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US Court Tells Microsoft To Stop Selling Word
oranghutan writes "A judge in a Texas court has given Microsoft 60 days to comply with an order to stop selling Word products in their existing state as the result of a patent infringement suit filed by i4i. According to the injunction, Microsoft is forbidden from selling Word products that let people create XML documents, which both the 2003 and 2007 versions let you do. Michael Cherry, an analyst quoted in the article, said, 'It's going to take a long time for this kind of thing to get sorted out.' Few believe the injunction will actually stop Word from being sold because there are ways of working around it. In early 2009, a jury in the Texas court ordered Microsoft to pay i4i $200 million for infringing on the patent. ZDNet has a look at the patent itself, saying it 'sounds a bit generic.'"
The brown just hit the fan.
So if I decide to write specially crafted xml with my own special tags (like I have done countless numerous times to bypass limitations within .NET framework) I could get sued because I added something that was not standard....F*CK THAT! I am thinking of a word, and someone holds that patent on the word, so each time I speak this word out loud, I am encroaching on a patent....this is seriously f*cked up!!!
Forget singing along to your favorite song, you might owe money!
I've seen "loose" for "lose" 3-4 times already this morning. UGH! I can't take it! *smashes head on the desk's edge*
The word is spelled L-O-S-E. You LOSE keys. You LOSE market-share. You LOSE a game. You LOSE your sanity!
Morals, change & pants are loose... if you habitually can't get it right you are a LOSER.
XML Provides Standardization for International Functionality between individuals and (within) businesses, governments.... XML Customization by Businesses, Governments, Individuals... altering recognized and accepted international XML Standards seek to hawk proprietary products and hook data/content novices into a blind and costly ally.
W3C XML http://www.w3.org/XML/
ODF XML ISO/IEC 26300:2006 http://www.iso.org/
ODF XML OASIS http://www.oasis-open.org/
OpenOffice XML http://www.openoffice.org/
The XML OpenDocument Format (ODF) standard, used by OpenOffice and others, is an open XML-based document file format for office applications to be used for documents containing text, spreadsheets, charts, and graphical elements. The file format makes transformations to other formats simple by leveraging and reusing existing standards wherever possible. As an open standard under the stewardship of OASIS, OpenDocument also creates the possibility for new types of applications and solutions to be developed other than traditional office productivity applications.
IMO Summary: If you fear long-term data/content cost/legal..., then... from Microsoft Office... RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY FAST!
Unaccountable leaders are masters, and unrepresented people are slaves. How do US and EU fare?