[rustybolt]

> There’s another algorithm that doesn’t depend on knowing which value is larger, the U.S. patent for which expired in 2016.

That's completely retarded; it's literally the first solution I think of when I hear this problem.

[kuboble]

That's not a solid argument on its own. Today if you want to talk to someone then using a phone might be the first solution you can think of. That doesn't indicate phone was a bad patent in a past.

[ghusbands]

It was obvious in 1996, too. It is and was the most obvious solution for a programmer fully aware of the problem and wanting to avoid comparisons.

[wongarsu]

If the average expert in the field immediately comes up with the same or a very similar solution then it obviously isn't non-obvious, which is one of the tests for patentability.

In the case of the phone you already know the patented solution, which obviously makes it impossible for you to judge its obviousness. That presumable wasn't the case with GP and the presented problem.

[SkeuomorphicBee]

If a phone is the first solution that comes to mind for a person that never saw or heard of a phone in their life, then that indicates phone was a bad patent.

[d_tr]

The fact that patents require time and money makes this even more pathetic and appalling.