This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 4, 2010 21:30 UTC (Mon) by Lefty (guest, #51528)
In reply to: This is probably the end of discussion... by martinfick
Parent article: Microsoft sues Motorola, citing Android patent infringement (ars technica)

You seem bent on ignoring what people are actually talking about when it suits you...

Actually, I'm "bent" on attempting to discuss the substance of this story, not people's inappropriate equivalencing of patents with plague. Silliness like that deserves to be ignored, once it's been pointed out as silly.

Yes, perhaps the the original statement was off topic and not very relevant to the exact conversation which started the threads...

Which would make it "off-topic" and "irrelevant", as I've said.

It's understandable if such threads are hard to follow.

They're not hard: they're pointless. Being off-topic and irrelevant, they add nothing to the actual discussion.

...a generalized approach to fighting bad law...

Fine. And I've challenged himor youto show me how this "generalized approach" actually applies in this case. I've suggested that Motorola could boycott the proceedings entirely, which would result in their getting their asses decisively kicked. What's your suggestion, then? Or did you just feel like hijacking the comments here to declare your love of civil disobedience or something...?

Claiming that the conversation was about Motorola specifically and droning on about your conclusions on this case seems rather pointless and evasive. You won't stand by your statements when they are pointed out to be potentially flawed, you simply tell us that we should be returning to the original topic.

Perhaps you can show me more specifically where my "statements...are pointed out to be potentially flawed". I'm not seeing it, and I believe that you're making that claim as a dodge to continue an irrelevant and off-topic line of discussion, possibly because you feel you're at a disadvantage in actually discussing this story (which is about, let us recall, "Motorola specifically").

This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 4, 2010 21:54 UTC (Mon) by martinfick (subscriber, #4455) [Link] (5 responses)

Yes, my point was (and so was likely the original poster's), that civil disobedience can be appropriate. If you are so annoyed that this is off topic, why did you respond in the first place? And why, do you keep assuming that everyone else should care only about what you think is important or talk about what you think is important. Do you see the irony? We are not playing the same game, but you are trying to make us! :)

I have little opinion about what Motorola should do, it doesn't justify your dismissal of so many people's opinions here, nor your flip flopping and shouting (that is what you sound like). And, if you can't admit that it might be flawed to solely attempt to "change bad law" in many cases, well, then I feel very saddened that you would be willing to apply bad law to people simply because it is law.

P.S. Do you really need to bold and italicize everything you quote (it has a strong shouting impact which perhaps you do not intend)?

This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 4, 2010 22:08 UTC (Mon) by pboddie (guest, #50784) [Link]

P.S. Do you really need to bold and italicize everything you quote (it has a strong shouting impact which perhaps you do not intend)?

Indeed, I find the blockquote tag suitable for quoting text, although others surely have their own favourites.

This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 4, 2010 23:01 UTC (Mon) by Lefty (guest, #51528) [Link] (3 responses)

...civil disobedience can be appropriate...

So you keep claiming, but when asked (repeatedly) to provide a practical example of how it would be appropriate, or even applicable, to this situation, you come up with nothing. Less than nothing, really.

I have little opinion about what Motorola should do...

Then why are you posting here? If you simply want to air off-topic opinions, or regale the world with your views on unrelated matters, get yourself a blog. This is for commenting on the stories published here, something which seems to have escaped your notice.

Do you really need to bold and italicize everything you quote...

Yes. I really do. It's called "HTML". It's used widely on this new thing called "the web". I suppose you're simply going to have to bear with me.

This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 4, 2010 23:13 UTC (Mon) by martinfick (subscriber, #4455) [Link] (2 responses)

OK, I'll take that as "I intend to shout at you and everyone else here".

Yes, I have commented way too much already, for this I am sorry. I agree that my words are not that important. But, yours apparently are, your comment count on this article is 25 so far, I suspect more than anyone else. The personal blog idea, it's probably a good one.

This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 4, 2010 23:38 UTC (Mon) by Lefty (guest, #51528) [Link] (1 responses)

I'll take that as "I intend to shout at you and everyone else here".

Well, you can certainly take it any way you please, Martin, that's your lookout, not mine. My "shouting at you" is entirely in your head, a complete figment of your own imagination, and I accept no responsibility whatsoever for it.

I don't recall saying that your words weren't "important", but I did suggest that you were being off-topic, and you seemed to agree. I don't recall insisting that my words were "important", either, but as someone who's assisted in the writing of patents and developing strategy around patent portfolios on a professional basis, I actually have an interest in the substance of this story, as opposed to using it as a hobbyhorse for venting my various political views on tangential or unrelated issues.

Again: if you want to discuss actual patent reform in concrete and informed terms, fine. If you want to discuss this story, fine.

However, if you just saw the words "Microsoft" and "patent" and had some sort of Pavlovian impulse to just drop in and tell us all how nice it would be the world were an entirely different place than the place it is, or inform us as to Florian's choices of software, or call people names, or insist that patents are a disease, or let us know what the appropriate response to Nazis demanding whether you have Jewish patients in your hospital might be, that seems unreasonable to me.

This is probably the end of discussion...

Posted Oct 5, 2010 8:59 UTC (Tue) by coriordan (guest, #7544) [Link]

Another option is to put a "> " at that start of the line. LWN automatically marks it up like this:

> blah blah blah