Source
- URL: https://x.com/BramStolk/status/946576928307167232
- Author: Bram Stolk (@BramStolk)
- Posted: 2017-12-29 03:01:40
Branch
1/ @BramStolk
@EricLengyel
Software is math. Math is discovered, not invented.
So far, software patents have destroyed value, not created it. Maybe lawyers like them, the rest of the world doesn’t.
2/ @EricLengyel
@BramStolk
I think you’re overgeneralizing, both about software = math and about patents destroying value. Yes, patents for obvious things or inventions that would be the first thing a practioner would try are awful, but I think they make sense for more complex R&D.
3/ @EricLengyel
@BramStolk
The alternative would be that everyone kept their software techniques ultra-secret, and the level of public knowledge would be much lower.
4/ @BramStolk
@EricLengyel
Software inventions have two layers of protection:
- Executable code ≠ Source code.
- Copyright.
They don’t need a third that is 99% bad.