[NTLUG:Discuss] Microsoft buys Firefox!

[Mike Hart]

--- steve <sjbaker1 at airmail.net> wrote:
> > gone toward making OSS even better.
> 
> Probably not - remember, not everyone who is a
> FireFox enthusiast
> is also a programmer.

The amazing thing about open source stuff is there is
always a way to chip in, be it money, code, artwork,
or even moderating down flames in community
discussions. 

One of the most important things you can do for
freedom of software these days is to dream and write
it down in a public place.  Patents are rendered
invalid by 'prior art'. A patent isn't issued for a
'working' product, only for the IDEA for a product
which is new, unique, and not blatantly obvious.  If
you can show the IDEA (or even something close) was
publicly discussed before the patent app date, the
patent is bogus. 

While it is unproven whether the 'way back' machine at
http://www.archive.org is usable as evidence against
bogus software patents, even if you can't use the
machine itself, it will lead to innumerable overturned
patents in the years ahead by providing direction to
folks looking for prior art. (find who thought up an
idea, then go find that person to issue an
affidavit.....) 




 
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