Comment Re:Legally it is not Art (Score 1) 462
I'd say that the whole software patent thing is *wrong*. There are multiple ways to write software to do any given task, whether it is sorting data, or tracking customer information so that they can instantly order something (a la Amazon's 1-click ordering process).
Thus, I would argue that programming *is* art, and that the legal system is placing inherent limits on creativity (and, thus, technological advancement) through the patent process. In some fields, where the initial capital investment required to produce a technical advancement is rather high, the patent process helps (because of the increased potential of recouping losses on research), but for something that only requires one or two people (though, possibly, lots of time), I don't see any real benefit.
Thus, I would argue that programming *is* art, and that the legal system is placing inherent limits on creativity (and, thus, technological advancement) through the patent process. In some fields, where the initial capital investment required to produce a technical advancement is rather high, the patent process helps (because of the increased potential of recouping losses on research), but for something that only requires one or two people (though, possibly, lots of time), I don't see any real benefit.
