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Old 10-07-2010
Why Software is Abstract, by PolR
Why Software Is Abstract
by PolR




Following the ruling of the Supreme Court in Bilski, the USPTO asked, in substance, how to tell an abstract idea from an application of the idea. In this article I propose an answer to the question of what makes software abstract. It is a follow up to the previous article, Physical Aspects of Mathematics.

The logic is to look at why a mathematical calculation is abstract and then see if the same logic applies to software. It happens that it does. It is possible to show that software is abstract with references to the underlying mathematical aspects. This is not, however, the topic for this article. The argument is presented without any assumption as to whether or not software is mathematics. I work from the observation that a mathematical calculation solving a mathematical problem is abstract. Then I look at what makes it abstract. Then I observe that the exact same logic is applicable to all software whether or not the law sees it as an algorithm as defined by Benson. This is not surprising. Software is mathematics and this makes it abstract, but I don't use or rely on this fact in making the arguments in this article.



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LEARN ABOUT DEBIAN

class::dbi::abstractsearch

Class::DBI::AbstractSearch(3pm) 			User Contributed Perl Documentation			   Class::DBI::AbstractSearch(3pm)

NAME

       Class::DBI::AbstractSearch - Abstract Class::DBI's SQL with SQL::Abstract::Limit

SYNOPSIS

	 package CD::Music;
	 use Class::DBI::AbstractSearch;

	 package main;
	 my @music = CD::Music->search_where(
	     artist => [ 'Ozzy', 'Kelly' ],
	     status => { '!=', 'outdated' },
	 );

	 my @misc = CD::Music->search_where(
	     { artist => [ 'Ozzy', 'Kelly' ],
	       status => { '!=', 'outdated' } },
	     { order_by      => "reldate DESC",
	       limit_dialect => 'LimitOffset',
	       limit	     => 1
	       offset	     => 2 });

DESCRIPTION

       Class::DBI::AbstractSearch is a Class::DBI plugin to glue SQL::Abstract::Limit into Class::DBI.

METHODS

       Using this module adds following methods into your data class.

       search_where
	     $class->search_where(%where);

	   Takes a hash to specify WHERE clause. See SQL::Abstract for hash options.

	     $class->search_where(\%where,\%attrs);

	   Takes hash reference to specify WHERE clause. See SQL::Abstract for hash options. Takes a hash reference to specify additional query
	   attributes. Class::DBI::AbstractSearch uses these attributes:

	   o   order_by

	       Array reference of fields that will be used to order the results of your query.

	   o   limit_dialect

	       Scalar, DBI handle, object class, etc. that describes the syntax model for a LIMIT/OFFSET SQL clause.  Please see
	       SQL::Abstract::Limit for more information.

	   o   limit

	       Scalar value that will be used for LIMIT argument in a query.

	   o   offset

	       Scalar value that will be used for OFFSET argument in a query.

	   Any other attributes are passed to the SQL::Abstract::Limit constructor, and can be used to control how queries are created.  For
	   example, to use 'AND' instead of 'OR' by default, use:

	       $class->search_where(\%where, { logic => 'AND' });

AUTHOR

       Tatsuhiko Miyagawa <miyagawa@bulknews.net> with some help from cdbi-talk mailing list, especially:

	 Tim Bunce
	 Simon Wilcox
	 Tony Bowden

       This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

SEE ALSO

       Class::DBI, SQL::Abstract, SQL::Abstract::Limit

perl v5.10.0							    2009-07-21					   Class::DBI::AbstractSearch(3pm)