[BubbleRings]

Ha, I knew someone would start off by adding a hostile comment of that form. What can I say? If you had been James Marshall, and you noticed the gold that kicked off the California gold rush, do you think you would you have left it there in the water, because you think you would have been able to see into the future, and see the terrible ecological consequences that gold mining sometimes brings? No, you would have picked it up, like anybody else.

[simseye]

Software patents have become an anthithesis to the spirit of adventure. They're more of a joyless bureaucratic drudgery that drips of sadness.

[MaxBarraclough]

Donald Knuth put it best:

> I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. [...] There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one's contributions to computer science.

The Art of Computer Programming, Volume III ( via https://lwn.net/Articles/132926/ )

[loceng]

Ha, I knew someone who likes/has patents would quickly avoid-justify and deflect the peer pressure and related shame.

What's more important is if you're doing something good with whatever gains a patent may be providing you; but I also what detriment there may be and how much in fact your patent (and others) actually suffocate and slow the advancement of humanity and the quality of life for all.

[aredox]

"I have the same morals as a XIXth-century gold digger" is not the argument that will win you respect.

But if that's your baseline, can I come with a Colt and shoot you in the back? "If I had been Agnus McVee..."

And BTW, James Marshall died penniless in a hut. The gold rush destroyed his business (a mill) and he never found gold again.

[ahoka]

But you just mentioned that you had a patent, a thing thing that exists to protect innovators from being copied by competitors to leave a fair time to cash out on your work, but ultimately a large corporation got ownership of it. How is this not a joke?

[BubbleRings]

Not sure what you mean. I have been joking some here in this thread, but overall, the thing was one of the most serious things in my life. As to how MS ended up with it, I probably chose the wrong partners for the startup where we tried to monetize it.

At the end of the startup, there was a 20 minute phone call, where I had to decide to either keep my patent and probably ruin my chances to marry the love of my life, or to sign over the patent, take some cash and stock, start my new life with my fiancé, and hope that I could come up with another patent that good later in my life. I chose wisely.

[jerpint]

That’s very beautiful, thanks for sharing and happy to read you have no regrets :)