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Open Source Life?

Posted by michael on from the just-slightly-ahead-of-its-time dept.

JimCricket writes "What happens when a bio-cracker unleashes a plant virus on all the wheat in North America, and the genetic code to 'Wheat 2.0' is closed-source, patented code owned by a corporation? Should life be Open Source? Download Aborted takes a look at this issue."

34 of 418 comments (clear)

  1. overwrite human dna? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...ultimately creating genetic viruses that override us and make us slaves to the system!

    1. Re:overwrite human dna? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Won't happen to me!

      # chown root:root /dev/dna
      # chmod a-rwx /dev/dna

  2. no wheat? by jqh1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Aren't we all on low carb diets anyway?

    --
    who's moderating the meta-moderators?
  3. In Bush's America...... by slomr2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Another great win for corperate America!!!
    And don't forget the F.U.D. that will be spread about any opensource that does come out. How do you know that Wheat is safe to eat without Wheat 2.0 Update?

    1. Re:In Bush's America...... by bersl2 · · Score: 2, Funny

      How do you know that Wheat is safe to eat without Wheat 2.0 Update?

      Because we've eaten Wheat 1.0 for thousands of years.

  4. I officially LGPL myself by CharAznable · · Score: 4, Funny

    I officially put my own genetic code under the terms of the LGPL. You can redistribute me and my clones as you like, as long as they remain in the LGPL themselves. If I participate in the reproduction, all the better. You see, the reason I put it in the LGPL is that I am not picky as to who I "link my code" with ;)

    --
    The perfect sig is a lot like silence, only louder
    1. Re:I officially LGPL myself by soulsteal · · Score: 3, Funny

      You're right, he should go with a BSD-style license.

  5. GPL? by Bobdoer · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, can I release my genes under the GPL? Or will I have to find a different license?

    --
    EVERYDAY IS CATURDAY
    1. Re:GPL? by Analogy+Man · · Score: 2, Funny
      So, can I release my genes under the GPL? Or will I have to find a different license?

      To release your genes beyond their current immediate proximity of your keyboard you will need to crawl out of your basement, take a shower, put on a clean shirt, comb your hair...initiate License request

      "Hey baby, what's your sign?"

      Repeat until license request is accepted...oh nevermind

      --
      When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
    2. Re:GPL? by Advocadus+Diaboli · · Score: 2, Funny
      So, can I release my genes under the GPL? Or will I have to find a different license?

      Releasing your genes under the GPL would mean that everyone can take them, use them,modify them and give the modified genes back to you. I wonder if you really want that.

      And IMHO its a proof that this world is crazy if some companies think they have a right to patent life. Just imagine that in the long run this would mean you have to pay license fees for fucking. :-)

  6. Re:This isnt a credible news source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    you must be new here...

  7. The up side by ColonelPanic · · Score: 3, Funny

    We'll be able to clean up the "intellectual property" law train wreck pretty easily once all the lawyers have starved to death, anyway.

    Also, I predict that it will become illegal to import cheaper wheat from Canada due to "safety considerations".

    --
    "Skill shows through where genius wears thin." -Wittgenstein || Religion: uniting aviation and architecture.
  8. Closed Source Universe by Mage+Powers · · Score: 2, Funny

    The universe is closed source, and theres been no problems, if it was open source I don't think we'd have as many hackers hacking on stuff, reverse engineering the cosmos.

  9. Re:It's Gone Beyond Science Fiction into Mainstrea by skiflyer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't you see mimic? The won't die because you engineered them to, they'll get bigger and bigger and then start killing humans. Just like the wheat obviouslly would.

  10. Wheat 1.0 by MonkeyCookie · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everyone knows not to eat wheat 1.0, but wait for a later version.

    It's too buggy.

  11. Re:It's Gone Beyond Science Fiction into Mainstrea by Short+Circuit · · Score: 3, Funny

    GMO could escape its farm environment and reproduce in the wild, gradually replacing the formerly dominant species on a genetic level.

    Ye gods! It's xbill all over again!

    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  12. Re:It's Gone Beyond Science Fiction into Mainstrea by gbulmash · · Score: 4, Funny
    Didn't you see mimic? The won't die because you engineered them to, they'll get bigger and bigger and then start killing humans. Just like the wheat obviouslly would.

    Murderous, rampaging plant life is generally best combatted with the strains of "Puberty Love".

