POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.off-topic : Yet another reason why they shouldn't grant software patents : Re: Yet another reason why they shouldn't grant software patents Server Time
5 Sep 2024 01:20:28 EDT (-0400)
  Re: Yet another reason why they shouldn't grant software patents  
From: scott
Date: 18 Nov 2009 09:08:44
Message: <4b03ffec$1@news.povray.org>
> Given any computational task, there is probably one best way to compute 
> it.

For each definition of "best" there is probably one optimal algorithm, but I 
doubt many of those optimal algorithms exist anywhere.

> The person who discovers this algorithm has done just that, he has 
> *discovered* it.

Discovering something implies that the thing exists to start with.  If 
nobody has ever written such an algorithm before then it doesn't exist!  I 
could use your same argument to say that I *discovered* a really clever 
mechanical design rather than actually inventing it.  How is that any 
different?


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