As you may have noticed, the amount of off topic debates taking place in the comments of various articles has escalated a good amount recently. Biased comments, bringing up debates of articles long past, and general lack of thinking before posting. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for a little heated debate, but these wind up being off-topic and more than a little heated, usually with misinformation and bias running amok on all sides. I’ve even seen debates of multiple issues at once, none of which are on topic. Arguing what features in Vista are original, who’s fault it is that PowerPC chips are having yield problems, and whether or not Apple caters to their consumers or creators more all at the same time? That’s what I call multitasking!

Now, you may have notice certain… patterns… in respect to how these get started. All I’ll say is: you know who you are. I’m asking two things, one, please think before you decide to slam another platform, think before you decide to bring up an old debate, especially if it is just to aggravate another one (which shouldn’t be done at all, really) and two, if you think you are getting off topic, please move to a forum topic. It helps people who came for the topic find comments relating to the topic.

If people watched what they say, we can make this community a much better place for all.

Thanks.

I have a couple things to append to my attack on the patent system.

I must admit that the piece wasn’t well-researched.  But since I wrote it, I’ve come across some supporting materials that may interest you:

• The Patent Epidemic, a BusinessWeek report on how patent litigation is gumming up the works,
• Patents Kill, say Doctors Without Borders (a linking post, but the blog itself is worth a read too), and
• Against Intellectual Property, a well-referenced philosophical approach from the Libertarian point of view.

I will leave the subject with a thought.  Every patent enforced is a thing you aren’t allowed to make.  If you care about making things, don’t you want to see to it that you can?

The Computer Holy Wars have been raging for well over two decades now, and the debates are still going strong. But let’s take a step back; let’s ask a basic question: what makes a user go with one platform over another? User interface? Raw processing power? Stylish hardware and software? Software? Something else?

For me, the reason I am a Mac user, in its essence, has little to do with the way the computer looks. It has little to do with the processor inside, the screen size, or other raw specs. The reason I own a Mac is simple: I own it for what it lets me do, and I am reminded of this all the time. This is very much a personal preference issue, but when I see my 14-year-old nephew sit down at my iBook, start GarageBand, throw together some loops, and create a song, I am reminded why I chose the Mac. When I use iLife to create a DVD of my other nephew and niece--complete with custom music made in GarageBand and photos from my iPhoto library, I am reminded why I chose the Mac. When I use Pages or Keynote to create cool documents in no time, I am reminded why I chose the Mac. When CSSEdit streamlines web design; when OmniOutliner makes organizing my papers far easier; when Quicksilver lets me launch apps with a few keystrokes; when I press F9; whenever I highlight a word and press command-control-D; I am reminded why I use…
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The patent system fosters litigation, inflates the importance of attribution, and slows the adoption of technology. We should dismantle it.

Understand, I’m more concerned for the general public than for inventors. If you use patent protection to prevent other companies from offering a product like yours, you deny consumers choice. You limit the market penetration of your innovation.  Fewer people will get their hands on it, and those who do, later than they might.

And what if the infringing products are even better than yours, or you had never brought yours to market? In that case, if you sue the companies that use your ideas, you’re being a nuisance. In fact, many companies do this: they develop something, fail or don’t bother to market it, and then live off patent suit settlements.  Does this make sense?

We should welcome any improvement to the material basis of our lifestyles, even if we get them without the inventors’ approval.  If I buy a low-cost houseware that saves me time and frustration, I will not agree that the device’s seller is wrong to offer it.

But how would it be fair, you ask, if the inventors weren’t guaranteed some kind of trust?  I say tough noogies. Do you feel, to go into business, you need a handicap?

Idea poaching isn’t fair to the inventor, of course, but it is supremely fair to the regular people who want his or her improvements in their lives. For them, it’s the fairest possible deal. That should be…
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Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or all of the above (or made up your own holiday!), all of us here at DT would like to wish all our readers and their families a safe and happy holiday season. And report back with any cool goodies you get!

Peace,
The Deep Thought Staff