Epilogue – Are Lawyers Destroying Software?

I’ve been writing how bad marketing and executive management destroy software.  Now I want to add Lawyers to the list.

Software Patent Litigation Attorneys

Anyone who lives in the software world has been hearing about Patent Trolls and software patents are causing problems.  The system is clearly in need of reform.

• The US Patent System is Killing Innovation (Gizmodo)
• PCWorld: Software Patents Need to Disappear

 

I’ll blame lawyers for a lot of this problem.  That and the fleabags (in my opinion) that use patents – which many times aren’t valid and would never withstand a challenge, to extort money from software ventures that can’t afford the risk and distraction of a lawsuit.

Some guy patented “Toast” (as in “toasted bread”) just a few years back.  Ridiculous, but true. And a lot of software patents are just as stupid.

So why am I going off against attorneys? I received an email from an attorney as a result of my blog postings earlier this week.  To be clear, it was *not* an attorney who has any affiliation with Sybase whatsoever.  But SHEESH.

In any case, just to CLARIFY some things from yesterday’s column:

• My “tangle” with the software that was IN MY OPINION unhealthy was many years ago – well over a decade.
• What happened then has no bearing on the state of Sybase software today.
• Any commentary on customer vs. wall street focused priorities were my opinion only.
• Anything else in those postings is my opinion only.

Sybase has always had a fine product and is a wonderful company and I really hope that none of their lawyers read this blog.  Not that I have anything against lawyers. I just don’t like getting letters or phone calls from them.

If you are an attorney, please read on.

Why does California have the most lawyers in the country, and New Jersey have the most toxic waste sites?

• New Jersey got first choice.

Why do pharmaceutical company laboratories use lawyers instead of lab
rats for testing?

• Lab personnel don’t get emotionally attached to lawyers.
• Lawyers do things rats won’t.
• Animal protection groups don’t care if lawyers get tortured.
• Some people actually LIKE rats.