Tired of Patent Wars? Use Open Source Instead

As a eccentric person and longtime technical school reporter, on that point are few things I love writing most more than cool new technological innovations. It ne'er ceases to amaze Pine Tree State what we humans can rise up with, peculiarly when few good engineering science is fueling the effort.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are few things that sicken me more than patent wars such as the ones raging today in the software industry. I can't opine a more colossal waste of prison term, energy and money, particularly when we already rich person copyright to afford all the protections we take in this area.

Yet patent of invention wars are increasingly the reality therein software manufacture of ours, and information technology's becoming more and more herculean to find news show of anything else–particularly innovation. The one exception, I'd argue, is open up source software.

If you're as tired of the nonstop litigation as I am, there is something you can do to defend and defend innovation. That something is to use and support open source software instead.

Tidings of Fresh Disasters

Google, of course, is embroiled at the kernel of today's lawyer-fest thanks to a never-ending stream of Android-incidental threats by Prophet, Microsoft and others. Microsoft, in fact, has wasted no time in jumping on Google's Holocene epoch defensive purchase of Motorola Mobility by filing a fresh new lawsuit.

So we have Apple repeatedly victimization dishonorable evidence in its efforts to beat back competition from Samsung.

Learned profession action, it appears, is the new innovation–at least in the copyrighted world, where patent war chests have get to count for much more than talent or creativity.

An Advantage for Business sector Users

Not so in the world of open source software system, where patents don't play a role and where a global community of users and developers is temporary endlessly to defecate computer software bettor and better.

Free software such as the Linux operating system and the LibreOffice productivity rooms, e.g., are the result of that ongoing effort, and more users and businesses are reaping the rewards of such innovation every day.

The Linux Foot just now shared some brand-new information highlighting Linux's growing use, and countless other studies are finding much the same thing.

Regarding open germ software in general, we've already seen a compelling will from the DoD in Recent epoch months, and honourable lately two studies came unstylish demonstrating both the benefits of moneymaking open source software and the growing credence of open source solutions in the corporate world-wide.

Innovation vs. Litigation

I don't know how things are going to play out in these proprietary software patent wars, but I do know IT's not going to be pretty. And, as always, it is the users who will ante up the price, both in higher prices and in fewer innovative offerings to choose from.

Luckily, creative thinking continues to hum along in the undetermined source world. There are virtually unlimited open source alternatives to close to any proprietary product you can name. You can download them for free, or you can buy them with official support from a mercantile supplier like Red Chapeau, for example. You can besides donate money operating room code to help take so much efforts tied farther.

However you choose to bonk, you'll not only support the creation of more great software–you'll also cast a vote for innovation all over litigation. That's a subject matter this diligence needs to hear.