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openSUSE Hobbled By Microsoft Patents

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the or-at-least-disfigured dept.

kripkenstein writes "openSUSE 10.2 no longer enables ClearType (which would improve the appearance of fonts). The reason given on the openSUSE mailing list for not enabling it is, 'this feature is covered by several Microsoft patents and should not be activated in any default build of the library.' As reported on and discussed, this matter may be connected to the Microsoft-Novell deal. If so, Novell should have received a license for the Microsoft patents, assuming the deal covered all relevant patents. Does the license therefore extend only to SUSE, but not openSUSE?"

73 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. Prior art by Ph33r+th3+g(O)at · · Score: 5, Informative

    Steve Gibson pointed out decades-old prior art that would invalidate the Cleartype patent (if our patent system weren't corrupt) several years ago.

    --
    I too have felt the cold finger of injustice.
    1. Re:Prior art by gweihir · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Steve Gibson pointed out decades-old prior art that would invalidate the Cleartype patent several years ago.

      Indeed he did. Not that the idea itself merits a patent anyways. It is pretty obvious and shopuld not be patentable in the first place.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re:Prior art by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Gibson is exactly right. When I first saw sub-pixel rendering (aka 'ClearType') explained, I remembered programming graphics on an Apple IIe, and you had a difference between even and odd pixels that forced you to draw lines in a way that is exactly the same as how ClearType works.

      I could claim prior art if I could just get those damned 5.25" floppies to read in anything. Of course, this was common practice back in the day, so maybe some old Apple II programmers out there can come up with AppleSoft BASIC code or something.

      --
      My blog
    3. Re:Prior art by 0123456789 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There's a difference between being able to find prior art for something, and being able to afford to go to court to defend yourself against a patent infringement lawsuit. Sadly, the gulf between the two positions is pretty wide. Maybe there should be an appeal process for patent awards? If you can show that a patent affects you in some way, and shouldn't have been granted for some reason (eg prior art), you could appeal against the patent award and attempt to get it rescinded in a quicker and cheaper process than a full-on court case?

    4. Re:Prior art by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The funny thing is I just installed OpenSUSE 10.2 alpha 3 and the fonts look better than ever; if this is how they look without cleartype, who needs it?

    5. Re:Prior art by pikine · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm afraid the decades-old Apple II and IBM PC is not prior art. Pixels are either on or off for Apple II and IBM PC's CGA displays, so they apparently don't (and can't) care too much about color fringing. Sub-pixel font rendering on LCD screen deals with 256 shades for each sub-pixel, and the emphasis is on how to adjust sub-pixel brightness to reduce color fringing.

      This is explained in Steve Gibson's Turning Theory into Practice. Sub-pixel font rendering is not the same as sub-pixels on CGA displays. The ideas are related, but the plumbing is different.

      Perhaps I'm misleading in saying that CGA is not prior art of ClearType. I haven't actually read the patents of ClearType, so I obviously cannot tell; I'm basing my claim solely on Steve's webpage alone.

      --
      I once had a signature.
    6. Re:Prior art by kobaz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I couldn't agree more.

      I've never found cleartype to be helpful either, I much rather not have cleartype as on every single display device I've enabled it on it looks like crap. I've tried it on high and low end crts and high and low end lcds, it all looks much better (and more readable) without cleartype.

      --

      The goal of computer science is to build something that will last at least until we've finished building it.
    7. Re:Prior art by tomz16 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Any time I've turned on cleartype on a fresh install of windows, my first impression has always been that it just made fonts look "blurrier", for lack of a better word.

      However, after using it for a day or two, turning it off is absolutely painful. IMHO, it really DOES make text MUCH easier to read on an LCD.

      -Tom

    8. Re:Prior art by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Prior art doesn't have to be identical - patents are supposed to be for something novel and nonobvious*, not for a logical progression given technological development. i.e. the fact display subpixels didn't have 256 brightness levels back in the day doesn't mean that it isn't blitheringly obvious that IF THEY ONE DAY DID, similar techniques would naturalyl apply.

      * Yes, in practice the USA grants patents for basically anything regardless of merit, but the USA sucks.

    9. Re:Prior art by spitzak · · Score: 2, Informative

      Holy confusion, batman!

