Re: A reply on the RTLinux discussion.

[Dana Lacoste <dana.lacoste@peregrine.com>]

> 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