2 ms·

This "getting a free ride on your work" is also called "standing on the shoulders of giants".

• Lewisham 16y ago
  (Disclaimer: I'm the author of the OP). Yes, but the person you are replying to is right to note the competitive aspects of research. A lot of people might say "well, this project is on-going, and I don't want people scooping/stealing it from me." It's a sad thing, but most research labs are in a a competitive relationship with other ones, and a citation is less useful in those oh-so-important tenure reviews than a publication. I wish it was more the "standing on the shoulders of giants"! That's partly why I didn't call on academics themselves to release code, but for some sort of authoritative institution instead, to level the field for everyone. That should remove the competitive aspects (I understand "that should" is a very naïve outlook ;) )