    --
    Start a happiness pandemic
  13. warez & pr0n by xilmaril · · Score: 2, Funny

    in the exciting world of the future, the RIAA will have rid the world of music file sharing, but something else will have risen to take it's place.

    oh, what a battle it will be, the PSAA (porn studios association of america) versus the renegade pirates, who fight to keep the genetic information of their favourite 'actors' flowing freely.

    mkay, that last bit sounded dirtier in print.

  14. Open source won't fix life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    In fact, it'll make it worse! Everyone knows that all these "virus kiddies" spreading pinkeye in kindergarten couldn't have done it until the advent of DNA sequencing and the revelation of the Pinkeye Vulnerability (MS08-027). The best way to approach this problem is to avoid any sort of scientific inquiry into genetics altogether. Then germs won't happen.

  15. Prime Suspect... by macserv · · Score: 2, Funny

    A virus... that kills all the wheat in the US... hmm...

    Curse you, Atkins! Curse youuuuuu!!

  16. Re:What happens? by Maradine · · Score: 4, Funny

    Your plan, lacking '????', is fundamentally flawed. *grin*

    --

    trustedworlds.net - gaming, security, and the gunk that lives in between

  17. According to the Atkins Diet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Wheat is already a virus! Zing! I'll be here all night folks.
    And remember..if your drinking, don't drive; and if your driving...don't drink.

  18. *.blogspot.com by setzman · · Score: 2, Funny

    Since when did blogs become a credible news (much less academic) source?

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    C:\>
  19. ya a rogue virus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    a really really long line of real words to bypass junk character filtering in this message so that it comes out nicely

    --------
    |...*..|
    |.H..@.+#
    |..!...|
    ----+-- -
    #

  20. Stampede at the Patent Office by code_monkey_steve · · Score: 5, Funny
    Their seed ended up on his land through no fault of his, yet they claim they have a right to be paid license fees or to force him to spend his time and money removing corn derived from their migrating seed.
    So by this logic, I could patent my own DNA, and if I happened to get a woman pregnant (i.e. my "seed" ended up on her "land"), not only would I not have to pay child support, but I could sue her for licensing fees on the "product" (or else require her to "remove" it, at her own expense, but let's not go there).

    For that matter, grandchildren would then be considered "derivative works", giving an exponentially increasing revenue source.

    "They're not my kids, they're my IP portfolio."

    1. Re:Stampede at the Patent Office by jbarr · · Score: 2, Funny
      not only would I not have to pay child support, but I could sue her for licensing fees on the "product" (or else require her to "remove" it, at her own expense, but let's not go there).
      Well, that all depends on if the "planting" was forced, (she didn't want your "seed") consentual (you both agreed to the "seeding") or unintentional (you were asleep when the "seeding" tool place.)
      --
      My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
  21. Wheat XP SP2 by xutopia · · Score: 1, Funny

    Will it make my bread unstable?

  22. Heading off the GPLed Genes by Eberlin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Alright, folks, if your genes were GPLed, then all the derrivative works from those genes have to be released to the public. There would be no one single "ownership" of those genes.

    Consequentially, that means there is no obligation to wait until said product is 18yrs old before it reaches EOL with the current maintainer. Since the product is GPLed, it theoretically can be picked up and maintained by anyone and everyone that wishes to do so. If anyone should profit from publicly reselling the product, they are required to um...release the genetic material along with all the enhancements and alterations to the bastard's DNA.

  23. Re:Percy Schmeiser in his own words by strabo · · Score: 1, Funny
    If someone wrote a virus, that also happened to have a piece of patented code in it, say IBM's. Could IBM then sue everyone who was infected?

    No, but I'm sure SCO would try.

  24. Re:Percy Schmeiser in his own words by John+Courtland · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm more surprised someone hasn't gone to Monsanto HQ and blown away the board of directors. Nothing stops a problem like a bullet.

    --
    Slashdot is proof that Sturgeon's Law applies to mankind.
  25. Mom & Dad by Aexia · · Score: 2, Funny

    They'll just claim prior art.

  26. EASY MONEY!!! by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 1, Funny


    1) Get Wife pregnant.
    2) Sue her for monetary damages for copying your DNA.
    3) Profit!

    Shit... doesn't even need to be *your* wife for this plan to work!

  27. Re:First post Anuses! by cobe98 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Congrats on having the most intelligent comment for this board!

  28. Not murder, but by quarkscat · · Score: 2, Funny

    merely cleaning the scum out of the gene pool.