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I can understand the desire to get a monopoly too, as I've pointed out. But I also fail to see how the situation is any different in the rest of the world. Don'

I can understand the desire to get a monopoly too, as I've pointed out. But I also fail to see how the situation is any different in the rest of the world. Don't let minor differences fool you. This is simply a case of a lack of innovation and therefore they have no edge over their competition. This ridicules the whole concept of software patents. Where they should protect innovation they simply protect the lack thereof. If it was the other way around, if they had such a great product that the competition had too much work to do, they wouldn't need a patent in the first place. This is how the rest of the world deals with the problem. Now we know that having the best product is not a guarantee for success. And that's where that unethical edge-taking via patents comes into play.

todayiamme 16y ago
I know that. The problem is that you're assuming that everyone is playing a level headed game with you. I was born and raised in India. Even though I grew up elsewhere inside my head, I've seen stuff that is so far out that I really couldn't believe my eyes. I've seen my father pile money into a black bag for his boss in order to bribe a certain famous politician. Why? Well, they wanted to win the bid for supplying security gear to a certain infrastructural branch. I snorted in disbelief and I was promptly rushed out of the room. I've seen people copy and paste code for a living in a company. I've seen family businesses that are hardly above being a gray mafia. I've seen people burn their books every year to evade tax, and I've seen tax officials get richer and richer all the time. Do you want me to continue? It is true that such stuff happens every where, but over here it is taken as the birth right of a company to do so. As long as they have money in their pockets no one can touch them. This is where scare tactics come in. Whether or not his company is innovative is a question that comes into play only when other people are competing in the same way. Trust me he has done something extremely bold down here, but the trolls have more money and less expenses. They don't need to hire people to develop stuff. They just copy whatever he makes and bribe the officials so that they can get away. If a patent deters them even one bit and allows him to thrive then I think it is logical for him to do so. Right or wrong comes into the equation when certain basic parameters are met. Personally, I can't live like this and the minute I get an opportunity I will pack my bags and leave. I want to spend my time creating beautiful things not fighting trolls in the name of running a "business". So, in a way I applaud him for standing his ground and fighting to make it down here. At the same time I condemn him, but can I really blame him?
- disguisedcoder 16y ago
  Just to make it clear, I do not judge the guy and I find the way the blog post was written pleasureful. One of the better reads I've come across recently. I can also envision being in a situation where I would make the same decision even if I hated it. It's not his fault that this easily abused tool exists. Thank you for sharing your indian point of view. :-) At first I failed to see how all those local issues make a difference. That is because the whole problem translates flawlessly to a global context and I focused that context alone. It's not hard to imagine that the inhibition threshold is much lower in an environment like the one you described.
- todayiamme 16y ago
  @disguisedcoder I really hope that I didn't come off as a rude jerk or something. I know that it is difficult to understand how much your environment shapes the decisions you need to take in order to survive. >>>your indian point of view<<< That's the problem. I was born here. I've stayed here all my life, but it's like I've grown up elsewhere. Somewhere in my head. Try to understand something I don't represent the average indian view, and neither do I have any feelings of patriotism or stuff like that. I don't get choked up over national flags, parades or holidays. As George Carlin would say they are symbols and I leave symbols to the simple minded. So, don't take me as a representative of India or anything like that. I just observe and move on. Earlier I used to get fired up, but now I realize; what's the use? Anyway, thank you for replying.
  - disguisedcoder 16y ago
    Don't worry. :-) It's funny that everything discussed here is globally applicable. I'm not patriotism-crazy either. Your view added at least another insight into the motivation of such a move (patenting).

todayiamme 16y ago

I know that. The problem is that you're assuming that everyone is playing a level headed game with you. I was born and raised in India. Even though I grew up elsewhere inside my head, I've seen stuff that is so far out that I really couldn't believe my eyes. I've seen my father pile money into a black bag for his boss in order to bribe a certain famous politician. Why? Well, they wanted to win the bid for supplying security gear to a certain infrastructural branch. I snorted in disbelief and I was promptly rushed out of the room. I've seen people copy and paste code for a living in a company. I've seen family businesses that are hardly above being a gray mafia. I've seen people burn their books every year to evade tax, and I've seen tax officials get richer and richer all the time. Do you want me to continue? It is true that such stuff happens every where, but over here it is taken as the birth right of a company to do so. As long as they have money in their pockets no one can touch them. This is where scare tactics come in. Whether or not his company is innovative is a question that comes into play only when other people are competing in the same way. Trust me he has done something extremely bold down here, but the trolls have more money and less expenses. They don't need to hire people to develop stuff. They just copy whatever he makes and bribe the officials so that they can get away. If a patent deters them even one bit and allows him to thrive then I think it is logical for him to do so. Right or wrong comes into the equation when certain basic parameters are met. Personally, I can't live like this and the minute I get an opportunity I will pack my bags and leave. I want to spend my time creating beautiful things not fighting trolls in the name of running a "business". So, in a way I applaud him for standing his ground and fighting to make it down here. At the same time I condemn him, but can I really blame him?

disguisedcoder 16y ago
Just to make it clear, I do not judge the guy and I find the way the blog post was written pleasureful. One of the better reads I've come across recently. I can also envision being in a situation where I would make the same decision even if I hated it. It's not his fault that this easily abused tool exists. Thank you for sharing your indian point of view. :-) At first I failed to see how all those local issues make a difference. That is because the whole problem translates flawlessly to a global context and I focused that context alone. It's not hard to imagine that the inhibition threshold is much lower in an environment like the one you described.
todayiamme 16y ago
@disguisedcoder I really hope that I didn't come off as a rude jerk or something. I know that it is difficult to understand how much your environment shapes the decisions you need to take in order to survive. >>>your indian point of view<<< That's the problem. I was born here. I've stayed here all my life, but it's like I've grown up elsewhere. Somewhere in my head. Try to understand something I don't represent the average indian view, and neither do I have any feelings of patriotism or stuff like that. I don't get choked up over national flags, parades or holidays. As George Carlin would say they are symbols and I leave symbols to the simple minded. So, don't take me as a representative of India or anything like that. I just observe and move on. Earlier I used to get fired up, but now I realize; what's the use? Anyway, thank you for replying.
- disguisedcoder 16y ago
  Don't worry. :-) It's funny that everything discussed here is globally applicable. I'm not patriotism-crazy either. Your view added at least another insight into the motivation of such a move (patenting).