When I read this today, a was quite saddened. For whatever reason, I identified with Dr. Demento. I remember listening to him when I was 10/11/12. It appealed to me and helped me form my identity today. It wasn't like I was introduced to it, it was patently "un-cool", but the show and the music struck a chord with me. I understood it and I understood there were obviously other people out there who thought like me and were interested in the same things. Call it "geeky" or "nerdy" if you wish, but it was uniquely me in a way that few people around me could even begin to understand. A friend at a time I didn't have any.

Grandma can use that, once a year. The print is too small anyways for her. Of course she actually thinks there is a lady in her phone who answers her calls and gives her messages anyways. (Actually true about the lady in the phone and my Gran, I won't even try to explain about her and ATMs)

This case isn't really atypical of the UK and the EU. Being an American ex-pat who works and lives in the UK, I am always amazed to see how many US companies don't understand the implied warranty and fitness for purpose concepts in UK and EU law. The terms of service of a lot of software don't mean anything, it truly is about if the seller and the consumer are fair and equitable with each other and it is very hard for the seller to be able to constrain the rights of the consumer. Take for example BSkyB for EDS where the contract cap was broken because EDS was deceitful in the sales process about the timelines it would take to implement a solution.

No it is not. While there are few trade barriers, there are different monetary units (not everyone who is part of the EU has the same currency) as well as different levels of taxation and different intellectual property rights. At best, it is a free trade and labour zone among its members, of last time I checked, the United States was not one of them.

Why do people treat private commercial entities as some sort of pseudo-government entity that is obliged to do business universally?

Um... about 85kB???

You mean this article that never made /.? http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/04/25/0635218/The-End-of-the-35-inch-Floppy-Continues

You almost read /. less then the moderators.

It teaches them the way the real world works. Do adults do their jobs because "they are supposed to" or "out of the kindness of their own hearts." The real world pays you for the work you perform, why preclude children from that, just because we can.

If it works and it is more cost effective then other types of reform, then more power to them.

If people actually read stuff before the commented, the world would be a lot better.

The letter from IBM is directed at TurboHercules, a commercial enterprise making money off of IBM's IPR. Though we don't see the letter that prompted this, it can be guessed from the letter that TurboHercules said something along the lines "we don't think what we do, because we didn't realise IBM had IPR in this area." Which does seem rather rich, since this commercial enterprise is engaged.

Second the letter doesn't say they are going to enforce these patents, but that they do have US patents in this area. Also they don't appear to be attacking the open source project, but a commercial entity that is making money off of IBM's products.