[sutro]

1. Thanks for the second link - both "Total Patent Applications" and "Total Patent Grants" show a similar upward trajectory, both roughly doubling since the late nineties. The first link is uninteresting - acceptance rate fluctuations don't matter much in the face of steadily rising numbers of both applications and grants.

2.3.4. I come to my opinions as a veteran professional programmer, a named inventor on three US software patents (which I now regret signing off on), a software business owner, and a long-time avid follower of this issue. I'm sure that others, perhaps yourself included, may know more about the ins and outs of the patent legal system than I do, but I submit that you and your patent-defending ilk can't see the forest for the trees. The forest is that the vast majority of software-related patents are total bullshit. Given your role here as patent apologist, I don't think I will try to make a case to you why that is; I don't think that would be time well spent.

5. Find me a chart like your second link which shows the staffing levels of the USPTO over time. I'll bet it shows the same upward trend as patent applications and grants.