Re: [FYI] Java violates US patent?

[Anthony Rossini]

On Mon, 7 Dec 1998, Justin Lee wrote:

> Ernst de Haan wrote:
> 
> >
> > What is the idea of Java? Portable code. If that part of Java will be
> > removed, the Java Platform idea is dead, what remains is the Java
> > programming language, with a modified API (ClassLoader etc). Downward
> > compatiblity nil.
> 
> Yet, surely the concept of portable code can't be contained within that patent.
> Portable, interpreted code has been around far longer than that patent.  For an
> example, pick any form of BASIC.  Isn't Java just another multiplatform
> interpreted language?  The only difference is the source code is compiled into a
> binary format rather than the engligh-esque nature of other intrepreted
> languages.

Exactly.  What about the existence of prior art, like the UCSD Pascal
stuff (which was also a byte-code VM, way back when... :-)  

best,
-tony

--
A.J. Rossini
UW Biostat / Center for AIDS Research   [EMAIL PROTECTED]