Is what I am doing considered cheating?

Question

Okay I am basically a ametuar programmer, and I enjoy attempting to create games in Macromedia flash, but when comes to the heavy game physics and AI programming I get really confused on how to perform or create the proper algorithms that will alow my code to preform what I want it to preform. So what I do is I look online at flash game tutorials and take code snippets and add it to my code to help do what I have had a hard time doing.

OH and I don't want you guyz to think that I didn't read and attempt it myself, in fact I try and spend at least a hour or so in trying to understand it and do it myself. But still I will become stumped. I always give credit to the source of the code snippet, but still I feel like I am a "code monkey"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_monkey Is it considered cheating? I only guna do it till I can get a class or some one to teach me game programming. I feel kind of bad, when I do it, but I just get so stumped.....

Answer 1

No that isnt cheating. I think if you can read the code on the internet, then its not really copyright protected. If you are allowed to see their code and they give you example of code snippets, then you are allowed to use them as your own.

I think these people you take the code from would like some sort of acknowledgement on your website that you took that piece of code from them, but its not required. Its not considered cheating, I think its more of a learning process. You didnt do anything wrong. A lot of websites out there is a copy of someone else's website. Google came after yahoo, but you dont think google checked out yahoo's coding techniques before they made their own search engine site?

Its all a learning process.

Answer 2

No, this is not cheating; however, it may be copyright infringement. Odds are, no one will ever care, unless you plan to make money from your games.

I know you're generally not allowed to use code without a license with the except of open source, but I'm not sure about what you're doing.

I mean what good is it to learn a technique, and then not be allowed to use it.

Odds are what you're doing is fine. If; however, you're lifting entire programs and only changing the name of the author to you, then that would be infringement.

And one final thought. Everything is copyrighted. Your diary is. Your e-mail is. Even your answer and my response is.

Technially forwarding e-mail without the original sender's permission is also copyright infringement, but 99.99+% of people don't care.