C# 411Microsoft announced the next version of its developer platform, which will be named Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0. Microsoft said VS10 will focus on five key areas (in marketing-speak): riding the next-generation platform wave, inspiring developer delight, powering breakthrough departmental applications, enabling emerging trends such as cloud computing, and democratizing application life-cycle management (ALM).
As currently implemented in the United States, software patents suck. Microsoft’s recent patent of page up/down proves by example how flawed the system is. DevTopics supports the protection of intellectual property, but is against the current software patent system, which hinders innovation, rewards bureaucracy, and fails to protect the little guy.
We are not alone in this belief. Today, September 24, is World Day Against Software Patents, a campaign designed to bring awareness to this bureaucratic nightmare that threatens all software developers. The StopSoftwarePatents.org coalition has produced a comprehensive list of why software patents are bad.
Here is a cute but informative video on the software patent system:
