The Crap Shooter

[Zeratul2k]

But why hate the stuff when you can ENJOY it?

But I digress. On to my rant...

Right now I'm working on a research and development project sponsored half by the university, half by the government, on the area of wireless computer networks (of course, something way more specific, but I won't bore you with the details) with collaboration from another university in Spain. They were working on a protocol, same as us, but using a different base protocol to see which one worked better. To lay it out on layman's terms, it's kind of like using different soils for the same seeds and seeing in which soil the plants grow better. The protocol we were using as base is patented, which I didn't like from the beginning, but a lawyer took a quick (and i mean QUICK) look at it and said it was OK to use, so the project leader ignored my complaints. Now, 8 months into the project, with only 4 more before the contract ends, we found out that the patent holders aren't allowing academic use of their protocol. Bummer. When I went to talk with the lawyer that had gave us the OK before, it turned out that she had absolutely no idea how software patents are handled; she had only worked with patents related to physical inventions and stuff like that. Things that you can touch, unlike software. So now I'm stuck on explaining to her the idea behind patenting an idea (yes, I know it sounds redundant) that's not bonded to a specific piece of hardware while the university's law department looks for a way out of this problem that won't mean asking for an extension on the contract... or losing all these past months of hard work...

[Sakura]

Move your project inside the EU. No software patents here.

[JHawkNH]

Would it be possible to negociate the use of the patented software for a small fee?

[Zeratul2k]

Move your project inside the EU. No software patents here.

We could, if half the money didn't come from the government...

Would it be possible to negociate the use of the patented software for a small fee?

That's one of the possibilities the law department is looking at, but we are hoping to avoid any kind of commercial license. Makes it harder to publish stuff, or so I've heard.

[Sakura]

Find someone to blame the fail on and use the rest of the time assigned for the project surfing shoe shops.

That's what I would do.

[oldwrench]

Sounds like the best plan, Sakura........... though guys may not be shoe shopping. Bummer there Zera.

Well, I'm back to the land of the freeze, and the home of the crazed. Had to dig through the snow drifts to get into my house. I want to go back!

[oldwrench]

Got home and immediately got a bad cold, been feeling miserable, that's why I haven't been around. That and I'm adjusting to being an employee, I can't spend time online like I use to.

[JHawkNH]

Now instead of being the "Man", you are working for the "Man".

[Sakura]

And here I thought after selling your fortune 500 company you'd buy California...

[Dechant]

She is the last pure blooded Malaku.

What's the big hairy thing on the left side? o.O
My mind says it's some type of Wolverine, but I don't trust my mind anymore.