The reason companies acquire and add to their massive stockpiles of patents is because, like arms races, no one wants to stop playing the game until the game is called off. Unlike arms races, patents are intellectual creations and the "game" can be ended simply by setting precedents in court and reforming existing law.
Considering the increasingly vocal outcry of rampant patent abuse, it's also possible that tech giants begin publicly stating their position towards US patent law: it needn't exist (or one of the many alternatives that have been proposed). If the market can metabolize that, patent law reform isn't far away.
I'm currently learning Python and I can't agree more. There's a lot of macho-IRC-dweller attitude on the internet when it comes to learning a new language. People take the "If you teach a man to fish" argument to the extreme and end up confusing/discouraging people in search of some guide, some map to show them the way. No, documentation doesn't count when you can't read a lick of code.
That said, I'm currently reading Learning Python the Hard Way, which pushes you through a lot of information, step-by-step but not patronizing, and teaches you not only code, but how to be organized and on top of your code.