Fantastisch!

I am a power user. I use CL continuously. I have also been using KDE since last century. AND I LIKE unity. Its different, it works (in 11.10), my programs (graphics and text based) run equally well as in KDE (SuSE), and CL is a only click away for power users. Thanks Ubuntu; we have yet another Desktop choice in Linux.

Oh come on. RMS has said that since ages. Look, how do we make a road? The state pays civil engineers to design and manufacture it, and then it is free for all. Of course it needs maintenance, and again the state pays people to the job.
Thus, if we need structural analysis software, developers get paid to do it and maintain it by tax money, and everyone has it for free.
Things change. Noone has a god-given right to earn money, if they do something that people don't care. To see how ridiculous is the assertion of the gggg-grand father, I will para-phrase it, A LITTLE :
I need to feed my family. I write SNOBOL code for a living. How do I get paid for doing this in a world where all software is in C++/Java/Python?

I don't believe Google is doing this. You have to concentrate on the (hard) facts:
1. Google search is free and efficient. If MS and (in fact most of America) drives Google out of business, forget search engines for free. And forget good results; MS has already shown that it gives you the results which MS wants to give.
2. Google maps. The same.
3. Google earth. The money that you need to get satellite photos is insane. Yet Google gives it for free. It has helped me and my colleagues enormously.
4. Google translate. A very essential tool for me and almost everyone I know. For free.
5. Google mail.
6. Google Lunar prize. If this does not convince you, then nothing can.
7. VP8 codec, which Google bought and set it free.
And if they make a buck with advertisements, then good.

I've posted this several times since last millennium... Please consider the fact that the vast majority of people (myself included) do not speak English (as their native language). To us, GIMP means no more than IBM, and it sounds better than Photoshop.

Usually when I drink it makes me sleepy. But a beer or two make me more daring. I code without worrying if what write it will integrate the rest of the code. One out of ten it leads to new insights. The remaining 9 times I rewrite the code the next day.

What unintended? That's what they asked for, that's what they got. I am all for EU, I am European myself, but for once an American company did exactly what the court ordered. And now we complain?

"Debian kFreeBSD is a toy OS, people really shouldn't misunderstand that.''
It is extremely important to have more than one free kernel. In other slashdot stories we all have seen the attack to Android, which is basically Linux. How long before MS Apple and other criminals (convicted monopolists) attack Linux to oblivion in USA. I just hope, that Europe might come to their senses, and continue to resist software patents.
I had hope about free Solaris, because I believed that Sun could protect the OS with their patent portfolio. But now Sun is Oracle.
So, Debian kFreeBSD and Debian kHurd, are invaluable projects. It must be made clear to those criminals that if they nuked Linux, everyone would switch to a replacement kernel (FreeBSD) without affecting the userland. And if they nuked FreeBSD too, then we could switch to Hurd, and the criminals would have to start all over again.

By the way, of course Debian kFreeBSD would be a toy OS. Didn't MS say so about Linux at the start? didn't old Unix vendors say exactly the same about Windows? And before that wasn't DOS only for playing around with toy computers?

In this case NASA is obsoleted by Arthur Clarke who envisioned telecommunication satellites earlier. And the space race to the moon was started by Russia. It was their idea. Yet who does not credit NASA with rockets, spaceships and all space staff?
To repeat what /.ers have stated many times. Ideas (and non-hardware patents) are cheap. Implementations are difficult.

At least they can run Linux.

I develop a free CAD program in my spare time. It would be nice to add (accurate) handling of satellite images. I am virtually the only developer, yet ESA does not seem to mind; it says an "organization" may be an individual and need not be a legal entity in order to apply as a mentor. And I know at least one Ph.D. student on the subject who would welcome a donation.
Kudos to ESA.

God bless America about software patents.

You do not give a reason why Windoze is easier. I will give you one why Linux is easier. My 8 years old son, has installed SuSE 11.3 in 3 computers today. Complete with all the applications. And connected to the internet. And 2 of the computers are laptops. In half an hour (for each computer). So, please. At least in slashdot, people have a clue.