Re: Ada syntax patents

[Kilgallen@SpamCop.net (Larry Kilgallen)]

In article <1109258397.763243.44860@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>, george.priv@gmail.com writes:
> 
> Georg Bauhaus wrote:
>> Reading
>>     "http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?"
>> &
> "Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html"
>> &   "&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220040230959%22.PGNR."
>> &   "&OS=DN/20040230959&RS=DN/20040230959", i.e.
>>
>>
> http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220040230959%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20040230959&RS=DN/20040230959
>>
>> about compiling the BASIC IsNot operator, Patent Application
> 20040230959.
>>
>> What's this? What are they trying to protect? Is something
>> like this on the way for Ada?
>>  Interesting, everyone with an interest in a software exchange
>> with a US resident/whatever will have to consider whether they
>> can use comparison operators without being US-charged, patent
>> (im)pending.

The cited page says:

	A system, method and computer-readable medium support the use
	of a single operator that allows a comparison of two variables
	to determine if the two variables point to the same location
	in memory. 

which does not seem to me the same as a comparison operator.

Isn't this a capability for resolving aliasing issues that do not
arise when your language is Ada ?