On the serious side, I've had my own company for over 25 years doing EHS work and process safety in the chemical/ petroleum industry. High end clients (some of the world's best) and small ones too, but some of the best minds I've had the pleasure to work with. We also developed software and had the same issues with "proprietary" code and even the arrangement of buttons on windows if you can believe it. These issues eventually caused us to throw in the towel on several really good ideas - had the customers, but when the lawyers got ahold of it, we ran out of $$ to pay the bills as a startup. At some point as a small business, you just cut and run. Forget it.
Freefallin, I think your discussion is reasoned and most excellent. But, what we experienced though, was the exact opposite of reasonable people sitting down - greed and avarice, ego and winner take all (a lot of these people must have been highly abused as children, I think, that's the only way to explain what we went thru). The US tort system is, I think (having drealt with it in Silicon Valley) THE WORST in the world, bar none. And while the home dogs chew away at each other, in the far east, they just take an idea, copy it and run with it.
For record, I think Richard's configuration of the ascender was tops, and I did buy extras as part of our "capital sparing" program. Now, boy am I glad we did. So final thought - if you do have some piece of equipment that you find really cool and "just fits" the way you work, if you've got the $$, consider buying extras as spares before it disappears from the market (harness, or knee ascender, or rope you love, etc.). The good thing though, is that some types of patents, from what I understand, expire eventually (pharmaceuticals, ski bindings, etc.). The judges and lawyers that grant these things have gotta get their heads on straight 'cause they're ruining commerce and progress.
] in the Great White North here where I am.
