These center on VisiCalc and Dan Bricklin. While identifying and protecting intellectual property is important, even essential to a capitalist economy, present law often delivers a tangle of contradictions because it was not built on objective philosophy. Like the Constitution itself (which guarantees copyrights and patents), the laws are "a good idea" but troubled by unresolved internal conflicts. The subjective nature of these laws is readily apparent. Why should copyright be held for some period different from patents? How do we know which is best, or even good? Is it some measurable fraction of the actuarial life expectancy of the creator?

These two essays address none of that directly. However, I found them compelling, even troubling. And the questions they raised to me do bear directly on the problems outlined above.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPREADSHEETS
http://dssresources.com/history/sshistor...

THOUGHTS ON PATENT LITIGATION BY DAN BRICKLIN
http://www.bricklin.com/patents2006.htm