It's only good that they need to get it. What's the problem anyway - if it's justified to put a GPS tracking device in the car, they get the warrant. This decreases the abuse from police where they would use those device's without a good reason.
move of some patents originally held by Microsoft to the Open Invention Network, where they will join a portfolio whose purpose is to inoculate open source companies against patent trolls.
Doesn't seem a lot like patent trolling from MS. They've pretty much always just cared about protecting their own ass from patent trolls - and now moving the patents to Open Invention Network, that does it for them and keep the technologies open to everyone else too.
But how many people in a jury actually have the knowledge about this specific computer systems and algorithms AND about the mess that patent system is.
The patent itself is really broad and lots of companies, games and software use the like of the system they claim as a patent (software registration with an online check with a short demo period until registered).
It is basically a serial key registration system that uses online check aswell to validate the key, and that before registering the program runs in demo mode. Surely there we're games/shareware apps that did that before this patent too.
Of course when it's about Microsoft winning a patent troll, it's because they "bribed judge".
This is why Microsoft and other big companies have to patent everything they can. Not to patent troll other companies with them, but to protect themself from said trolls. Actually I haven't still heard any case where MS has gone patent trolling - and before someone comes with the TomTom case, they actually made an aggressive movement against MS first and MS couldn't do anything else than sue them.
"It was never about the money. It was about the ethics of it... winning a court case is not winning the lottery."
I bet the $388 million had nothing to do with it.
This is the actual patent description:
A registration system allows digital data or software to run in a use mode on a platform if and only if an appropriate licensing procedure has been followed. Preferably, the system detects when part of the platform on which the digital data has been loaded has changed in part or in entirety, as compared with the platform parameters, when the software or digital data to be protected was last booted or run. The system relies on a portion of digital data or code which is integral to the digital data to be protected by the system. This integral portion is termed the code portion and may include an algorithm that generates a registration number unique to an intending licensee of the digital data based on information supplied by the licensee which characterizes the licensee. The algorithm in the code portion is duplicated at a remote location on a platform under the control of the licensor or its agents, and communication between the intending licensee and the licensor or its agent is required so that a matching registration number can be generated at the remote location for subsequent communication to the intending licensee as a permit to licensed operation of the digital data in a use mode. The code portion can be identical for all copies of the digital data. The algorithm provides a registration number which can be "unique" if the details provided by the intending licenses upon which the algorithm relies when executed upon the platform are themselves "unique."
Sounds like the usual serial key algorithm with an online check, used in many online games too.
Opera was there too, and it was certainly better than both IE and Netscape, just not as widely known. I remember installing it on my laptop back then and loved how light it felt and the mouse gestures etc. And still 10 years after I'm using it. It's great thing that Opera didn't got killed like Netscape back then.
As soon as Frame becomes popular it'll end up being yet another special case on the list of things you need to write extra code for, and that's a bad thing for a company that's supposed to be about embracing standards.
Well you do not really need any other extra things for Frame other than the metatag - which you can happily avoid and have the IE users use IE's rendering engine if you want so. Frame's engine is basically same as Chrome's and you're definitely not avoiding that either.
That being said I dont see a need to add the metatag to my sites. But if I did, I know it wouldn't really require more from me than that since I already have to support Chrome anyway. So it doesn't cause any fragmention.
But what would be the point of that? More work doesn't always equal better learning, and can get negative aswell. It's off from your personal, off-the-school learning and if school had given me too much hassle, I would had just taken it off from homeworks done (or skipped school).
Another thing is that the days would be put into summer. I remember it was getting difficult to have the learning mentality even in may already, when it was getting all nice outside and lots of things in school we're getting to the holiday mood. Granted, it would probably shift a bit later, but the summer mentality is there already. It's no surprising that the huge holiday is on summer instead of winter.
I agree. While my school days are long over, I doubt it would had made any sense to make them longer. It would probably had a negative impact actually.
Extending the school time only works so far. Those who want to learn, do it anyways. Those who really want to learn or are interested, even more so (thats pretty much where every programmer comes from).
Personally, I would hated to spend more time in school. It would even be more off from my learning to program and about computers, since those are still so shitty in schools compared to learning it on your own.
Maybe better solution is to optimize the time you spend in school? There's lots of useless things already, religion being the first one that comes to my mind. And make more choices to the students to take the classes they're interested in. World is too big to teach everything to everyone, so people need to specialize in their area.
You forget that no sane webmaster or company is going to break the functionality of their site and lose most of their users. IE is still the most used browser and will stay so. Ideologically your thinking is nice, but its not going to happen anytime soon.
The usage of Chrome Frame is up to the webmaster - you define it in a metatag. Even more so it sends the Chrome useragent then, so you can apply your hacks like normal.
This doesn't cost any more fragmention than before.
