> -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Tom Moulder > Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 10:47 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: IBM sues maker of Intel-based Mainframe clones > /snip/ > > Nor am I a lawyer, but it would appear to me that PSI lawyers could also > attack the patent itself as being justified. After all, how many ways can > there be to round a number to the nearest integer? Could you properly > require every hardware manufacturer to come up with a new means for > rounding? And, why hasn't IBM gone after HP or SUN or anyone that uses a > computer to round? How about my TI calculator? Does it round also? > > Tom Moulder
Please remember that the US Patent office also granted a patent for the blinking cursor, because it utilized an innovative non-obvious application of the mathematical exclusive-OR concept. I patented a data compression process, and I saw how the sausage was made at the patent office. For many reasons, I think patenting software is a very bad idea. I think copyright protections are stronger and easier to enforce. Software patents are mostly for Public Relations and marketing. Anyone adequately educated in the art of software development could invent most of the patented software processes. A developer's only limiting reason is motivation. Necessity is the mother of invention. Unfortunately, most of the patent reviewers are not well-versed in commercial software development. What seems innovation and non-obvious to them is quite the opposite to real software developers that write code for a living. Just-In-Time (JIT) code translation is everywhere and it has been around for a long time. Translating copyrighted software from one executable form into another (transient) executable form without exposing the target form to the outside world doesn't dilute the value of that software, IMHO. I think there is viable adversarial battle, and shining a bright light on both parties can only help the mainframe market. Jeffrey D. Smith Principal Product Architect Farsight Systems Corporation 700 KEN PRATT BLVD. #204-159 LONGMONT, CO 80501-6452 303-774-9381 direct 303-484-6170 FAX http://www.farsight-systems.com/ comments are invited on my encryption project ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