      That was completely misleading. The use of 256 levels for making antialiased fonts is really old and has nothing to do with this.

      What sub pixel rendering does is make the pixel represent *more* than 256 different possible combinations of the fg and bg colors, where combinations are how an fully opaque edge falls into the square the pixel represents. Exactly how many is unclear, it is not 256^3, but I think it is 3*256 for the case of an antialiased vertical straight edge of an object significantly larger than a pixel (it goes down as the edge gets less vertical or if another edge gets within a few pixels of it). This is done by using hardware quirks so that various of the 256^3 possible colors are interpreted by the viewer as different coverages.

      The Apple technique made a pixel represent more than the 2 possible coverages you mentioned. This is done by using hardware quirks so that the some of the 4 (16? i dunno) possible colors are interpreted by the viewer as different coverages.

      They certainly are related, but I don't believe enough to invalidate Microsoft's patent. The difference is that the "hardware quirks" are vastly different.

    10. Re:Prior art by Sleepy · · Score: 2, Informative

      I remember using anti-aliased fonts in "Spectrum 512", a terrific graphics package for the Atari ST series computer. With it, you could optimize images for TV. If you could not afford an Amiga, this was a very impressive way of generating titles and graphics for video. The Atari ST had a composite NTSC output port and the horsepower to drive it.

      I remember the same technique used on the Atari 8-bit computers, in the monochrome "Graphics Mode 8" level. By offsetting the *placement* of pixels, you could accomplish new colors. The effect was used (but less noticable) in lower-res modes, which also had more color, but you could choose between "smoothing" OR "more colors".

      Note that these were COMMON techniques on computers that hooked to TVs, and also to CGI monitors. It was especially useful on the Apple 2c computer which had a monochrome high res mode like the Atari 8-bit.

      I see a lot of posts here confusing these old techniques with "anti-aliasing". This is NOT the technique used -- anti-aliasing simply blends the difference between 2+ contrasting pixels. These old techniques did not do that - they CALCULATED the placement of pixels to take advantage of "display artifacts" - and generate perceived resolutuins (or color range) higher than the hardware was intended to deliver.

      It would be difficult for someone else to argue Apple's prior art if Apple is un-interested in the battle, so this patent is not going anywhere.

    11. Re:Prior art by someone300 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I just looked at a screenshot of "Cleartype" on OS X (From http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypeFAQ.m spx). It looks revolting. I use Linux and OS X with subpixel rendering enabled. The first three lines look OK, but it starts to look blurry after that.

      Screenshot of my OS X system: http://img248.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture3r p7.png

      If you zoom in, you can see I'm definitely using subpixel rendering. I get the odd blurry looking font on my OS X system, but nowhere near the sort of stuff I see on other people's Windows laptops.

    12. Re:Prior art by tomz16 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The text in your screenshot DOES look blurry past the first line or two... Going to the microsoft page ALL of the cleartype RGB text looks crystal clear on my Dell 2001FP
      with cleartype enabled. Same on my IBM x40 laptop.

      My guess is that your OSX computer is scaling the image in some weird way that doesn't quite line up with your physical LCD pixels.

      -Tom

    13. Re:Prior art by AJWM · · Score: 4, Informative

      The Apple II didn't have a CGA. Colors were generated by dot-timing the luminance signal into an NTSC composite monitor (read, TV), faking out the color decoding in the monitor. Subpixel rendering was done by reversing that to choose the appropriate color to generate the desired dot timing. On a monochrome monitor these showed up as higher-resolution dots than the nominal pixels in display memory.

      Go look at the circuit diagram for an Apple II, for pete's sake. It's not that complicated, maybe a dozen or so 74-series chips plus the memory and CPU.

      Clear type uses exactly the same idea -- pick the color to activate the desired combination of R, G and/or B stripes in the LCD pixel -- i.e. activate the desired sequence of horizontal dots by color choice.

      --
      -- Alastair
    14. Re:Prior art by Pharmboy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Just by having billions in the bank and flooding the patent office with false patents so they can threaten most OSS projects out of existence.

      Hey, maybe I should file a patent on THAT business model. ;-/

      Sorry, Microsoft can prove prior, invalidate your patent, then reword and patent it themselves.

