Still can't believe that this was a patent!
By the end of it, everything was so generically described that I couldn't even recognize it anymore. This entire system needs to be reworked or thrown away entirely.
In my mind patents were made to protect inventors and the little guy so that he/she could capitalize on their invention before the market is unleashed. When multi-billion dollar companies are gaining government sanctioned exclusivity to something through a patent, something seems off.
But in this example they weren't a multi-billion dollar company 20 years ago.
I agree. Patent laws have created for moral reasons instead of practical ones. Let this be a lesson to lawmakers to pass regulation based on facts instead of feelings.
So, in your world, why would a medical research lab spend billions researching and developing new drugs, spend years going through regulatory approval and testing, only to have their drug be sold for pennies as a generic?
"years of research and brilliant ideas should be protected"
can never adequately define what must be patented and what must not be. An brilliant idea need not take years of research. Even the interpretation of the word brilliant is debatable.
PS: I'm not taking any stance with respect to patents. Just saying that it's not black and white.
Then no one would use mesh networks instead of almost no one!
I also don't see the huge advantage of this. I never use one-click checkout on Amazon. I like to review everything before I buy.
I guess for totally impulse purchases it helps eliminate a step at which the buyer might reconsider a purchase. But I don't like to shop that way.
AFAIK (I only ever used one-click checkout on amazon.co.jp) there's a 15-minute or so window where you can review and modify/cancel your order, so the step is still there (though most people would probably ignore it). I found it convenient to use because domestic shipping was free, and I'm already seeing the price of the product, which is the only thing I'm buying, so there's nothing else to review.
It is good UI design:
Optimize the common flow (buy the item) and provide easy undo (from the post-purchase confirmation page, and in the delay before shipping).
But I've still only used it a couple of times - the psychological barrier, wanting to include an add-on item, etc.
So maybe it really was a nontrivial invention for its time.
Not quite. They apply the same approach even when delivery is instant; you can order a kindle book, download it, and cancel the order.