NewsForge: Too Many Lawyers, Not Enough Techies

"In a recent conversation with eWeek.com senior editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, we decided we both spent too much time writing about legal matters and not enough time writing about technology. 'Why are we writing more about patents now instead of technology? The money's the same, but I'm happier talking to techies than lawyers,' Steven said. I agree. Even though some of my best friends are lawyers, I prefer writing about technology to writing about law. But law seems to have a greater effect on technology every year.

"It's sad, watching all the patent and trademark squabbles that now surround software development, especially in the free and open source world. The reason open source software gets picked on so much is that it's an easy target. Anyone can look at the source and, if they are so inclined, say, 'Hey! That looks an awful lot like my code. I think I'll sue...'"

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