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Free resources made by designers at Facebook (facebook.com)
116 points by _nh_ on Oct 9, 2015 | hide | past | favorite | 34 comments



The license on the IOS GUI: http://facebook.github.io/design/license.html

You can't use any of this in an actual application. So, I make a mock up and show it to someone and then my finished work has to be different from the mock up to avoid copyright infringement? In that situation, I would say I have intentionally defrauded my customer(/employer) and they should refuse to pay (or fire me) and win.

(More likely still, I use them anyway since a graphic artist has made the mock-up and I presume they created or correctly sourced the graphics.)


Summary: I don't see an actual problem here.

"...found in the public release of iOS 9." Facebook can't claim copyright on Apple's UI elements by simply recreating them in a Photoshop mockup.

Upon further reading of the license, I see that it says you can't embed the Facebook Design Resources in an app. In other words, you can't redistribute their Photoshop files.


Now I am even more confused. What is Apple's license on Apple's UI elements that facebook can make this derivative work?

From reading the description it sounded like they were making original elements in the style of Apple's for apps with non-native features that need to blend in.


I'm sure the license that allows me, a 3rd party app developer, to make 'derivative works' (native applications) that use Apple's UI elements, also permits this kind of use. However, I am currently disinclined to read the current developer license agreement to find out if this actually is the case.


You are getting psds of iphone's own user interface...so that you can then put the mock up of your application inside it for say client presentation or to see how your app's design looks on the iPhone or to see if your app's design meshes well with iphone's aesthetics.


I understand how this works in terms of mockups and how useful it can be - where it gets confusing is in tools like Origami which uses Facebook frameworks:

>Origami can now export code for the parts of your prototypes you used to have to tediously spec to engineers. Now with the click of a button, you can deliver your animation specs as code to your engineers that they can copy-and-paste into the project.

> This uses our _free, open source_ animation frameworks to deliver the exact same feel across all platforms. Take a look at some sample code this can generate and learn more about it.

Which runs in direct contrast with the above License:

> The Facebook Design Resources may not be embedded in any software programs or other products without express written permission.

Unless Origami isn't considered a "Facebook Design Resource" (and is a different type of resource, correct me if I'm wrong here), this seems like lawsuit bait.


Very minor note: The page for the hands is named handskit. In Swedish that would translate to handpoo. (Or perhaps handcrap.)

Got a small chuckle out of it, because poo.

That said: Nice share, will probably come in handy. (rimshot)


"Diverse Device Hands" looks... handy. (Sorry, I'll get my coat.)


What's the economics behind many tech companies sharing their tools?


Not from perspective of design, but from open source software development.

1. Positive PR

2. External targeted contributions. For example, most people submitting patches to open source software are facing some issue as a user. If they are experiencing the issue others may also be experiencing similar problems. This is a much better way of driving development compared to doing it post expensive market research.

3. Marketing

4. Recruiting vehicle

5. Increasing the size of markets. For example Google is trying to bring more people online with Android to increase the size of search market.

6. Commoditizing complements http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/StrategyLetterV.html

7. Reducing the cost of training new employees

8. Increasing their influence in which direction to take the industry. For example setting standards for server hardware with Open Compute Project.

9. Free testers

10. Improving employee morale


Mostly free beta tester and patches BUT also increase a LOT your chances to hire.


Prospective employee's use public showcasing as a meter stick for who's who.

GitHub projects notably exemplify this -- not only is it a painless/cheap indicator of an employee's skillset, it also works for companies too.

On top of that, it fosters communication between teams in the industry and (in some cases) serves as a recruitment channel. Those that contribute in a meaningful manner to your open-source projects must meet certain standards and expectations, and finding such people is difficult. In this case they come to you.


I see this as a recruiting tool. Designers want to work for a company that "gets" designers' needs.


The large tech companies benefit from a thriving tech ecosystem: companies using these tools are much more likely to become partners or acquisition targets than they are to become direct zero-sum competitors.


It moves the industry forward? Also having the empathy to recognize that if you've built your success on top of free tools then it bodes well to contribute back to that same community that enabled your success. Think of it like an Alumni network.


Those answers are just awesome and exactly reflect the way how modern software business works. Please - big IT corporations - breath, understand, embrace and internalize what's written here. It should be part of every company strategy!!


It often attracts talented engineers; tech companies are always after talented engineers.


PR, influence, beta testing, 3rd party devs patching bugs for you for free ...


They get to spend less on training, making employees more commoditized.


I'm curious as to why this is downvoting while the top-voted response has this exact same thing in it. Is HN just allergic to anything that isn't cheerleading the software industry?


Facebook are nailing it at the moment. I love the look of Origami (http://facebook.github.io/origami/). I wonder how long until it can export to react(-native) components...


Wow, that's great! I have missed something like that, not just for designers and developers to connect, but also for single developers to reach themselves. Sometimes I want to visualize for myself in order to see what works, and to see what I want.


iOS/OSX only :(


Origami looks really nice, can someone that has used it for some time share their experience with it?


There's been a flood of these types of tools recently, Origami being one of the early ones. I found this handy comparison chart:

http://www.cooper.com/prototyping-tools


So, if you are a designer or a product manager, you cannot use Linux. I wish that Facebook, with all its money, could have supported cross platform design frameworks.


They are giving these assets out for free, and they most likely use Macs internally.

If you want them for Linux, feel free to provide your own to the community.


From the license:

> Subject to your compliance with these terms, you may use the Facebook Design Resources solely for creating mock-ups, including displaying such mock-ups in digital or print format. The Facebook Design Resources may not be embedded in any software programs or other products without express written permission. Facebook reserves all rights not expressly granted to you in this license agreement.

It doesn't look like this is allowed.


I can't. I neither have the resources nor the ability. However, locking it to the Mac ecosystem eliminates possibilities for third world countries (like India and China) which are using Linux right from schools.


I believe the appropriate idiom here is: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".


> "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"

The winners apparently write both the history and the idioms. The Trojans would have done well to look a gift horse in the mouth.

A wooden horse can be full of physical soldiers and a digital horse with legal ones.


Looking at a real horse's teeth shows how worn down they are over age. Looking at a horses teeth is to check its age.

The idiom could be modernized to: 'dont check the odometer of a gift car'


Yes, and the assumption is that a horse is worth between $0 and some number so there is never a reason to refuse a gift horse.

In the case of other "gifts" the value can be negative. The trojan horse, software, and blankets from Lord Jeffery Amherst all need careful examination.


What do you mean by design frameworks? Tools such as Illustrator, Photoshop, Sketch?




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