Because you cant install apps from elsewhere than the app store - unless you jailbreak your phone, but that comes with problems too and the fact you have to do it. Windows Mobile is a lot more open in this matter, since you can install your.cab file no matter where it came from, and you're not restricted to the app store.
It's not actually Android's permission model, this has been the case with Symbian since 9.0 too. When you're installing an application, it shows you what services it uses and what data it can access.
That being said, I dont like the need for certification of apps on symbian. But not like its really better on iPhone either.
Baker says Chrome Frame's browser-in-a-browser will confuse users and render some of their familiar tools useless. Some information will be manageable from the browser you use and some information from Chrome Frame.
Interestingly, isn't this an exactly same issue with Firefox addons too? Some of them might create the same kind of incompabilities than Chrome Frame plugin does.
On that note, in my opinion Chrome Frame itself serve's little to none purpose. If you can install it, you could install the actual Chrome (or some other) browser aswell. Websites need to opt-in for using the Chrome Frame for rendering with a metatag, and I think Google will be lucky if even 1% add that tag.
Only good reason I've come across is the next note from the article
Specifically, said Google, it was pushing Chrome Frame because it decided it wasn't worth trying to make its new collaboration and communications tool, Google Wave, work with IE. Google developers spent "countless hours" on tweaking Wave for IE, but gave up.
Which does make sense. Users can use IE, but still get the Wave to work. But I except google to take more major approach about the plugin soon.
You might like to take a look at the names that PC apps have too. Sometimes the name is completely off from the actual usage of the app, or is some twist to refer computer thing to a real world "equivalent"
Its not about internet traffic, but road traffic data. I would guess the application sends your location to a server which in return sends traffic data back about the surroundings. I didn't find english site tho, so might be wrong.
Not that it's really invasive anyway if the user wants that kind of app.
Slashdot Mirror
It's only good that they need to get it. What's the problem anyway - if it's justified to put a GPS tracking device in the car, they get the warrant. This decreases the abuse from police where they would use those device's without a good reason.
Microsoft Letting Patents Move To Linux Firms
move of some patents originally held by Microsoft to the Open Invention Network, where they will join a portfolio whose purpose is to inoculate open source companies against patent trolls.
Doesn't seem a lot like patent trolling from MS. They've pretty much always just cared about protecting their own ass from patent trolls - and now moving the patents to Open Invention Network, that does it for them and keep the technologies open to everyone else too.
I'm not talking just about Microsoft - there we're games and shareware programs that used the same kind of system back then too.
But how many people in a jury actually have the knowledge about this specific computer systems and algorithms AND about the mess that patent system is.
The patent itself is really broad and lots of companies, games and software use the like of the system they claim as a patent (software registration with an online check with a short demo period until registered).
For me it seems like the judge was right and the jury didn't understand computer systems.
The Patent Claims
It is basically a serial key registration system that uses online check aswell to validate the key, and that before registering the program runs in demo mode. Surely there we're games/shareware apps that did that before this patent too.
Of course when it's about Microsoft winning a patent troll, it's because they "bribed judge".
This is why Microsoft and other big companies have to patent everything they can. Not to patent troll other companies with them, but to protect themself from said trolls. Actually I haven't still heard any case where MS has gone patent trolling - and before someone comes with the TomTom case, they actually made an aggressive movement against MS first and MS couldn't do anything else than sue them.
"It was never about the money. It was about the ethics of it ... winning a court case is not winning the lottery."
I bet the $388 million had nothing to do with it.
This is the actual patent description:
A registration system allows digital data or software to run in a use mode on a platform if and only if an appropriate licensing procedure has been followed. Preferably, the system detects when part of the platform on which the digital data has been loaded has changed in part or in entirety, as compared with the platform parameters, when the software or digital data to be protected was last booted or run. The system relies on a portion of digital data or code which is integral to the digital data to be protected by the system. This integral portion is termed the code portion and may include an algorithm that generates a registration number unique to an intending licensee of the digital data based on information supplied by the licensee which characterizes the licensee. The algorithm in the code portion is duplicated at a remote location on a platform under the control of the licensor or its agents, and communication between the intending licensee and the licensor or its agent is required so that a matching registration number can be generated at the remote location for subsequent communication to the intending licensee as a permit to licensed operation of the digital data in a use mode. The code portion can be identical for all copies of the digital data. The algorithm provides a registration number which can be "unique" if the details provided by the intending licenses upon which the algorithm relies when executed upon the platform are themselves "unique."
Sounds like the usual serial key algorithm with an online check, used in many online games too.
THATS IT!
If you start fucking with me, you get what you deserve. My SimCity 2000 server is up, join it bitch and I'll crush you!
You might want to tell that to my 50 years old father who plays WoW and just now started playing Aion.
