by oraprog » May 14th, 2011, 8:24 pm
You should ask first. Legally the author owns the copyright and therefore the right to control derivative works. I think for most people that are a part of the community, it's no problem, as long as you're doing it for contribution to the community.
You might be able to do it without permission, but you're in a legal gray area.
Disclaimer - I'm not a lawyer, this is just my knowledge of copyright based on what I've learned over the years.