Sorry, but you're wrong...
I disagree with algorithms being patented - that should be freely available knowledge.
As soon as you produce a PRODUCT which others derive benefit from, then you have every right to charge and make money off that product.
i.e. the process by which plastic is made is well known and should be in the public domain but if you manufacture a frisbee using that process, you're entitled to profit by it.
You can buy perfectly legal, safe diamonds from the Canadian arctic that weren't mined by diseased workers or slave children and aren't being used to fund wars.
If I remember correctly, there's a small polar bear etched (it's microscopic) into Canadian diamonds so you can be sure you know where it's from.
Slashdot Mirror
The old "Magic" and "More Magic" switch... the book "Hackers" by Steven Levy documents that one. Excellent story.
Sorry, but you're wrong... I disagree with algorithms being patented - that should be freely available knowledge. As soon as you produce a PRODUCT which others derive benefit from, then you have every right to charge and make money off that product. i.e. the process by which plastic is made is well known and should be in the public domain but if you manufacture a frisbee using that process, you're entitled to profit by it.
You can buy perfectly legal, safe diamonds from the Canadian arctic that weren't mined by diseased workers or slave children and aren't being used to fund wars. If I remember correctly, there's a small polar bear etched (it's microscopic) into Canadian diamonds so you can be sure you know where it's from.