      --
      Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
    15. Re:Prior art by mikael · · Score: 2, Interesting

      remember the same technique used on the Atari 8-bit computers, in the monochrome "Graphics Mode 8" level. By offsetting the *placement* of pixels, you could accomplish new colors.

      This method of Artifacting is described in great detail in the Atari Archives.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    16. Re:Prior art by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Of course, the answer to that is that everyone ignores Microsoft patents and LETS them try to take EVERYBODY to court - including countries that don't give a rat's ass about US patents.

      Microsoft can try to be SCO and build its business on the backs of lawyers, but it's not going to work, however much Bill G might dream of it.

      People forget that IBM holds more patents on everything than anyone and is making billions off Linux - as well as having the best lawyers on the planet. If Microsoft tries such a thing, IBM will hand Bill his head.

      Threats are threats only. It's only when you submit that you lose.

      --
      Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
  2. Novell is the Judas Goat. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think Novell has become an wholly owned subsidiary of MSFT and is being used for the express purpose of setting up precedents and creating more and more FUD. I have seen a version of anti-aliasing and sub-pixel addressing way back when in, of all places, grc.com.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Novell is the Judas Goat. by Woy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Novel became the Mr. Hands of the Linux world.

      --
      "If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated." - Voltaire
    2. Re:Novell is the Judas Goat. by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Judas was a goat?

      Anyway. They are very helpfully pointing out the patents which Microsoft says apply to Linux...

      --
      Deleted
    3. Re:Novell is the Judas Goat. by duncanmhor · · Score: 5, Informative

      Judas Goat - used at an abbatoir to lull animals into a false sense of security.

  3. Prior art? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have not been to GRC.com for a long time, I quickly grabbed the URL and posted it here in another thread. Looks like that site cites a long list of prior art. Makes the OpenSUSE's decision even more suspect.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Prior art? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not only that, linux/X.org subpixel rendering works in a somewhat different, rather more general way to ClearType. Any geometric object can be subpixel rendered and antialiased, whereas microsoft's method implements separately for each graphics/font object kind. EVEN IF microsoft patents were to hold up in court, there'd be a good case wouldn't cover the technique used in linux/X.org. I think this is indeed an attempt to sow misleading precedent by microsoft - Novell AND openSuse should be considered corrupt and abandoned.

  4. Well, that's it then. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    No more Suse Linux on my servers. I know that subpixel rendering has no impact on server applications, but I now consider that distribution rogue.

    1. Re:Well, that's it then. by Delkster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Out of curiousity, do other major distributions enable this either? In other words, is this news at all?

      A page on the FreeType project site says:

      Finally, many Linux distributions seem to distribute a patched version of FreeType 2 with the bytecode interpreter activated, unlike to the sources we distribute.

      However, I've previously been under the impression that most distributions would ship at least without some features covered by patents. On the other hand, it's not only MS who owns patents that concern subpixel rendering, and I don't know who owns what, so that's why I'm left wondering if someone else actually knows.

  5. Now it is clear by javilon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Novell is the new SCO

    --


    When his defense asked, "Which computer has Jon Johansen trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."
    1. Re:Now it is clear by TangoCharlie · · Score: 2, Funny

      Your off-the-cuff remark is more true than you think. Don't forget that SCO (that is Caldera)
      got the unix rights from Novell. The whole SCO vs Novell issue will result in Novell getting
      those rights back. The result? A linux company "owning" unix. We've been here before!! Novell
      OpenSCO here we come....

      --
      return 0; }
  6. anti-aliasing makes me need glasses by stokessd · · Score: 4, Informative

    That might be a good thing(tm). In many cases I prefer non anti-aliased fonts. I have a nice LCD with a DVI connection for a clear picture, then I'm supposed to fuzzy it up? Anti-aliasing lakes me think I need glasses in many cases.

    Sheldon

    1. Re:anti-aliasing makes me need glasses by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I find that cleartype is easy on my eyes while browsing websites etc with lots of text meant to be read by humans. Code, OTOH, looks horrible in cleartype. When I have to tell, single quote from double, where braces are very important, where I have to tell zero from o, two from zee, ell from one, bah... ClearType makes a mess.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    2. Re:anti-aliasing makes me need glasses by xoyoyo · · Score: 2, Informative

      Depends on the quality of the implementation and the quality/density of the screen. Ironically, the inventor's implementation is poor.

