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Microsoft Patents sudo

Jimmy O Regan writes "Justin Mason (of SpamAssassin fame) has this blog entry: US Patent 6,775,781, filed by Microsoft, is a patent on the concept of 'a process configured to run under an administrative privilege level' which, based on authorization information 'in a data store', may perform actions at administrative privilege on behalf of a 'user process'."

49 of 663 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, yeah by brilinux · · Score: 5, Funny

    So SU me!

    Probably redundant by now.

    1. Re:Oh, yeah by so+sue+mee · · Score: 3, Funny

      No! So Sue Mee

    2. Re:Oh, yeah by SoSueMe · · Score: 3, Funny

      yEs?

  2. Re:Prior Art? by cbr2702 · · Score: 5, Funny

    How? Everyone knows those Open Sores hippies stole everything anyways.

    --


    This post written under Gentoo-linux with an SCO IP license.
  3. Thats funny. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I thought crackers would have had the patent for sudo on Microsoft products long ago. You would have thought it would be easy for Microsoft to see that prior art.

  4. Quick! Send in your prior art! by nonregistered · · Score: 5, Funny

    man sudo >/dev/uspto

    1. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      A quick check reveals that it's a symbolic link to /dev/null. Hmm...

    2. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by Lehk228 · · Score: 5, Funny

      rm -rf /dev/uspto

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    3. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by hpavc · · Score: 2, Funny

      perhaps they could ...

      upsto.gov# ntpdate -b pool.ntp.org ... and get with the times.

      --
      members are seeing something, your seeing an ad
    4. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by ArbitraryConstant · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, I doubt you have the permissions for that.

      sudo rm -rf /dev/uspto

      --
      I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
    5. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by FooAtWFU · · Score: 5, Funny

      If only. It's more like:
      cat /dev/urandom > /dev/uspto

      --
      The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
    6. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by hawkeyeMI · · Score: 5, Funny
      user@host$ diff /dev/urandom /dev/uspto
      user@host$
      --
      Error 404 - Sig Not Found
    7. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by roman_mir · · Score: 3, Funny

      the parent found a special case where infinite number of monkeys on infinite number of typewriters appeared to be working for the uspto.

    8. Re:Quick! Send in your prior art! by thephotoman · · Score: 2, Funny

      My vote's for one of the following:

      $ sudo apt-get upgrade upsto.gov

      or

      $ sudo yum update upsto.gov

      --
      Haec merda tauri est. Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
  5. ahem by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    A process configured to run under an administrative privilege level, eh? excuse me a second... ah --- ah---- ahchoooooounixpriorart !

    --
    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
  6. What Next? by Kandel · · Score: 5, Funny

    US Patent 6,775,786 : Filed by Microsoft : The concept of clicking a mouse button to perform a task.
    Closely followed by...
    US Patent 6,775,787 : Filed by Microsoft : The concept of intercourse to procreate.

    Seriously, what is the world coming to. Corporates such as Microsoft should not be allowed to patent bogus things like this.
    This is truly Capitalism at it's worst...what power have the US given these people!?

  7. Thats it. by 0racle · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not going to put it off anymore, I have an amazing idea and I'm off to patent it. Its a web based front end for system updates, see, it scans the system to determine what updates are needed, then only presents them to the user in such a way that they can see what updates are critical and which are just general enhancements. I'm going to make a mint.

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
    1. Re:Thats it. by NetCow · · Score: 2, Funny

      You're a bit too late. Apple got a patent on that one :)

  8. the only sudo you need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    > sudo rm -Rf windows

  9. Re:"in a data store" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yes, I always su root before using sudo so that I can run things as root.

  10. not really Prior Art, but by hndrcks · · Score: 5, Funny

    " the concept of 'a process configured to run under an administrative privilege level' which, based on authorization information 'in a data store', may perform actions at administrative privilege on behalf of a 'user process'."

    Hell, that sounds like Klez!

    --
    Everyone will start to cheer when you put on your sailin' shoes.
  11. Re:Code Red is Prior Art as Well by ehack · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seeong that the US has military and economic power to boot, we pass the laws that the US requests, and hope to stay alive. And of course the US passes the laws that Microsoft requests :)

    --
    This is not a signature.
  12. Let me suggest a name for this product..... by Roskolnikov · · Score: 3, Funny

    msudo

    --
    Unix, an obscure operating system developed by bored researchers in an attempt to get a better game playing experience.
  13. Re:Su do me! by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

    $ sudo mount -t vfat /dev/hdd1 /mnt/win1
    Instant patent violation!


    Actually, double patent violation: FAT and sudo.

    Now pull down your pants, bend over and prepare to meet my lawyers.

    -- Signed: Bill Gates

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  14. Not really a patent by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a pseudo-patent.

    thanks, I'll be here all week....

    1. Re:Not really a patent by Afrosheen · · Score: 2, Funny

      Makes sense to me. Since what it does is let the user do what the admin can, superuser do = sudo.

      But pronounced the other way is more appropriate in this context. Sue = Dough.

    2. Re:Not really a patent by Proc6 · · Score: 3, Funny
      If only that were true. I think we all know it's pronounced "soo-doo" because that sounds like "Sulu" from Star Trek.

      Damn trekkies everywhere.

      --

      I'm Rick James with mod points biatch!

