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not how it's implemented

No, patents protect specific implementations not ideas. In a case brought by i4i against Microsoft a Texas jury ruled in favor of i4i saying MS infringed on a patent. The judge issued an injunction against MS that gives MS "two months to pursue an appeal, craft a settlement, or implement a technical workaround that removes the technology found to be infringing." Notice the clause "implement a technical workaround".

Since slashdot like car analogues I'll use my own. Open the hood and examine all the part of the engine. They all have brakes, most have alternators and starters as well. Now look at those parts closely, many have plates with patent numbers. A starter in a GM car will have patents that are different than a starter from a Ford. Yet they do the same thing, the only thing different is the implementation. The general principles are the same only the implementation is different. I rebuilt the 4 barrel 350 ci V8 in my old Monte Carlo, and after that I could have done the same with someone's Ford Mustang.

As Dana Blankenhorn writes in the article "A modest proposal on patents":

"My point is that, while my bird feeder is patented, there is no patent on the idea of a bird feeder. Just on the way this one works. Birds are not starving due to this guy's patent."

"If this were software, they would be. Software doesn't just protect code, but the idea of what the code is trying to do. So software patent holders try to hold up whole swathes of technology progress, and as we saw in the RIM case, they sometimes get away with it."

If you simply sit by and wait, then copy (steal) something innovative created by your competitor

That is not stealing, the owner still has his or her patent. All that is is infringement.

Falcon

> What will the kids run? What educational software is there for Linux?

How about Star Office for typing reports & spreadsheets? It's very compatible with M$ Office.

How about The Gimp for art classes?
(that could be fun - Wish I was still in school! )

How about a web browser like Mozilla?
There's no reason why you can't learn something from a web site.

I think it would be sweet if there was a website for kids similar to SmartPlanet.com It could potentially be a great way to offer standards in education, and since it can be interactive, students might actually get more of an "one-on-one" feel behind a computer than in a 30-student classroom.

Off Topic, Just imagine how much money schools could save in textbooks if students could just log onto a website? Yeah, there would be problems, but there would definitely be benefits as well.

Back when Smart Planet was still ZDnet's "ZD University" or www.ZDU.com, I took a free interactive PERL class. I was very impressed, especially since it was free. I don't believe that any classes there are still free, but they were reasonalble priced. Unfortunately their prices have gone up. recently, but I will seriously consider taking more classes online some time in the future.

It would be great if there were more interactive sites for learning stuff because I think it's a great way to learn, (especially computer programming)

Another place that might be good (haven't tried it yet) is www.sosmath.com math website. It appears to be a free website where you can learn stuff like Trig, Calculus, and Diff. E.Q.

Great topic. I can't wait to see what others have to say.