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Hello,

> > I'm sure !=3D operators have been around before His Billness was born
> > - software patents should be busted by prior art just like any other
> > patents. And as far as I remember this operator patented by M$ had
> > some
> > specific enhancements to deal with classes so it won't affect C's !=3D
> > anyway.
>=20
> Well, I know this patent, and it's about the comparison of two
> pointers with the aim of finding out whether they actually point to
> the same memory. I think we're doing this pretty often. Think e.g.
> NULL pointer checks after malloc calls here.

Yes, but programmers around the world have been doing that for bloody
ages - if it's that trivial there should be plenty of prior art. Didn't
the /old/ SCO publish some 30 years old UNIX source some years ago,
just before Caldera bought them? It probably contains what you're
referring to ;)

have fun
Michael

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