Chapter 1

have become a torrent in the 1990s, with over
3,600 such patents granted in 1993 and approximately 8,100 by 1996.1
Whether this trend will prove to be a boon or a calamity for the software industry
depends on whom one asks, for there is a great deal of expert opinion
arrayed on both sides of the issue (Aharonian 1993; Chisum and Jacobs
1992; Clapes 1993; Heckel 1992; Newell 1986; Samuelson 1990; Stallman
and Garfinkle 1992)
Although we are most likely to think of desktop programs or the Internet
when we think of software, such products are only the visible tip of the software
iceberg. A massive software effort underlies the custom programs that
control power plants and telephone systems, keep corporate books in balance
and keep assembly lines running smoothly. Yet another body of software
resides in a variety of electronic products, from automobiles to kitchen
gadgets, cellular phones, and medical devices.