      On a 72dpi LCD attached to a PC running Windows the effect is obvious (and hideous) all the glyphs have red and blue fringes. Turning ClearType off is the first thing I do on a Windows box after disabling the Windows XP theme.

      On my 100dpi+ MacBook Pro I had to use the zoom function to confirm that it was using sub-pixel anti-aliasing. Even on my second monitor it's acceptable, and that's a cheap low density screen.

      Apple have spent some time getting font anti-aliasing right: the initial AA in OS X looked like someone had just applied gaussian blur to the whole screen. Now it actually does what it's supposed to do, which is reduce eye fatigue.

      On the other hand, once we get our long promised 300dpi screens monitor resolution will be the same as paper and we can dump kludgy hacks like ClearType.

    3. Re:anti-aliasing makes me need glasses by jimstapleton · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think a lot of it is monitor quality too..

      My old Hitachi was a nice LCD in regards to image quality, and it looked great with clear type.
      However the backlight died (and the response time was a bit low), and now I have a cheap Samsung - The letters have halos on them with clear type.

      So, monitor quality is a big part of it, not just the rendering technology, though both are important.

      --
      34486853790
      Connection too slow for X forwarding? Try "ssh -CX user@host"
    4. Re:anti-aliasing makes me need glasses by mattr · · Score: 3, Interesting

      IIRC different displays may have different order of R,G,B component pixels which may require a reversed antialiasing pattern (as if the screen was flipped upside-down). Though the effect is subtle it also shows a red and/or blue fringe. Though that may not be what you are talking about.

    5. Re:anti-aliasing makes me need glasses by mashade · · Score: 3, Funny

      Who's Zed?

      Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.

      [long live zee]

      --
      Technology tips and tricks.
  7. It's FreeType for a start! by DrMindWarp · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is complete nonsense written by someone that is clearly clueless and forwarded by an editor that is equally clueless. This is a FreeType library setting for compiling programs (not ClearType!). It is the same for every Linux distribution as it is the default setting for the development library. It has never been enabled by default.

    1. Re:It's FreeType for a start! by segedunum · · Score: 2, Informative

      That doesn't answer why it was OK to have this enabled before, and has then somehow become a big no-no.

    2. Re:It's FreeType for a start! by Movi · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, indeed Cleartype sucks, and ive not even known you can have it under linux. For an ever better font setup you can enable BCI in freetype and have freetype display font quality on par with Mac OS X (which nobody can dispute displays the best quality). For example ubuntu people can download debs with prepatched freetype here http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=343670&hi ghlight=feisty+fonts.
      The standalone patches are here http://david.freetype.org/lcd/

  8. Suse vs Open Suse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I put a store-bought version of Suse on my daughter's machine and everything was good. We upgraded her mobo and downloaded the 64 bit version of Open Suse. There are a myriad of niggling little details that don't quite work the same. The commercial version of Suse was a joy. The other one isn't. We're switching to Ubuntu.

    1. Re:Suse vs Open Suse by MollyB · · Score: 2, Informative

      I just last week switched from SuSE 9.1 to Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake) on my laptop. The old OS always crashed or froze, and was a tempermental beast that chronically corrupted the Reiser FS. The Ubuntu install was less than 20 minutes (although downloading of package upgrades took an hour on DSL) and has been running superbly 24/7 since boottime. I hope you are happy making the change; I most certainly am!

      BTW, if you are a Windows person who is looking for a friendly Linux distro, this is for you. You can run Ubuntu from the CD to try it out before installing, and it is the very epitome of "user-friendly." You don't even have to edit config files, if that seems daunting. Take the plunge--you won't regret it.

    2. Re:Suse vs Open Suse by beef623 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Heh, I went the other way not too long ago. I started with Ubuntu, but the more familiar I got with linux, the more I hated Ubuntu. I finally switched to openSuse a few months ago(mainly because it was the only distro I could get running on my laptop at the time) and fell in love with it. I finally completely shed myself of Ubuntu when the box I had at home wouldn't let me even log in anymore. I haven't really looked back.

