🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1990Aug7.194930.8788@athena.mit.edu> seaotter@athena.mit.edu writes:
>
>If one can patent the *algorithm* to compress a string of characters,
>why not patent the *algorithm* to add two numbers?

I can think of at least two good reasons.  First, there is not a
single compression algorithm or a single addition algorithm.  Second,
even if if there was only one algorithm to perform a function, it
would either be obvious and/or prior art or it would be truly worthy
of a patent.

>Or the use of zero?

Absurd.  Is the wheel patented?

>It seems to me that mathematical algorithms are all eventually
>that basic.

That's naive.  Some algorithms are basic and obvious, others aren't.
For example, bubble sort and insertion sort are obvious.  Shell sort
isn't.  Ritchie's SUID concept is not obvious; it probably deserves
its patent.

-- 
Dave Sill (de5@ornl.gov)		These are my opinions.
Martin Marietta Energy Systems
Workstation Support