Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: A reply on the RTLinux discussion. | From | Dana Lacoste <> | Date | 29 May 2002 13:40:32 -0400 |
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> What about Peregrine Software? From your address I guess that you are > willing to work for them, right? They own software patents.
> United States Patent 6,046,988
Hell of a lot more than just that one :) (and if you plot PRGN's stock price in the last 12 months you can see where it got us :)
(You missed my point. I'm not saying that RedHat patenting is the bad part, I'm saying that trying to force people to use free software and pushing the GPL-domination of the (software) world WHILE patenting software is the bad part. Alan works for RedHat after all (though as he pointed out, RedHat hasn't been REALLY patenting stuff, they've merely bought other people who DID :)
I work for a commercial company, and I don't have a problem with this. I'm arguing that if one includes patented software in a 'free' platform then many commercial users of that platform will move to something else rather than deal with the patent. There are other free software alternatives after all. I spent a lot of time working with Linux, I don't want to have to tell my managers to switch to BSD instead :) (ok, maybe that's not 100% true :) :) :)
Personally, I think the EU has it right : software patents are ridiculous. So is the DMCA (and the follow ups to it.) So are many of the actions performed by the US government. (As Chomsky defines them, terrorist actions.)
But this isn't a political forum, this is a mailing list devoted to developing the best free unix-like OS in the world.
That doesn't change the fact that in a capitalist world people need to survive, they need to participate in that worlds' rules. Which means Software patents in the US and CDR taxes in Canada. So I get to live in both the free and commercial worlds and I hope that other people here can see that too. (Larry has shown a great example of how that IS possible :)
Dana Lacoste Ottawa, Canada
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