Posted by Darren (208.143.232.66) on June 03, 2003 at 09:23:17:
In Reply to: Re: Question for John Collins RE: NDAs posted by John Collins on June 03, 2003 at 03:10:22:
: That's very kind of you Darren and I appreciate the gesture of offering to share your idea with me. I understand your fears about sharing - I've been there too. There is also a problem in signing NDAs for me. Suppose I sign an NDA and you show me what you've been working on. It might happen that what you are working on is the same as my own work. Where would that leave me? You wouldn't believe that I had come up with the same idea (and I wouldn't blame you for that)and I could not reveal that I had the same idea (nor prove it) because of the NDA I signed with you. So unfortunately I shall have decline your very decent offer to share your idea with me and we shall have to continue to work alone! Crazy isn't it?
I do understand your concerns, but I have to admit that I did not anticipate that particular answer. You must feel *very* strongly that you have a viable design cooking to turn away an offer like this. Interesting.
: As for being a skeptic, I hope I'm not. I try to approach every possible design in an open-minded way but having the advantage of a long experience helps me to see where faults may be that are invisible to the designer. When we work as closely to the problem as we all do, it is often difficult to see what is plainly obvious to others.
Agreed. I didn't mean that you were skeptical in a J. Randi, Eric K. vein, more so that you had become possibly a little jaded after all these years... doubt first and ask questions later. That's all :-)
: As for going public with a design entrusted to me, I can assure you that my word is my bond. If requested to keep silent then I would keep silent.
I believe that, and that's why I approached you, but... don't you agree that business, legal, and/or financial dealings require some level of formality?
: Again thank you for the offer Darren and no hard feeling for rejecting I hope?
No hard feelings at all John, I have the utmost respect for you :-) A little disappointed, to be sure, but I understand your position perfectly.
I will, however, leave the offer open... If you find that your current design does not work and you have no more ideas that you feel might be in conflict with mine then let me know.
Thanks again John!
Darren