to autodownload or not to autodownload

Alan Cox alan at redhat.com
Fri Feb 8 21:27:08 UTC 2008


On Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 03:37:17PM -0500, Simo Sorce wrote:
> FWIW patents on software are insane, no need to dig further on the
> consequences of the original insanity ...

Perhaps. The current situation is insane however.

Originally the world could have chosen software as machine (no copyright law)
or as literary/creative work (copyright law). It eventually chose the latter
and then some idiot judge decided to make it both in the USA. Hard to know
if pure patent would have worked - assuming the patent office was also fixed
but the mix is a disaster.

Even the copyright situation is warped  "You may not reverse engineer" is
a bit like "you may not study this painting" - imagine art classes if
analysing the work of artists was outlawed - or poetry..

Alan




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