I know of at least two things that I think are pretty reasonable and (probably) patentable: Apollo Diamond's vapor deposition process, and those north/south pri

I know of at least two things that I think are pretty reasonable and (probably) patentable: Apollo Diamond's vapor deposition process, and those north/south printable magnets. That said, I think I broadly agree with you about software patents; one reason why is that they're the glitter of intellectual property. If you buy an Apollo diamond or one of those magnets, the use, possession, modification, etc of those items are not covered by the patents on the diamond (AFAIK, IANAL). With software patents, it seems to be the case that the "final product" IS covered by the patents. This seems like it makes the presence of two separate categories pretty damn clear.