3 ms·

What about hardware registers such as the layout for memory-mapped I/O? You know, "write value X to byte offset Y to switch the device into state Z." If that's

• sunir 14y ago
  No, because that is an idea and not a specific, fundamental expression of an idea. Only a specific software is copyrightable. Is the portion of software that "write[s] value X to byte offset Y to switch the device into state Z," copyrightable? Well, it would depend on how unique the source code was, such as pushing a VGA card into Mode-X or making an Arduino do something spectacular. But only that specific source code would be copyrightable. Given the fundamental nature of the idea, the copyright likely won't stop you from writing another piece of software along similar lines, though someone may patent the idea of controlling an Arduino to steer a hovercraft and prevent you from going to market. [edit: spelling of Mode-X]
  • ajross 14y ago
    A register interface (the VGA registers, let's say) is not a "specific, fundamental expression on an idea"? Say what? The register interface is (quite literally!) a physical machine that implements the idea. It's much more concrete than any piece of software ever could be. I re-read that post several times to be sure. I honestly think you're managed to get your head into a space where you're confusing up with down. This is just plain wrong, and shockingly so.
    • sunir 14y ago
      The register interface of a VGA card was copyright IBM 1989, but that wasn't the question. The question was whether the fundamental operation of a von Neumann machine was copyrightable. No, it isn't. That's just an idea, not a specific expression. An example I grew up with was convincing a VGA adapter to go into 320x240 mode. That was a rather clever hack. The original source code to do it was copyrightable. He published it in Dr. Dobb's journal in 1991 and then later in his own book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_X http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_X