From: rcmetzger@grandecom.net   
      
   On Jan 5, 12:19 am, zeng jane  wrote:   
      
   http://patft.uspto.gov/   
   search for "optimizing compiler"   
   555 patents identified   
      
   not all are actually relevant to the topic   
      
   http://www.google.com/patents   
   search for "optimizing compiler"   
   382 patents identified   
      
   the first 200 are all relevant, and with a couple of exceptions,   
   all were granted between 1990 and 1999   
   [My, that's a lot. isn't it.  It doesn't tell us how useful they are,   
   but since any patent granted in the US before 1993 has how run its   
   course and expired, it does tell us that they didn't destroy the   
   software industry. -John]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)