Patent (Rude Gesture) THIS, Apple!

My friend Mavi has got up on his soapbox about patents recently, and not without reason.

This whole patent / litigation thing has gotten so out of hand, and really shown up the darker side of a few things.

I mean really, gestures? Apple " well it took many years of research in our labs to come up with this (insert appropriate gesture) and we're not gonna let just anyone use it"

yeah, right.

As for Google and "Dont Be Evil" ("Unless Theres A Buck In It"),  the mega-sized multinationals are begging the question;  is it mandatory to become evil once you get to a certain size?  Google and Apple and Oracle certainly seem to be taking over where IBM and Microsoft left off, even making them look benign by comparison.

Am I alone in wondering that if capitalism is the answer, the question must be the sort usually asked with the assistance of bright lights in the eyes and the threat of high volatages applied to various parts of one's anatomy?

strangely enough the greatest advances in technology seem to take place outside the compulsion of the almighty dollar - remind me to expand on that, later.