You hit the nail on the head. Although a binary file doesn't seem much related to speech, there's practically a continuum from written expression of an algorithm, to source code, to executable. As the CSS descramblers show, there's no way to draw a bright line between speech and source, and the gap between source and executable is pretty darn automatic -- so you really shouldn't be able to rip off one if the other is protected (I guess...)
I wonder if there'd be some repercussion related to crypto export. Didn't RTFA of course.
Haven't we been seeing patents being awarded left and right for the most mundane industry processes? Difficult to obtain, indeed.
A patent application (practically) requires an attorney, and thus fees. So, he probably should have said "costly" rather than "difficult." For ACME Corp. it's not too difficult, but for Joe Hobbyist it is. So guess who benefits by this idea? (Big surprise.)
I wish there was Xbox support!
Seems like a conspicuous absence. I work with a university in a developing country, and at least half my CS students cannot afford a computer at home. I thought Xbox running something FOSS might meet their hacking* needs at a bargain price. (It's just a mind-experiment at the moment, since I'm now stuck in the USA for a few months and don't even know if they sell Xboxes there. It's probably a USA-only product, eh?) Linux is a great environment but I guess I'm a bit of a snob and would prefer BSD for teaching purposes. If I weren't so lazy I might try porting it myself....
* in the classical sense
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You hit the nail on the head. Although a binary file doesn't seem much related to speech, there's practically a continuum from written expression of an algorithm, to source code, to executable. As the CSS descramblers show, there's no way to draw a bright line between speech and source, and the gap between source and executable is pretty darn automatic -- so you really shouldn't be able to rip off one if the other is protected (I guess...)
I wonder if there'd be some repercussion related to crypto export. Didn't RTFA of course.
I wish there was Xbox support! Seems like a conspicuous absence. I work with a university in a developing country, and at least half my CS students cannot afford a computer at home. I thought Xbox running something FOSS might meet their hacking* needs at a bargain price. (It's just a mind-experiment at the moment, since I'm now stuck in the USA for a few months and don't even know if they sell Xboxes there. It's probably a USA-only product, eh?) Linux is a great environment but I guess I'm a bit of a snob and would prefer BSD for teaching purposes. If I weren't so lazy I might try porting it myself.... * in the classical sense