  15. Exploits. by Daleks · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think MS has prior art on this one. Their programs have been executing at a higher than normal privilage level for awhile.

  16. Re:Proof of concept? by chamblah · · Score: 2, Funny

    M$

  17. Patent Sex by suwain_2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    A friend and I resolved a while back that we should file a patent for A protocol for expansion of the human race, and essentially describe the process of sexual intercourse in extremely vague terms.

    After taking over all the porn sites in the world, we could start suing parents across the nation.

    In fact, you should really just give me $699 today if you plan on having sex any time soon. The license is good for a whole year! (But only for one partner.)

    --
    ________________________________________________
    suwain_2 :: quality slashdot p
    1. Re:Patent Sex by hawkeyeMI · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're not going to make much money that way on /.

      --
      Error 404 - Sig Not Found
  18. Re:A brief history of SUDO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I vote for "10 yards and loss of down" as the penalty.

  19. And tomorrow by HangingChad · · Score: 3, Funny
    MSFT intends to patent a switch or button on the front or side of the machine that causes power to be restored to the machine if it is not currently operational and to cut off the power if the machine is operational

    And people say MSFT doesn't invest in R&D. Brilliant!

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  20. ATTN: SCO :) by macmaniac · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perhaps, if the SCO actually has the IP rights it thinks it has, this might almost be a worthy lawsuit :) Then again, then I wouldn't want either side to win....

  21. Re:perhaps my evil genius hat isn't working by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 5, Funny

    I get the feeling more and more that Microsoft is doing something like this:

    Manager 1: Wow! They accepted that patent! The USPTO is crazy! Even with a year or so of prior art!

    Manager 2: Yeah, no kidding!

    Manager 1: Let's try this one next. It's got 3 years prior art.

    Manager 2: Wow! They accepted that one too! What morons!

    Manager 1: Man...let's see just how crazy we can get here...let's go with 20 years prior art, and see if the dopes accept it!

    Manager 2: LOL HAHA ROFLMAO! They took it! What planet do these guys live on?!?!

    --
    "City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
  22. Re:perhaps my evil genius hat isn't working by hawaiian717 · · Score: 5, Funny
    A patent on $ or # as a prompt?

    It would probably read more like:

    An indication by which a computer system indicates that it is ready for arbitrary input from the user.

    But specifically, they'd be patenting C:\> .

    --
    End of Line.
  23. Re:perhaps my evil genius hat isn't working by hawkeyeMI · · Score: 5, Funny
    More like this:

    M1: Alright, pay up.

    M2: I can't believe this. (pays)

    M3: Hey guys, 3 to 1 odds I don't get the patent on the 'long rectangular button which inserts a space character when pressed'. Who's in?

    M1: $50 you don't get it.

    M2: $200 for.

    --
    Error 404 - Sig Not Found
  24. Re:Patent on excrement expulsion by BigDish · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sorry, SCO Already has a patent on that

  25. If this holds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'm going to finally patent my wheel invention: method of locomotion friction reduction by way of a continuous radial surface concentric about an axis of rotation containing a bearing system, rigid support structure, solid or pneumatic contact surface, and verticle axis directional control attachment mechanism.

    Got the idea when a guy dropped a cheese and it rolled down a hill. If he had been on one of my wheels, he could have caught up with his cheese.

  26. Re:perhaps my evil genius hat isn't working by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft: hello I want to fill a patent request...

    Patent office employee: ok, granted!

    Microsoft: ...but don't you first want to...

    Patent office employee: NO NO NO I said granted!!

    Microsoft: ...well but there's this thing called prior...

    Patent office employee: I SAID GRANTED!!

    Microsoft: yeah but there was another pate...

    Patent oggice employee: KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!!! GRANTED YOU BIG-POCKET COMPANY!!!

  27. Re:Prior Art? by BroncoInCalifornia · · Score: 4, Funny

    Those who do not copy Unix are destined to reinvent it.

    --

    Religion is the main cause of atheism.

  28. Re:perhaps my evil genius hat isn't working by bechthros · · Score: 2, Funny

    please don't give them any ideas...

  29. Re:Prior Art? by qtp · · Score: 4, Funny

    Those who do not copy Unix are destined to reinvent it

    badly.

    --
    Read, L
  30. Re:Prior Art? by mbowles · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shouldn't that be, "Those who do not copy Unix are destined to patent it?"

  31. Re:maybe not so easy by CatGrep · · Score: 4, Funny

    you might actually get this patent killed in the process.

    Would that be in the administrative process or in the user process?

    killall sudo_patent

  32. Re:Prior Art? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    It is humanly impossible for a government office to realistically assess all of human knowledge for prior art. To say otherwise is dishonest.

    They could simply post on /.

  33. The best thing to do... by Nermal6693 · · Score: 2, Funny

    stevejobs% sudo rm -rf * Microsoft

  34. Re:Prior Art? by phrostie · · Score: 2, Funny

    if it is not realistic then they have no business claiming the authority.

    seriously, what is the percentage of invalid patents claimed. what would happen to the medical field if we gave them the out of saying, "well there were just too many organs and slimmy squishy things to find the appendix in time"

    perhaps this is the front that needs to be taken to get software patents reformed.

  35. Re:Prior Art? by ArsonSmith · · Score: 2, Funny

    SCO just patented a program that lets a super user run applications as you.

    its called
    suyou

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.