[CamperBob]

It's not very debatable at all, actually. Plot two curves on the same graph, one showing the rate of fundamental innovations in software and computer science in general and the other showing the number of software patents issued by the USPTO. My guess is that those curves will cross sometime in the 1990s, and never approach each other again.

(The trouble is that the politicians, not knowing any better, will go to the USPTO to get both sets of figures. "See? All of these new software patents must mean that innovation has accelerated at a tremendous rate!"))

[hugh3]

Now let's plot the same curve "rate of fundamental innovations in software and computer science" against the popularity of the name "Tyler" for young boys.

Correlation, causation, yada yada yada.

[CamperBob]

Yadda, yadda, indeed. The point is, there is no real correlation to begin with, except for what a naive politician will see when he looks at the number of patent grants.