[Linux-aus] Seeking nomination

[Andrew Pam]

David Newall wrote:
> I  believe that Stallman holds that after being bought and sold just once, 
> software must thenceforth be free; he is wrong.

That's not my understanding of his expressed views.  What leads you to
this interpretation?

> Patent provides a completely different class of protection than 
> copyright.  Somebody can spend years inventing a really clever 
> algorithm, and rightly would want to be rewarded for that.

Scientific discovery is always based on the work of those who have gone
before, not carried out in a vacuum.  Holding back the entire industry
for twenty years (!) during which others are almost certain to
independently rediscover the same techniques but be barred from using
them seems like a poor outcome for the industry, the public and indeed
for software developers, who surely rely heavily on existing algorithms
even when they have discovered patentable algorithms themselves.

Regards,
	Andrew
-- 
mailto:xanni at xanadu.net                   Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/             Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/                Manager, Serious Cybernetics