the point is that for FOSS there was an active movement that forced IBM and old megacorps to forfeit such "nonsense" patents. So if you roll out a brand new c++ compiler you may have some buffs with intel if you try to go to their turf about some propreitary x64 specific optimizations, but, say, IBM wouldnt sue you because you dared to create "a program/method of transforming source code into machine code" that violated 250 patents from their portfolio.

I get that, but you wrote:

> the very idea of simulating circuits is a mine field of patents and you'd be sued out of existence

Do you think a startup selling a new HDL simulator is any more at risk of getting sued than any other software-based startup?

Not trying to be combative, I'm genuinely curious.

Yes. Happened twice? already

Really? Wow! Do you happen to remember their names?

one remember - "magma automation". they were sued to pieces and then bought out

Thanks!

According to their Wikipedia page, they paid 12.5 M$ to settle in 2007 and continued to operate for another 4 years before being bought for half a billion USD. Not exactly what I would consider "sued to pieces" ;-)