      I will say that I don't like a lot of the defaults in 10.2, especially the main menu it has by default. Hadn't really noticed the font thing though.

  9. Exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Cleartype is just sub-pixel AA which existed long before MS ever used it for font rendering. Bytecode type hinting is patented by (IIRC) Apple, it is usually disabled in Freetype and and an alternative (auto-hinting) method used instead.

    Apples and oranges, the bug reporter is confused or trolling.

  10. It's only the filtering by oergiR · · Score: 5, Informative

    AFAICT, subpixel rendering is not disabled, only the 5-tap filter that's supposed to reduce colour fringes. See http://www.grc.com/cttech.htm. Apparently this is one of the things Microsoft has patented, and I haven't seen any "prior art" for this specific technique. In my humble opinion disabling the filter is not much of a loss as it just makes fonts look fuzzier.

    1. Re:It's only the filtering by b0z0n3 · · Score: 5, Funny

      So, Microsoft has patented blurring text?

      I don't want to pay M$ everytime I have a couple of beers....

      --
      (write-line *coolsig*)
  11. Hidden warning by b1ufox · · Score: 2, Interesting
    This as it seems, is yet another legal puns MS has up its sleeves.MS struck a deal with Novell months back, which obviously created a fury among free software zealots.Now this seems to be a Red signal for Linux users, who uses OpenSuse or any other free Linux distribution, as it implies IMO _you_ being a non SUSE(and means even OpenSUSE i guess) users are infringing on MS's so called intellectual property.

    Is this the start of the hide and seek of infringement legalities?

    Lets hope SUSE understand this can be just the beginning. Novell people should put in some thinking into not getting pawned once again by MS.

    Whatever i am better off without them on my Edgy Ubuntu machine. :)

    ~psr

    --
    -- "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" - TAE --
  12. Freetype library is GPL by mysidia · · Score: 3, Informative

    As a result, if you hold a license for a patent that is required to redistribute/sell Freetype (or any piece of software covered by the GPL), then, to comply with the GPL you have two options you must EITHER: (1) not distribute the software, OR (2) the patent license must permit anyone's free use

    The relevant GPL section is the preamble To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all. , and under Section 7 of the GNU General Public License: For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the Program.

    This means for instance, that Novell would not be free to provide users of SuSE the benefit of a patent license to use a certain feature of a GPL'ed library or software program, and deny that feature to openSuSE users.

  13. Typical 'Bend Over' Novell by segedunum · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There's obviously quite a bit of prior art to Cleartype, but Novell as an open source company does not want to stand up and defend itself and its software from it (as well as Red Hat actually). I rather suspect both Red Hat and especially Novell are using the non-issue of patents to try and give their so called enterprise distributions an actual selling point.

    The question really is, why was it deemed OK to enable it before, and suddenly it has become a big deal where it is disabled?

    Additionally, there seems to be some confusion of the Microsoft/Novell deal. The patent agreement would not be legal with the terms of the GPL, rather Microsoft gave a covenant not to sue to Novell's customers and promised to be nice to OpenSuse's users. Whether that would cover this, I don't know.

  14. Can we now use the GPL? by marcosdumay · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The GPL is very clear on one point: if you know your software infringes on some patent, you can't distribute it, even if you have a deal with the patent holder enabling you to do that*. Can Novell now be prosecuted? Is that code GPLed (it seems to be KDE, so it probably is)?

    * Unless that deal is extended to everybody that touches the code.

    --
    Rethinking email
  15. never so by Deternal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As far as I can read, it has never been enabled. It needs to be enabled at compile time, which the ansvar to the linked bug report clearly states by c&p of the relevant info from the FreeType lib.

    This is a complete non-issue and has been known for a while. It predates the Novell/MS agreement.

    1. Re:never so by oergiR · · Score: 5, Informative
      Mod parent up.

      The main developer of FreeType decided to disable the filter in September. The Novell deal was later and had nothing to do with this.

