[Sheflug] Re: Software Patents and small businesses

[Richard Ibbotson <richard [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob

> Any views on this? Perhaps an 'Open (source) University' should be
> established and we can all go back to wearing kipper ties? (Hey - I bags the
> copyright on that one!).


Mine is still in the wardrobe :)  Been to a few public discussions
about this such as the talk by Richard Stallman about software
patents.  Always good to listen to him.  The Fosdem session over in
Brussels is always a good one.  www.fosdem.org.  Bit smokey for me but
ignoring the carbon monoxide fumes it's worth a look in.

I get a kind of a gut reaction about software patents.  If you are in
a situation where no one is in touch with what's going on and a group
of multi-nationals tell everyone what to do it can't be good.  As RMS
says ..... original thought and creativity to do with software
development are stifled then a lot of other bad things follow on.

Thanks





Richard
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