3 ms·

> We're still trying to figure out how Stradivarius made violins, for example. We're actually not trying to figure out how to make violins that sound just as g

by dlitz 14y ago

> We're still trying to figure out how Stradivarius made violins, for example. We're actually not trying to figure out how to make violins that sound just as good: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stradivarius&oldid=522654141#Comparisons_in_sound_quality http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stradivarius&o... Also, Stallman is specifically talking about software, not manufacturing specialized devices.

Tloewald 14y ago
A typical specialized device today is largely driven by software. To contribute to this debate you need to understand this. For example: most musical instruments today are electronic. If I build a guitar amplifier out of vacuum tubes, Stallman will let me patent it, but if I build a high tech amplifier with digital preprocessing to simulate the behavior of any one of a large number of old vacuum tube amplifiers etc. then no patents for me.