  16. Nothing New for OpenSuse by Prototerm · · Score: 2

    I gave up on Open Suse when the 10.0 version came out, and they started removing stuff from the standard release. They first took out support for the nVidia drivers, then some of the wireless drivers, forcing me to find and install them both manually. So, whenever they get a little antsy about something, they remove it. As much as I really like Suse, I prefer something that just works out of the box, and doesn't make me jump through hoops just to use my own computer.

    If I wanted to do *that*, I'd install Vista!

    --
    "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." --Senator Carl Schurz (1872)
  17. This is completely clean - by lmb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    openSUSE does not ship code which is known to infringe patents or IP, so the patents either get invalidated (lengthy and expensive) or the code disabled / removed. This policy is not affected by the NOVL/MSFT deal at all; quite the contrary, it has always been Novell/SUSE's policy to not ship such code.

    Just like openSUSE doesn't ship infringing Linux drivers, or Debian not shipping certain licenses.

    What the heck is the fuzz about?

    1. Re:This is completely clean - by metamatic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      openSUSE does not ship code which is known to infringe patents or IP

      Funny, my copy includes Mono.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
  18. This is what I like about Linux by GFree · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think this makes for a pretty good example of one of the strengths of something like Linux. If you find your distro moving into directions you don't like, you can leave pretty easily and try another distro. They're all Linux, just wrapped up differently, and so if a distro decides to pull some shit like this, they'll only be hurting themselves because there's no real lock-in to any one distribution.

    Microsoft are trying to cripple Linux using traditional methods, but all they can really cripple is openSUSE due to the Novell partnership. It's not like MS can take over EVERY SINGLE DISTRO, particularly the homegrown stuff. A good example of the power of choice I think.

    1. Re:This is what I like about Linux by Aequo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you have any examples of how openSUSE has been crippled by Microsoft? It has already been pointed out further up that this article was _clearly_ either written by someone trying to spread FUD or by someone who just isn't very knowledgable (subpixel hinting is a freetype setting that the freetype developers themselves suggest disabling for distros). It is quite funny to see so many people jumping on the bandwagon, attempting to find 'omgz evil' in Novell because they made a business deal with Microsoft; obviously a deal that turns out to have done them more bad than good in the eyes of the community.

  19. Clear-Type replacement by Kim0 · · Score: 4, Informative

    They could just use this replacement, which is not patented:
    http://oyhus.no/SubLCD.html

  20. the openSUSE team did the right thing by w_albright · · Score: 5, Insightful

    IMHO, they did the right thing. One of openSUSE's goals is to be completely open source software (hence the 'open' in 'openSUSE'). Even if they may have the right to use them due to the MS/Novell patent deal, they do not want the distro encumbered with non-OSS software in the default install. Fedora 7 also disables this feature.

    If you want a distro protected (encumbered) by MS patents, buy SUSE Enterprise.

  21. Correction. AA support in Windows. by burnttoy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Windows has had AA text in the following formats.

      Right Click (or Right Menu Key) -> Properties -> Settings Tab -> Tick "Smooth Edges of Screen Fonts".

    WinXP - ClearType fonts supported (at least on Pro) - get a control panel applet from msdn/microsoft.com to change settings. HW support via alpha blending.

    WinXP Tablet Edition - Support of 90 degree rotation e.g. aliasing in Y instead of X (screens mounted portrait)... I think I'm right on this.

    Vista - more of the same I guess!

    YMMV - It's been a while since I mucked with Windows GDI Drivers.

    --
    Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
  22. Slashdot ate my comment! by burnttoy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Windows has had AA text in the following formats.

    Win95,3.1, probably 98 etc - none at all! Just 1bpp

    98SE,ME - these have support for 2 bit per pixel transparency masks as part of the GDI device driver. I can't remember how to turn on this feature but the Win2K method is shown below.

    NT4 - no support - just 1bpp text.

    Win2K - Same as 98/ME, 2 bits per pixel transparency. Try Desktop (Win+D), Right Click (or Right Menu Key), Properties, Settings Tab, Tick "Smooth Edges of Screen Fonts".

    WinXP - ClearType fonts supported (at least on Pro) - get a control panel applet from msdn/microsoft.com to change settings. HW support via alpha blending.

