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Martin Goetz, recipient of the first software patent, has died
- t3rabytes 3y agoI find "logs off" as a euphemism for passed away to be quite poor, even in the context of someone who contributed to to the computer industry writ large.
- pc86 3y agoAgreed, but consider the source. Didn't they have some inane euphemism for layoffs just a few days ago as well? It smacks of someone trying to be cute but lacking the wit to do so without inducing eye rolls. I couldn't do any better, but I'm also not trying to.
- NikkiA 3y ago> It smacks of someone trying to be cute but lacking the wit to do so without inducing eye rolls. That perfectly sums up the register
- 698969 3y agoAgreed, It'd be fitting if it was about a retirement, but using it for someone passing away feels really unpleasant.
- sidewndr46 3y agoYeah, I'd rather just see 'deceased' or 'passes away'
- neilv 3y agoAgreed. Obituaries are one occasion that I'd prefer The Register fully reign in their irreverent style, and play it totally straight. The article body looks fine to me; only the headline sounded odd, to my US ears.
- giancarlostoro 3y agoIt doesn't translate well either, logging off implies you're performing an act.
- softg 3y agoNot to mention you can usually log back in.
- aragonite 3y agoYes. A process might be a more ontologically appropriate comparison than a computer user. "So and so has exited with code 0 and his/her resources have been reclaimed by the system" A human being is more like an event (a fire, a OS process) than like a persisting object. Once a process (/fire) has ceased running (/burning), you can start a new process (/fire), but it wouldn't be considered an instance of reviving the old process (/fire), which has ended for good.
- gainda 3y agoI don't think strict translation is important for euphemisms. It just has to be "correct enough."
- troupe 3y agoIs that not true for every euphemism for death? Passed on Expired and gone to meet its maker Gone off the twig Kick the bucket Pushing up daisies Shuffled off the mortal coil Run down the curtain Joined the choir invisible
- TeMPOraL 3y agoThen maybe "Connection reset by peer"? Or "Broken pipe".
- weinzierl 3y agoGuru Meditation
- stvltvs 3y agoCounterpoint, I'm now considering this for my headstone.
- munk-a 3y agoI'd suggest just going with SIGTERM - it's much more concise.
- stvltvs 3y agoAvoiding SIGKILL is probably a good call.
- datameta 3y agoYeah, no need to patient zero in a zombie apocalypse.
- weinzierl 3y agoWell a plain and simple f should do then. Pretty obvious on a gravestone.
- munk-a 3y agoThat meme emerged nine years ago if we give it the most generous timeline. It's still quite well and alive but I have reservations about how long it will manage to stick around - already we've seen several once beloved memes fall out of fashion.
- ltbarcly3 3y agoI had that initial impression initially, but when I die there probably won't be any multiple page article praising me and listing my achievements. This article is praising his life and achievements, and getting annoyed at the wording (especially now that you are the top rated comment on this thread) is a distraction from that. You are now the main character in the story of his death!
- gryn 3y agoyes, usually when used, it's used as a euphemism for suicide since logging off is an intentional act.
- skyyler 3y agoI've never seen it used for that. I have seen it used when eulogising people that died of natural or medical causes. (And I agree that it's distasteful)
- ta_vf7xjd34cc 3y ago> I find "logs off" as a euphemism for passed away to be quite poor, Irreverence has been part of the El Reg reading experience since I can remember. Someone always complains about them writing about "boffins."
- jauntywundrkind 3y agoIt also seems no worse to me than "silent key". It's fine. Whatever. It speaks to a connectedness shared.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- toomuchtodo 3y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Goetz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Goetz
- BaculumMeumEst 3y agoisn't this kind of like celebrating someone for being a landlord
- coldpie 3y agoYes, though landlords at least in theory perform some useful maintenance-type work, which puts them above software patent owners. I hope he did something else notable in his life, otherwise "guy who invented a way to get paid for getting in the way of people doing useful work" certainly isn't the world's finest epitaph.
- hermitcrab 3y ago>I hope he did something else notable in his life If you read the article it seems that he was an early pioneer in the software industry and indie application developers like me probobaly owe him some thanks for that. But yes, patenting software/algorithms/maths is a stupid idea. Glad that Pythagorus didn't patent a^2 = b^2 + c^2.
- dragonwriter 3y agoSo, a thing about patents: they are a way to reward disclosure of useful techniques with short-term exclusivity. As bad as even that type of exclusivity might be, its an improvement on keeping knowledge secret like the inner mysteries of a religious cult. And about Pythagoras and cults...
- coldpie 3y agoThe idea that any person has ever turned to the patent system in order to solve a software engineering problem is pure fantasy. Software patents are only useful for rent seeking and as a moat to squash competition. They exist only as a drag on the economy & on innovation.
- dragonwriter 3y ago
- superq 3y agoAccording to the article, this man that I've never heard of essentially created the software industry outside of the hardware manufacturers like IBM. The software industry has provided a great way of life for me and my family. By allowing people who came from virtually nothing (like me), who lived a generation after him, to have a better life, even absent a diploma, and whether working in someone else's company or starting one.. I owe him a debt of gratitude and thanks. Rest in Peace, Martin Goetz.
- davisr 3y agoProtect developer freedom. Abolish software patents. https://endsoftwarepatents.org/ https://endsoftwarepatents.org/
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Iwan-Zotow 3y agoDid he drop any good loot?
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- j1elo 3y agoThe other day I learned that Bandai Namco had the patent for showing a minigame while presenting a loading screen for the main game. I find it mind blowing that the mere idea of adding a small silly tetris or some other easy way to distract during a long load screen, was patented, and a company could get into trouble if they had the same idea for their game and didn't check if it's something in the category of "no-do". That patent was active until 2015, when it finally expired. What an absurd reason, on the grand scheme of things, for not being able to have minigames at all in any other game before that year. (not that afterwards we got a lot of that anyways, but that's beside the point) Now extrapolate that to a myriad of cool ideas that cannot be used, essentially, because an stupid system that says so.
- lbourdages 3y agoI guess they didn't patent it in Australia. I spent entirely too much time on ezone.com as a kid in the early 2000s. They were Shockwave games, and there was a minigame you could play when the actual game was loading.
- fomine3 3y agoGame loading time was especially a matter when optical disc or hard drive was used for games. Now such situation is somewhat ended at about 2019, so other devs only had a chance to implement it for a few years.
- ChrisArchitect 3y agoSome more details and anecdotes in the Times obit: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/21/technology/martin-goetz-dead.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/21/technology/martin-goetz-d...