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IBM Wants Patent For Regex SSN Validation
theodp writes "What do you get when you combine IBM contributors with the Dojo Foundation? A patent for Real-Time Validation of Text Input Fields Using Regular Expression Evaluation During Text Entry, assuming the newly-disclosed Big Blue patent application passes muster with the USPTO. IBM explains that the invention of four IBMers addresses a 'persistent problem that plagues Web form fields' — e.g., 'a social security number can be entered with or without dashes.' A non-legalese description of IBM's patent-pending invention can be found in The Official Dojo Documentation. While IBM has formed a Strategic Partnership With the Dojo Foundation which may protect one from a patent infringement lawsuit over validating phone numbers, concerns have been voiced over an exception clause in IBM's open source pledge."
What is this buillshit? "A persistent problem is dashes in SSNs"???
How fucking hard is it to strip non-numeric characters from a string?
I cannot believe there could be such programmer incompetence; no, it has to be some managerial cluelessness and hard-headness.
put a damned example on your site, like this: nnn-nn-nnnn
You can put as many examples on your site as you want but your users will still find a way to fuck it up. You need code that checks for this and either corrects their stupidity or kicks it back and makes them re-enter it.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
as long as he doesn't sue anyone over the patent no puppies have been harmed.
And when the company gets bought out and the puppy-torturing plans get put into action by the new owners, and he screams, "But I didn't mean this to happen!" he will not be forgiven.
Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.