    WinXP Tablet Edition - Support of 90 degree rotation e.g. aliasing in Y instead of X (screens mounted portrait)... I think I'm right on this.

    Vista - more of the same I guess!

    YMMV - It's been a while since I mucked with Windows GDI Drivers.

    --
    Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
  23. Novell - Just brilliant by HangingChad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It really doesn't matter if this is related to the patent deal with Microsoft or not. The damage is done by the mere perception that Novell is aligned with Redmond.

    This whole deal is to IT was Iraq is to foreign policy: A bad idea implemented without a clear exit strategy.

    Unless the goal was to drive users to Ubuntu. In that case it's a brilliant plan.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
    1. Re:Novell - Just brilliant by bwalling · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The damage is done by the mere perception that Novell is aligned with Redmond.

      I won't disagree with that statement, but that's no excuse for this ridiculous story posted to Slashdot. For all of the griping around here about other companies' FUD, this is basically pure FUD itself. Alas, it's not an isolated case. It's too bad so many people read this site - it's a very poor source of information if you just scan the front page.

  24. Um, didn't Linux already fix this? by JetScootr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I seem to recall about 10 years ago font copyrights, etc, and the ClearType issue came up regarding Linux. The question then was whether it was OK to do *something* like this, or include fonts, etc, in OSS files and/or SW. Anyone remember the details?

    --
    Pavlov wouldn't be so famous if he'd used a can opener instead of a bell.
  25. Mark my words...the legal war cometh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    M$FT is simply using openSUSE here as a tool to prove that Linux violates patents (I don't believe this to be true). The more that Novell disables due to Microsoft patents, the more you can be sure that such disabling will be pointed to in the major legal war coming soon. This is the equivalent of troop movement...small pockets of M$FT troops are being moved into strategic areas near Linux's borders...they're hiding out in farmhouses and covered up with bales of hay, but they are indeed there. It's only a matter of time before they jump up, yell "Righteousness and truth be damned...", and begin the attack.

    Fathers, gather your weapons now. Board up your windows and doors. Make sure your cellars are concealed and livable, so that your wives and daughters will be comfortable. The War to End All Wars is upon us, and it's our obligation to join the cause and fight the dread beast Microsoft. I fear for our ancestors if we do not.

    The first step? Abandon openSUSE. They have been compromised, tainted and brainwashed beyond recovery. Best to put a bullet in their brain and save whatever honor is left in their history. Any among us who refuse to do so should follow the same fate.

  26. Re:It is about precedents by advocate_one · · Score: 2, Insightful

    corporate critters only have an eye for the next quarterly returns... as long as they can make their killing and successfully cash out their stock options, they don't care about the stockholders really... they don't intend to be around when the crap hits the proverbial fan. They'll be off raiding another company

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  27. Those Patents should expire soon (already have? ) by geohump · · Score: 2, Funny

    When were the cleartype patents filed? Patents only last 17 years.

  28. Nice Headline! by davevr · · Score: 2, Funny

    openSUSE hobbled by patents??

    yeah, right, and my access to your wallet is hobbled by those pesky anti-mugging laws.. geez.

  29. Re:It is about precedents by twistedcubic · · Score: 5, Funny


    In my opinion, open/free Linux is still 5-10 years behind Windows and OSX in terms of desktop functionality ...

    Yeah, a friend of mine has a Windows 95 machine, and I tried it out recently. Man, I was BLOWN AWAY. I've been wasting productivity on my Gentoo and Ubuntu machines, when all this time Windows 95 just makes it much easier. I mean, it looks and functions better, and everything just works. My friend showed me how to take all my LaTeX files (100 or so) for my book, with all the revision history in Git, and convert it all to Microsoft Word. Wow! Productivity SQUARED! After watching my reaction, my firend slapped me on the head (really hard) and exclaimed, "It's the APPS, stupid!"

  30. Mod parent up +5 insightful, please. by drdanny_orig · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I couldn't have said it better myself. Which is why I didn't.

    --
    .nosig
  31. Licenses. by miguel · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just to clarify the thesis of the post.

    Novell has not received any licenses to any patents, and neither has SUSE, nor OpenSUSE.

    The Microsoft-Novell agreement is about not suing customers over any potential patent infringement.

