Re: Re: News - Commercial Version of Hercules - Turbo Hercules

On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:54 PM, kerravon86 <kerravon86-/[email protected]> wrote:
> --- In [email protected], "kerravon86" <kerravon86@...> wrote:
>>
>> won't stick (when tested in court). Exactly how
>> does one implement a "compare and swap instruction"
>> found in a z/OS executable without violating any
>> patents?
>
The Hercules authors have re-implemented the published user interface
(The instruction operation code and how the data in the instructions,
registers, memory, PSW, channels, DASD are affected) in software
without using their hardware techniques.

> The equivalent would be that someone has invented
> a superb English to French translator, implemented
> in hardware using a very clever technique.
>
> And after doing that, they have basically said that
> no-one can translate English ever again - they're
> claiming ownership of the language itself.
>
> Ok, so in the case of English, they didn't write the
> original language, whereas in this case, the language
> is an artificial one which they created.
>
> But if I coin a new word in the English language, does
> that mean that I get to assert ownership of any
> translation of it forever?
>
That is called a trademark of a word or phrase.

> How can competition be possible if someone owns the
> damned language?
>
You can use the term but you must give credit (R) or (TM) to the owner
of the trademark.

> BFN.  Paul.

Summer of 1984 I worked for Speigel Catalog near Chicago IL.  Their
marketing file was tracking 6 years of sales of individual items using
a 1 digit year, and wrapping as appropiate.  Very simple idea of
compairing a partial date to the current date to determine the missing
high order parts of the date, right?  Someone went and patented it in
the mid 1990s to deal with the 99 -> 00 rollover problem.  And I think
the patent office granted it.  Who know how much they were able to
enforce it.  Trouble is, it costs so much to fight, I. E. PSI.

-- 
Mike A Schwab, Springfield IL USA
Where do Forest Rangers go to get away from it all?