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Did Linus Torvalds "Sherlock" Bitkeeper by writing git? I also recall there wasn't much sympathy for Paragon Software (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706172) when exFAT support was added to the Linux kernel, obsoleting their product.

This furor is a surprising flip-flop given the usual "information wants to be free" and "patents for software are dumb" cheerleading that we usually see around here.

> but by Microsoft

Microsoft all but invented the practice at the 90's.

I know it by a different name

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlwwVuSUUfc

Hmm, it's not like f.lux were the only ones doing it. If they were the first, then credit to them for the concept (and for the software, I'm not belittling it).

This seems like genericisation in trademarks to me. Sometimes things grow to be useful more broadly -- that seems like something to celebrate.

If you're railing against capitalism in general however, then I'm with you! Distribution of wealth shouldn't be left to a fight between a small cadre of corporation owners vs. the populous.