We know, we know: the patent system is broken. But what exactly should the US Patent and Trademark Office do to reform itself, particularly where nebulous software claims are concerned? If you ask the developers themselves, they might tell you code was never meant to be patented. Obviously, an outright ban might not sit well with USPTO officials, so the agency is instead taking a different tack: it's hosting two roundtable events with the developer community to discuss the future of software patents. These discussions, which will take place in February in New York and in the Silicon Valley, w