Funny, I was thinking about almost exactly the same topic just yesterday. Much of the problem absolutely has to be patents. I have several awesome ideas which

Funny, I was thinking about almost exactly the same topic just yesterday. Much of the problem absolutely has to be patents. I have several awesome ideas which I will never put one second of effort into because I know I would get patent trolled to death and none of them are software related. If we TRULY wanted to evolve mankind at the fastest rate possible, we would instantly share new discoveries and methods and allow anyone to use, profit or build upon them with no restrictions. The conundrum is that, while this greatly benefits mankind, the inventor gets the proverbial shaft. Sadly, I don't see this problem being solved any time soon.