UDF is an ISO/IEC standard, so the format itself is not patent encumbered. Yes, ways of implementing it are, but the important thing is that Microsoft only has 3 patents that even mention UDF, and only one of those is specific to UDF. Also, IBM seems to be one of the largest patent holders on UDF implementations. I'm guessing they'd willing to launch a patent salvo against Microsoft should Microsoft try to sue someone over Linux' UDF implementation.
as someone who has used samba, he is responsible for one of the worst configuration file formats ever.
What's wrong with Samba's configuration file format? It's a Windows.INI-style format. Human readable, easy to parse, easy to write. What's not to like?
Interestingly (or perhaps ironically), the article you point to discusses Malcom Gladwell's definition of funadmental attribution error: "extrapolation from a measured characteristic to an unrelated characteristic."
The Innovation Alliance, which opposes these patent reforms, include some of the best and brightest in patent/IP trolling. One prominent company is the Canopy Partners, which is famous for its previous ownership of The SCO Group and Tessera, which is suing everyone in the wireless industry right now.
Here's the thing: a.torrent contains no data useful to anything but a BitTorrent client. It's just a pointer to the actual data. There's absolutely no proof that the actual content infringes anyone's copyrights.
Think of it this way. I make a sign that says BUY FULLY-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS HERE and install it on a gun shop's building. Fully-automatic assault weapons are illegal in my jursidiction. Do they arrest me, the sign maker?
No. They arrest the frickin' gun shop owner for selling illegal weapons.
What ThePirateBay.org does, at least in Sweden, is equivalent to what the sign maker did.
Ah. A Libertarian who still thinks Republicans are okay because they claim to for small government, lower taxes and free markets.
Hint: don't believe everything the Republicans tell you. They lie.
(I'm a small 'l' libertarian or a Jeffersonian liberal. However you want to look at it, I'm actually in favor of small government, lower taxes and free markets.)
The lack of support of Moonlight means that many, many computers can no longer access this governmental site to place bids. The taxpayers are not happy.
Exactly the point. If a particular government contractor is running Linux, FreeBSD, OS/2, BeOS, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, etc. on the desktop, they cannot place bids.
No, it is not okay to assume everyone uses Windows.
Moonlight even works on Firefox on Linux, and it's getting better at a pretty good rate.
Moonlight doesn't support Silverlight 2.0-targeted code. You're being a bit disingenious implying that Silverlight code works on Firefox. Some of it does, but a great deal of it does not. Much of it even requires a Windows client.
Slashdot Mirror
Okay, well, I did a Google patent search for Universal Disk Format, and AFAICT, no one has a patent on the format. I invite you to try for yourself.
Not so. Read the linked-to article.
UDF is an ISO/IEC standard, so the format itself is not patent encumbered. Yes, ways of implementing it are, but the important thing is that Microsoft only has 3 patents that even mention UDF, and only one of those is specific to UDF. Also, IBM seems to be one of the largest patent holders on UDF implementations. I'm guessing they'd willing to launch a patent salvo against Microsoft should Microsoft try to sue someone over Linux' UDF implementation.
It's already being used for large flash disks.
as someone who has used samba, he is responsible for one of the worst configuration file formats ever.
What's wrong with Samba's configuration file format? It's a Windows .INI-style format. Human readable, easy to parse, easy to write. What's not to like?
Forget ext2, they can use UDF, which is already supported on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X and is not patent encumbered.
Know someone on the outside and arrange SSH access with them.
Interestingly (or perhaps ironically), the article you point to discusses Malcom Gladwell's definition of funadmental attribution error: "extrapolation from a measured characteristic to an unrelated characteristic."
The Innovation Alliance, which opposes these patent reforms, include some of the best and brightest in patent/IP trolling. One prominent company is the Canopy Partners, which is famous for its previous ownership of The SCO Group and Tessera, which is suing everyone in the wireless industry right now.
Okay. I'm in the United States and I am a U.S. citizen, subject to the USA PATRIOT Act. Did I just break the law?
*squirts some "Red Shirt" cologne on himself*
Here, let my try some of that.
spray
Hmmm...smells pretty g
No, Uranus does!
But a specific torrent file has no purpose other than to facilitate distribution of a set of files, which may or may not be infringing.
There. Fixed it for you.
If the generated data infringes copyright, then why isn't the data generator also copyright infringing?
Because, entirely like BitTorrent it serves purposes that are not illegal.
Holy cow! From that screenshot Tim Berners-Lee was apparently also working on a complete rip-off of WindowMaker!
Here's the thing: a .torrent contains no data useful to anything but a BitTorrent client. It's just a pointer to the actual data. There's absolutely no proof that the actual content infringes anyone's copyrights.
Think of it this way. I make a sign that says BUY FULLY-AUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS HERE and install it on a gun shop's building. Fully-automatic assault weapons are illegal in my jursidiction. Do they arrest me, the sign maker?
No. They arrest the frickin' gun shop owner for selling illegal weapons.
What ThePirateBay.org does, at least in Sweden, is equivalent to what the sign maker did.
So did I, but I'm from the U.S.
### This post has been monitored by Central Intelligence Agency, Guantanamo Bay IT
Services Division ###
It's okay. He's hot purrrrsooot!!!
Ah. A Libertarian who still thinks Republicans are okay because they claim to for small government, lower taxes and free markets.
Hint: don't believe everything the Republicans tell you. They lie.
(I'm a small 'l' libertarian or a Jeffersonian liberal. However you want to look at it, I'm actually in favor of small government, lower taxes and free markets.)
Why? Because it's safe to assume everyone uses Windows and Microsoft technologies?
Wrong answer. That would be like the U.S. government assuming everyone drove Fords.
The lack of support of Moonlight means that many, many computers can no longer access this governmental site to place bids. The taxpayers are not happy.
Exactly the point. If a particular government contractor is running Linux, FreeBSD, OS/2, BeOS, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, etc. on the desktop, they cannot place bids.
No, it is not okay to assume everyone uses Windows.
green != blue
He doesn't care. He's a Republican. You slammed Bush. It doesn't matter who else you slammed.
s/Firefox/Firefox on Linux/
Moonlight even works on Firefox on Linux, and it's getting better at a pretty good rate.
Moonlight doesn't support Silverlight 2.0-targeted code. You're being a bit disingenious implying that Silverlight code works on Firefox. Some of it does, but a great deal of it does not. Much of it even requires a Windows client.
That is what we call 'vendor lock-in'.
Seriously folks, this is a non-issue except to people like RMS and his followers, and they will not be bidding anyway.
Really? Don't you think that Adobe or Apple might have something to say about it?