Software patents and FreeBSD

[Matthew D. Fuller]

On Sun, Jul 10, 2005 at 02:30:09PM +0000 I heard the voice of
Bryan Maynard, and lo! it spake thus:
> 
> softwere is not, in itself, an invention. Software uses language
> constructs (if. . .then, foreach, for, do. . .while) to produce
> funstionality.

Elevators are not, in themselves, an invention; they just use physical
constructs (counterweighting, pulleys, etc) to produce functionality.
ASICs are not, in themselves, inventions; they just use logical
constructs (gates, electrical flows) to produce functionality.
Clothes washers are not, in themselves, an invention; they just use
constructs (water, heat, detergant, agitation) to produce
functionality.  To argue otherwise would be patently absurd  ;)


Your arguments would be perfectly consistent if you were arguing
against patents altogether, but they don't get you anywhere in
attempting to demonstrate that a means to an end is somehow
"different" if it involves typing instead of machining.


-- 
Matthew Fuller     (MF4839)   |  fullermd at over-yonder.net
Systems/Network Administrator |  http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/
           On the Internet, nobody can hear you scream.