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From: rbraun@spdcc.COM (Rich Braun)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: Santa Cruz Operation settles Lotus lawsuit
Message-ID: <7957@spdcc.SPDCC.COM>
Date: 19 Jun 91 17:10:11 GMT
References: <1991Jun19.041754.6367@kithrup.COM> <1991Jun19.091707.1930@weyrich.UUCP>
Followup-To: gnu.misc.discuss
Organization: Kronos Inc., Waltham, Mass.
Lines: 16

Ten years ago, I wrote a program called "Trivicalc" for a college course,
one which all students had to do as part of that course.  It was based
on Visicalc, which had a very similar look&feel to Lotus 1-2-3.  Many
of the ideas Lotus used in 1-2-3 came from Visicalc and other predecessors.

It's a sad day when one can't write a program to emulate a popular rival,
and make improvements on it (which SCO's product did).  Imagine what
the car industry would be like if me-too designs were illegal!  Your
next car would probably look like an Edsel...;-)

More technologically astute people need to be elected to office and to
enter the judiciary.  As long as computers aren't understood by lawmakers
and judges, these foolish decisions will keep coming down.  Patent laws
simply need to be overhauled, at the U.S. and world level.

-rich