Opera was there too, and it was certainly better than both IE and Netscape, just not as widely known. I remember installing it on my laptop back then and loved how light it felt and the mouse gestures etc. And still 10 years after I'm using it. It's great thing that Opera didn't got killed like Netscape back then.
As soon as Frame becomes popular it'll end up being yet another special case on the list of things you need to write extra code for, and that's a bad thing for a company that's supposed to be about embracing standards.
Well you do not really need any other extra things for Frame other than the metatag - which you can happily avoid and have the IE users use IE's rendering engine if you want so. Frame's engine is basically same as Chrome's and you're definitely not avoiding that either.
That being said I dont see a need to add the metatag to my sites. But if I did, I know it wouldn't really require more from me than that since I already have to support Chrome anyway. So it doesn't cause any fragmention.
I did too, even tho the first clause was a bit bad worded. Same issues still stand tho.
But what would be the point of that? More work doesn't always equal better learning, and can get negative aswell. It's off from your personal, off-the-school learning and if school had given me too much hassle, I would had just taken it off from homeworks done (or skipped school).
Another thing is that the days would be put into summer. I remember it was getting difficult to have the learning mentality even in may already, when it was getting all nice outside and lots of things in school we're getting to the holiday mood. Granted, it would probably shift a bit later, but the summer mentality is there already. It's no surprising that the huge holiday is on summer instead of winter.
I agree. While my school days are long over, I doubt it would had made any sense to make them longer. It would probably had a negative impact actually.
Extending the school time only works so far. Those who want to learn, do it anyways. Those who really want to learn or are interested, even more so (thats pretty much where every programmer comes from).
Personally, I would hated to spend more time in school. It would even be more off from my learning to program and about computers, since those are still so shitty in schools compared to learning it on your own.
Maybe better solution is to optimize the time you spend in school? There's lots of useless things already, religion being the first one that comes to my mind. And make more choices to the students to take the classes they're interested in. World is too big to teach everything to everyone, so people need to specialize in their area.
Which, interestingly, is only a problem in US. In every other country the caller pays for the call/sms.
You forget that no sane webmaster or company is going to break the functionality of their site and lose most of their users. IE is still the most used browser and will stay so. Ideologically your thinking is nice, but its not going to happen anytime soon.
The usage of Chrome Frame is up to the webmaster - you define it in a metatag. Even more so it sends the Chrome useragent then, so you can apply your hacks like normal.
This doesn't cost any more fragmention than before.
Because you cant install apps from elsewhere than the app store - unless you jailbreak your phone, but that comes with problems too and the fact you have to do it. Windows Mobile is a lot more open in this matter, since you can install your .cab file no matter where it came from, and you're not restricted to the app store.
It's not actually Android's permission model, this has been the case with Symbian since 9.0 too. When you're installing an application, it shows you what services it uses and what data it can access.
That being said, I dont like the need for certification of apps on symbian. But not like its really better on iPhone either.
Baker says Chrome Frame's browser-in-a-browser will confuse users and render some of their familiar tools useless. Some information will be manageable from the browser you use and some information from Chrome Frame.
Interestingly, isn't this an exactly same issue with Firefox addons too? Some of them might create the same kind of incompabilities than Chrome Frame plugin does.
On that note, in my opinion Chrome Frame itself serve's little to none purpose. If you can install it, you could install the actual Chrome (or some other) browser aswell. Websites need to opt-in for using the Chrome Frame for rendering with a metatag, and I think Google will be lucky if even 1% add that tag.
Only good reason I've come across is the next note from the article
Specifically, said Google, it was pushing Chrome Frame because it decided it wasn't worth trying to make its new collaboration and communications tool, Google Wave, work with IE. Google developers spent "countless hours" on tweaking Wave for IE, but gave up.
Which does make sense. Users can use IE, but still get the Wave to work. But I except google to take more major approach about the plugin soon.
You might like to take a look at the names that PC apps have too. Sometimes the name is completely off from the actual usage of the app, or is some twist to refer computer thing to a real world "equivalent"
The Ars Technica article linked in the OP says that this applies to jailbroken iPhones.
It doesn't say it applies to only jailbroken iPhones, it says it's easy to see with a jailbroken iPhone (since you can find the directory then)
Both jailbroken and non-jailbroken can access it tho.
Ah, the part that was nicely removed from the summary while keeping the first 3 paragraphs the same.
As invasive and despicable as that sounds, it raises another question:
Makes more sense in that case too.
Its not about internet traffic, but road traffic data. I would guess the application sends your location to a server which in return sends traffic data back about the surroundings. I didn't find english site tho, so might be wrong.
Not that it's really invasive anyway if the user wants that kind of app.
That same data is available on every other platform too (Symbian and Windows Mobile I can confirm, but most likely on Android and Palm too)