[huskerlug] Thoughts on the Write Brothers and Desktops

I've been watching the Discovery program about the=20
development of the 1903 KittyHawk Flyer by the Write=20
brothers and the progress in flight that has taken place in=20
such a short time; 1903 - 1969 or 66 years from the=20
beginning of flight to landing on the Moon.  On May 22, 1906 =20
Patent No. 821,393 issued to the Wright Brothers on a Flying=20
Machine   Others were not idle.  On November 3, 1909  Dr.=20
William H. Greene in Greene biplane makes a=20
passenger-carrying record at Morris Park, New York, carrying=20
A. Leo Stevens and two others as passengers for short=20
flights  Prior to 1909 no two aeroplanes of identical design=20
existed in America.

Chief engineer, Grover Loening had introduced several=20
"non-Wright" features on later versions of this aircraft,=20
such as dihedral wings, a non-flexing two-piece elevator=20
mounted on top of the rudder, and an optional wheel to=20
control the pitch and roll.  The last Write Flyer, the 1914=20
Model G was essentially identical to the 1903 version except=20
for some eppelets between the wings,  the movement of the=20
front canard to the tail, an enclosed cockpit, and pontoons=20
for water take-offs and landings.  All of these newer=20
features were borrowed from other aviatiion pioneers.  In=20
fact, by 1914 airplanes had machine guns, compasses,=20
gyroscopic stabilizers, parachutes, pontoons, were flowin=20
aerobatically, women pilots, two-way wireless communication,=20
and more.  None of these additions were by the Write=20
brothers.  =20

I wondered what our current capabilities of flight would be=20
if the Write Brothers had at their disposable the current=20
patent and copyright laws, and if they were not beat to a=20
patent for the idea of flight by some lizard lawyer or=20
technical near-do-well who could recognize genius, even=20
describe it, but could not create it.  A "Saliari" of=20
flying.  Someone like Professor Langley, who had no idea how=20
to build a machine the COULD FLY but who could describe the=20
process, claim that process as his "IP" and patent it under=20
modern patent rules.  He could have even filed a "pending"=20
patent in 1901, left it open after his own attempt failed,=20
and waited until late December, 1903, to finalize his=20
'invention' for the Patent Office.  Then, when the Write=20
Brothers flew their airplane, he could file a lawsuite, no=20
doubt win it, and take possession of ideas and developments=20
for which he had no clue, no understanding and never=20
developed:  the aerodynamic wing,  the wing warp, the=20
triple-axis control, and the crowing masterpiece, the=20
dynamic propeller.  All of these achievements were beyond=20
Langley's knowledge and technical abiliity, as history has=20
shown, but under todays patent rules and processes, if=20
Langley had no morals or character, he could have stolen=20
then all simply because of a failed first flight attempt, to=20
establish credibility, and a 'pending' patent process.  He=20
could have done this dispite all the documenation that the=20
Write brothers could bring to their defense because all=20
Langley would have had to do was claim theif work was an=20
extension of his "IP".

Even if Langley hadn't done that, under todays patent rules=20
the Write Brothers could still be the sole owners of a=20
patent which owns ANY "IP" and associated technology which=20
could be described as an 'heavier than air flying machine",=20
i.e., not a baloon.  Would we still be flying cloth covered=20
bi-planes?  By 1914 the Write brothers Flyer had changed=20
little in design, while other designers were into enclosed=20
hulls, monowings, etc...  All of these developments could=20
have been prevented or effectively stolen by the Write=20
brothers using modern day patent law.

I began thinking about the development of the Desktop.  After=20
a "Pre-KittyHawk" period of textbased menu systems the Mac=20
appeared, followed almost immediately by Windows 1.0, an=20
almost exact copy of the Mac, which was one of many of=20
Microsoft's thefts of code.   Win 1.0 is sort of the 'single=20
user' glider of its day.   Gates could get away with that=20
theft because software and ideas were not patentable at that=20
time.  The bogus legal concept of "Intellectual Property"=20
had not evolved. =20

Had the DMCA been in effect in 1980 we'd sill be using the=20
MAC or perhaps the WinX.X, depending on whose laywers won=20
the lawsuite that would have evolved.  I don't think it=20
would have evolved as far as it has which, considering the=20
XP in relation to the Win 3.11, is still not very far.

=2D-=20
=2D=20
Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by=20
professionals
GreyGeek

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