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Innovation and invention
One way to define the contrast, innovation is specific software able to do something it has not done previously, while invention is software doing something that has not been done previously.

The reward for innovation is more sales of the software. The reward for invention is the payment guaranteed by a patent, should the inventor want such reward and should the invention be useful enough to be purchased.



Bill Gates's 1991 comments were part of a warning that Microsoft should obtain and store patents for trade, as a means to avoid having to pay cash for ideas. That initiative was not fully implemented until fairly recently.

I would have difficulty believing Mr. Gates would ever advocate giving IP - and associated gains in sales - away because of the harm of paying for them.
Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 10/22/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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M$ is a dying dinosaur  Linux Geek | 10/22/07
Are you truely this clueless?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 10/22/07
clueless...read the GPL!  Linux Geek | 10/23/07
So then the GPL stops you from using it.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 10/23/07
Ah, more of your complete BS  DarkPhoenixFF4 | 10/24/07
The Low Point  happyharry_z | 10/22/07
Corporations are paid for open source.  Anton Philidor | 10/22/07
But when the code doesn't do what you really  Update victim | 10/24/07
There's plenty of savings if OSS is leveraged appropriately  cduffy | 10/23/07
Innovation inflation  foremski ZDNet Moderator | 10/22/07
Innovation and invention  Anton Philidor | 10/22/07
Where you are completely wrong.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 10/22/07
What really makes me sick...  mdsmedia | 10/22/07
An OPINION piece IS about the person  No_Ax_to_Grind | 10/23/07
Liar  DarkPhoenixFF4 | 10/24/07
Dear Axey,  Update victim | 10/24/07
Low Point  happyharry_z | 10/23/07
Do me a favor  DarkPhoenixFF4 | 10/25/07
RE: The Low Point--a view from the Valley: The innovation game  anthonykuhn | 10/23/07
Yes, but also just the trail of prior art really helps. Also, most  DonnieBoy | 10/23/07
Great Commentary! And, I also use rsync to keep my computer backed up, and  DonnieBoy | 10/23/07
Also, for a very good laugh, watch Linux Torvalds talk about git at Google:  DonnieBoy | 10/23/07
git, or one of many others  cduffy | 10/23/07
Linus was most worried that git did what he wanted, and performance second  DonnieBoy | 10/24/07
Git only does one thing that every other distributed SCM doesn't  cduffy | 10/24/07
Challenges and Strategy by Bill Gates  krsaborio | 10/23/07
Yes, you would like us to ignore the important parts of the document, but,  DonnieBoy | 10/24/07
Challenges and Strategy by Bill Gates II  krsaborio | 10/24/07
Challenges and Strategy by Bill Gates III  krsaborio | 10/24/07

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