Microsoft Receives XML Patent

gsfprez writes "Well, i'm no patent lawyer, but if I'm reading this right, it seems that the basics of XML are being patented by Microsoft. If not the files themselves - at least what most of us would do with XML files. From the abstract: 'Systems, methods and data structures for encompassing scripts written in one or more scripting languages in a single file.' That smacks of what my config files do on my G5 for my G5, if you read it with a biased eye." We noted this was happening earlier, and now it's finally come to pass. While the patent does sound a bit dubious, a Microsoft spokesman was quick to deny that they'd be so bold as to patent XML itself.

Comments

What the hell.

[CrypticSpawn]

Stuff like this shouldn't be patented, but if they are allowing it, so I am going to patent my shit now, so I can get some money out of the deal.

why

[after]

Why not patent *.* then? That way, you get money any time anyone uses any file at all. Anyway, they are not patenting file types, but the whole principle of script automation in XML files. If you ask me, this is nothing good at all -- no one is planning on stealing microsofts inventions anyway.

Re:why

[Trejkaz]

Basically they're doing what you can do in XHTML, where you have , and replace the thing in the "type" for each different scripting language. AFAIK there are VBScript and PerlScript which work here too, quite possibly more. They've just modified it so it works more like a bash script by the sounds of it, which is interesting because Ant's build.xml files can be used in this fashion too.

Re:tomato==vegatable, by law

[after]

... and you still cant marry horses! Why must thou be so upon thyself?

Re:Good

[Greyfox]

My homies wrap up a java jar file in an XML wrapper which is then dropped into a persistence engine to change the way a message processor works in real time. If I ever find out who's responsible for that I'm going to go to their house and bitch slap them into the middle of last week.

Come to think of it, the suckage from that single application may offset the benefits that XML has anywhere else in the industry.