Your views on software patents?

[Somenoob]

Software is basically just mathematics, it is prohibited to patent mathematics but you can patent software ideas. Often read about open source projects(and even closed source projects) being terminted because some feature(s) are unintentionally similar to some patented software algorithm. I think it needs to be completely rethought, or even better just ceased.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Software patents are really a bull issue, sure if a company created a completely new and wanted to patent its implimentation let them go ahead, but trying to patent something as simple as double clicking and using a scroll bar is just plain nonsense

[tbodine]

Software is basically just mathematics, it is prohibited to patent mathematics but you can patent software ideas. Often read about open source projects(and even closed source projects) being terminted because some feature(s) are unintentionally similar to some patented software algorithm. I think it needs to be completely rethought, or even better just ceased.

Software is _not_ "basically mathematics".
At all.

But anyways, I completely agree with software patents, and battle them whenever possible.

[Somenoob]

Software is _not_ "basically mathematics".
At all.
.

There are two basic foundations which are mathematics and engineering. But it can be argued the engineering is just mathematics too.