DMD Backend Long-term

[Nick Sabalausky]

"BCS" <none at anon.com> wrote in message 
news:a6268ff1582d8cce06addc4dc7e at news.digitalmars.com...
> Hello Nick,
>
>> "BCS" <none at anon.com> wrote in message
>> news:a6268ff157f28cce05385dcf99a at news.digitalmars.com...
>>
>>> Hello Nick,
>>>
>>>> Seems a weak reason. A programmer that's worried about infringing
>>>> software patents can't write anything more useful than "Hello
>>>> World". I'm seriously not convinced at all that it's even possible
>>>> to write useful code that doesn't technically infringe on some
>>>> software patent. As a programmer, either you accept the fact that
>>>> what you do is inevitably going to trample software patents, or you
>>>> just simply don't be a programmer. That's all there is.
>>>>
>>> Or keep an eye on what people have actually been sued over and don't
>>> do that.
>>>
>>> In this case I'd be surprised if it could stand up in court.
>>>
>> Especially since the Plaintiff would apperently be the modern-day
>> Borland. Do they even exist anymore? If they do, would they even be
>> able to afford a lawyer?
>
> Yes they could, MS bought it (I'm not sure if that's the patent or the 
> company, but MS has it now).
>

Hmm. That means the LLVM devs themselves would be safe, but companies using 
it would get extorted ( 
http://www.computerworlduk.com/toolbox/open-source/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=1953&blogid=14 
and  http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10206988-56.html ).

>>> Unless SEH is insanely convoluted to implement I can't see how the
>>> patent passes the non-obviousness criteria.
>>>
>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inventive_step_and_non-obviousness
>>>
>>> I wonder if you can get a patent thrown out as invalid without
>>> someone infringing on it?
>>
>> I've wondered that, too. Actually, I've wondered that about US laws in
>> general. Being a US citizen (and having passed the manditory "American
>> Government" class in high school) I probably *should* know... :/
>>
>
> In the US we have two kinds of laws; the kind nobody should need and the 
> kind nobody understands. ;)
>

Heh :)