    Since OpenSUSE is a community effort, and it is used by people that might not be customers of Novell, removing code that is known to infringe on a patent is the correct thing to do (same policy applies to Mono).

  32. Re:It is about precedents by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Informative

    Today, you can only make a have baked OS and have half baked applications before you enter the patent and copyright mine field.

    This realization is precisely what the patentmongers fear. Because if this realization gets out in the world it will do them irreparable damage - the argument [in court] will be that it is utterly impossible to develop software because of the patent system. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery...

    In my opinion, open/free Linux is still 5-10 years behind Windows and OSX in terms of desktop functionality and these hurdles aren't going to allow the gap to close any time soon.

    Your opinion isn't worth much. There is one place, and one place only, where Linux is behind. That area is in drivers. Oh sure, Linux might support more hardware than any version of Windows - I wouldn't have any trouble believing that. But the problem with Linux is that the support for some hardware raises numerous problems which you simply don't have to deal with on Windows.

    Aside from that, can you name one kind of task that's easier on Windows than, say, on Ubuntu Feisty? I really will settle for just one clear example.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  33. Very Similar != Same in court eyes by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Informative

    The courts seem to favor the patent defendant (such as MS here) when issues of "obviousness" come to light. It seems it has to almost be exactly the same thing for a judge to overturn it, not merely very similar. A similar issue appeared in the GM (or was it Ford?) break-pedal case. Obviousness was pretty well demonstrated, but it was not deemed obvious *enough*. However, that case is still on appeal and climbing its way up the courts and may affect this case also because the level of obviousness is the key issue. Apple II using a very similar technique may not be enough. It may have to be pretty much exactly the same thing with the exact same look to qualify. (I think this is stupid, but that is another issue.)

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  34. Re:Ubuntu failed on my laptop, OpenSuSE worked. by Assassin_for_Atari · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually for anyone looking for a "install it and just watch it work" distro, I have been referring people to "Linux Mint" its pretty much ubuntu but with flash and all the media codes installed. They also have a great "start menu" and other utilities that make in a Drop in solution!

  35. In order for prior art to matter... by Rimbo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There are two things that must exist.

    1. It must be documented.

    I present to you the Beagle Bros Big Tip Book for the Apple ][, by Bert Kersey, ISBN-10: 0553342800, ISBN-13: 9780553342802, Publisher: Bantam Books - 1986. (I forgot the page number, but it's in there, complete with how it works and an example program.)

    As everyone knows, the Apple ][ graphics system was 128 pixels wide -- in color. But in monochrome, one could get 256 pixels wide. What the above book details is a way to get 512 pixels wide on any standard Apple ][ -- no 80-column adapter or 128KB necessary.

    It's the exact same algorithm ClearType uses.

    2. The parties must give a damn.

    Novell just signed their soul away to Microsoft, demonstrating that they don't give a damn. This is just the first step in the suckyzation of Novell's free Linux offal^H^Herings. This sort of thing has been around for decades, so why hasn't anyone challenged the patent? Because nobody gives a crap, that's why. Everybody's using Fedora or Ubuntu if they're going free, anyway.

  36. Re:Native resolution not common by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Try changing it though. 90% of stuff works, but very frequently options boxes and such won't properly display anymore because their overall dimensions are hardcoded, pushing the buttons and text off the bottom of the screen.

    This is generally my experience also. Seems nobody tested them well outside of the default settings. This is both within Windows and vendor apps that may have their own rendering conventions/engine.

    This is why we shouldn't give designers pixel-perfect layout. They always end up requiring it.

    Auto-flow layouts have their own tripping points and gotcha's. I am not sure there is any perfect solution. It is very difficult to design non-trivial GUI's that can span a wide range of resolutions.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  37. Re:It is about precedents by Brandybuck · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's also a case of "ignorance makes bliss". As a long time Unix user, when I go to Windows or Mac, I feel very constrained by the configuration dialogs. If I want to do something outside of the Redmond/Cupertino boxes, I have to start tweaking obscure registry settings, download buggy and untrustworthy utilities, etc. Windows and OSX users think their dialogs let them do everything, simply because they don't know anything else exists outside of the dialog's border.

    --
    Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!