[01:16] <luke-jr> so what are y'all doing now that Texas has ruled Linux illegal?
[01:29] <mrand> luke-jr: hadn't heard that one.
[01:29] <luke-jr> http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20056192-36.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
[01:31] <mrand> luke-jr: Linux wasn't ruled illegal.  It was that some commerial users were infringing on a patent.
[01:31] <luke-jr> when did patents care whether it's commercial use or not?
[01:32] <mrand> And when did a patent ruling result in something being illegal?
[01:33] <luke-jr> unless you're planning to pay royalties…
[01:37] <mrand> But to answer your question, I believe that in general, patents pretty much only apply to commercial ventures.  Of course, if someone is making something and giving it away for free to many, that becomes a gray area.
=== Ahmuck-Sr is now known as Ahmuck
[03:13] <Ahmuck> google is going to stomp software patents
[03:14] <Ahmuck> bye bye says i
[04:39] <mrand> While that would be very nice, this kind of thing can be very nuanced, and possibly take years or decades.
[06:06] <Ahmuck> hi mrand
[06:06] <Ahmuck> luke-jr: r u in tx now?