[ILUG] EU Rejects Patent Software Law - For Now

[Bryan O'Donoghue]

Colm MacCarthaigh wrote:

> 
> 	inline int ISNOT(x, y)
> 	{
> 		if (x == y)
> 			return 1;
> 		else
> 			return 0;
> 	}	


Almost.

But don't you chaps typecheck ?

*grin*

But if you think about it.

char * x;
char * y;

if(x==y)
	printf("Oops microsoft infringement\n");

is theoretically true.

but, not true if

int x;
int y;

if(x==y)
	printf("Oops microsoft infringement\n");

Which would mean, in our new VB rip off we'd need some sort of new 
operator, of some sort, which did type checking of equivalence, somehow.


But, before we _completely_ obscure a rant I spent a bit of time writing.

A patent like that, if actually wielded would in many ways, destroy 
things, wholesale.

That sort of control doesn't just undermine ability of a 
developer/programmer/engineer/nerd/whatever to make stuff... it's almost 
an implied annexation of fundamental concepts.

Imagine if Mathematicians began to patent algorithms they had discovered 
wholesale.

Suddenly three year olds are infringing patents by writing

if 3!=4 ...

Maybe I missed the boat, but, the government that supports a system, 
that allows for patents like ISNOT operator, aren't acting in the 
interests of anybody but, the Corporations, the Patent Office and 
persumably themselves... when they get a big cheque from Bill the 
Benavolent Patent holder, and perhaps hire a few "consultants" too hook 
up their new Longhorn machine... with 2gb of ram... 500gb hard disk, and 
dual 8ghz P5-64bit machines... so they can check email and watch porn.


/rant 2

--
Bryan