"We're starting to be in a world where they might start to stifle innovation?"
On my planet -- which coincidentally we also call "Earth" -- patents have long since been stifling innovation, at least in software development. A small company opens its doors, finds a modicum of success, and suddenly a Non-Practicing Entity (what I believe you people call a "patent troll") shows up to claim infringement on an intentionally vague, clearly obvious patent that it managed to purchase. The small company may find it cheaper to pay off the NPE, or may simply go out of business. For giant corporations, this kind of thing is okay and perhaps even a beneficial means of eliminating disruptive upstart competition. But for the small guys (what the economists on your world call "the real job creators"), it's deadly.
You ask, effectively, "Is Linus just one isolated foul-mouthed curmudgeon, or are most Linux developers foul-mouthed curmudgeons?"
When things go to hell, the person who keeps his head and holds his tongue... is clearly someone who doesn't care or who doesn't understand the import of what's happened.
Mitt "The Twit" Romney is one of the most egregious excretions that U.S. politics has ever produced. His policies would be an abomination, if he actually held to them more than two hours at a time. Linus -- and perhaps the Linux community in general -- values facts, at least insofar as they walk up and kick you in the cojones. If it's irresponsible to express serious disappointment over current events gone obviously, horribly wrong, then we need far fewer responsible citizens.
And by the way, is that stick as uncomfortable as it looks?
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"We're starting to be in a world where they might start to stifle innovation?"
On my planet -- which coincidentally we also call "Earth" -- patents have long since been stifling innovation, at least in software development. A small company opens its doors, finds a modicum of success, and suddenly a Non-Practicing Entity (what I believe you people call a "patent troll") shows up to claim infringement on an intentionally vague, clearly obvious patent that it managed to purchase. The small company may find it cheaper to pay off the NPE, or may simply go out of business. For giant corporations, this kind of thing is okay and perhaps even a beneficial means of eliminating disruptive upstart competition. But for the small guys (what the economists on your world call "the real job creators"), it's deadly.
Or more to the point: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121011/09581320679/dark-patent-troll-rises-now-40-all-patent-litigation.shtml
You ask, effectively, "Is Linus just one isolated foul-mouthed curmudgeon, or are most Linux developers foul-mouthed curmudgeons?" When things go to hell, the person who keeps his head and holds his tongue... is clearly someone who doesn't care or who doesn't understand the import of what's happened. Mitt "The Twit" Romney is one of the most egregious excretions that U.S. politics has ever produced. His policies would be an abomination, if he actually held to them more than two hours at a time. Linus -- and perhaps the Linux community in general -- values facts, at least insofar as they walk up and kick you in the cojones. If it's irresponsible to express serious disappointment over current events gone obviously, horribly wrong, then we need far fewer responsible citizens. And by the way, is that stick as uncomfortable as it looks?