Hi,

Revisionism About Microsoft Software Patent Deals Implicating GNU/Linux Please consider reading the whole article before posting. I still use Microsoft products for client support and believe Microsoft is attempting to control Libre software in the same way as they did in the earlier days of micro-computing. I will leave it to the members who are interested to search for 'Digital research', 'CP/M', 'IBM-DOS','MS-DOS','DDR-DOS','MS-Windows' and be sure to search details from within the results. For those of us who have memories of the fighting for the OS world remember the deeds done by the major participants.

I found the article interesting and will certainly ignite interest for LQ Members.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!

Unfortunately, the article dodges factual details about exactly what patents were being licensed. The article implies that the matters at issue had to do with "connected cars," whatever that means.

However, until patent examiners have credible ability to decide what is and isn't patentable in the world of software – until Congress actually decides the matter – we will continue to be vexed with worthless software patents.

For example, operating system textbooks routinely talk about "atomic compare-and-swap" instructions and demonstrate them being used to update the pointers of a linked-list. "Uh uh! That's patented!"

And, frankly, that's what "patents, in general" have de-evolved to. How the hell is an examiner, faced with a sea of incoming applications, going to know what is or isn't "unique and non-obvious?" Answer: "they don't!" Out comes the rubber stamp and into the mail goes a pretty piece of official paper that means absolutely nothing. Except to the lawyers who, yes, use it for extortion. There is basically nothing that you can do, or invent, that will not run afoul of maybe hundreds of patents. And the lawyers who are in the (lucrative) business of "protecting inventor's interests" routinely take 90% or more of their winnings as profit.

Hi,

More information from the linked article to

Quote:

aggression that continues to present and gets disguised using euphemisms

There are several other links within to review that provide information for the user to translate thus understanding the situation.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!

The majority of us don't live in the USA, Korea, or Japan, so we don't care! They say people get the governments they deserve: that implies they get the laws they deserve, too.