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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
byrunyonave ( 1482739 ) writes:
hardcore closed source company is alwyas going to have violations. Also it's Microsoft.
byjellomizer ( 103300 ) writes:
open source project have violations too. Using someones patented ideas, calling a library that isn't GNU compatible. The program is performing a function that is illegal such as DRM disabling. That is why you need to be civil with dealing with people for violations. As chances are you have made a mistake and created a violation yourself.
byPitaBred ( 632671 ) writes:
To be fair, I would say that most people working in open-source software think that patents on ANY software are bullshit. They simply ignore them. Patents on software are immoral, as is locking up your source code, so both are eschewed by most free software developers. Just because it's illegal doesn't mean it's wrong, and just because it's wrong doesn't mean that it's illegal.
bycetialphav ( 246516 ) writes:
Patents on software are immoral, as is locking up your source code
Software patents (and other forms of stupid patents) are not morality issues. It is just stupid policy to allow dumb patents. It does not further innovation and in fact just wastes people's time and energy. There are plenty of ways to argue against these bad patents, but claiming they are immoral is a stretch and just causes people to dismiss the issue.
The same can be said of deciding whether to release the source code to a program or not. If I write a piece of software, what I do with it is my business. If I want to hide the source code, that is up to me and I am not immoral by doing so. I might be stupid or short sighted or naive, but I am not immoral.
Morality is not just a question of whether you like something or not. I think buying lottery tickets is dumb, but not immoral.
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byRequiem18th ( 742389 ) writes:
I disagree.
When you steal you prevent someone from using their property, that's why its wrong.
When you patent trivial algorithms you prevent someone from using their rights, if people come up with the same algorithms independently I don't see how can you morally prevent them from using them.
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