale for other developers.

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I’m posting here because, considering my personal experience, contacting Athom is absolutely pointless. Their arrogance is so big that they only seriously answer letters from lawyers and otherwise just do what they feel like. Totally capitalists. Developers and users are in any case not seriously responded to, as became apparent a number of years ago when they removed desktop access to Homey, because mobile devices (according to Athom) would replace everything. Not to mention the nonsense of blocking apps when ONLY a version number is not changed EVERY time when there’s a system update.
I have not trusted Athom for several years now when it comes to copyrights, inspiration or user wishes.
I lost that confidence when their privacy lies came to the fore, with the removal of the Homey speech recognition, because they made promises they could not keep… and the user was handed over to Google.

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13

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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I guess you’re still missing the point. But I also guess you’re not a Homey developer?

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Just enjoying the conversation @robertklep!

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Hey

I do understand the point. And ofcourse the app was transferred to me.

But I like to address some points:

I didn’t just get the Homey award for Ledring Collection. I do own 14 apps and a lot more installs.

I’m active on the forum every day and spent a lot of my own time in these apps. I do see the award not only as a reward for the app installs but also for all my work I put in to these apps.

The blog also mentions Synology and ControlMySpa. Those 2 apps are not that popular but the writer of the blog just got some of my apps as an example.

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I think the vast majority of people here highly appreciate your work here, @martijnpoppen! This award is very well deserved!

Thanks for that continuing effort. Hope you continue to do so.

As a gratitude, I send you a :beer: via PayPal. Enjoy! :smiley:

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19

Not all previous devs are ignored, but it’s still anonymous

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The award is a wonderful appreciation! Congratulations!
And I also really appreciate, especially for the users, that you maintain the LED-Ring Collection. If you hadn’t signed up with me yourself, the app would have died tragically because of Athom’s “compulsion” and at the expense of the user’s enjoyment.

What bothers me is the way Athom shows it off. Quote; “His most popular app, LED-Ring collection, has made many living rooms light up in beautiful patterns.”

My life partly consists of expression with the help of technology… computers, DIY electronics, music and sounds, video, images etc. LED-Ring Collection is an outgrowth of that.
As a maker I approached the LED Ring as a “video screen of 1 pixel high and 24 pixels round”. The app is “just” a player for the animations that I, as a maker, have thought about to give symbolic meaning to the LED Ring. Pixel color, pixel brightness, color gradient, speed… in short, all aspects that influence how the animations are experienced by the users.
Without those patterns, the app is “worthless” like a DVD-player without DVDs. The animations are like “movies in a video jukebox”. It’s even in the name “Collection”, not “Player”… even that was thought about.
Apparently at Athom there is no sense at all about creative value (although they do experience the light effect as beautiful…which apparently has no more value to them than a snack), and market value is all that matters.

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Thank you for your original work, @OpenMind_NL . It is very much appreciated.

Understandably we can only hand out one developer award per app, so maybe you can share it periodically with @martijnpoppen :wink:

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