I've sent a correction to the FreeBSD docs folks, but to clear the record here:
PS3 was not based on FreeBSD. While it does use a variety of open source components from a lot of projects and does cite them, that doesn't mean it was "based on a modified version of FreeBSD."
And that's exactly what this continuation of a 1999 patent covers: NetBoot of the original iMac.
This is a non-story published by yet another blog that doesn't know how to read patents.
Prior art from 1982: "Quantum", a coin-operated video game authored by General Computer Corporation of Cambridge, MA, published by Atari of Sunnyvale, CA.
Summary: The patent describes a method for speeding up lasso selection operations. It first describes a method for reducing the number of points sampled from the cursor/pen through basic geometry and "including empirical calculations, algorithmic calculations, and/or a user's preferences." Then it goes on to describe a means for rejecting objects that are not contained within the lassoed area. This is done through axis-aligned bounding boxes, almost to the letter as described in legions of prior art in the graphics field known as "collision detection."
Apologies to the "inventors" because they certainly worked hard on this problem, but it's bog-standard in the video game field and has been for decades prior to the filing date.
Markoff simply reported on a press release (perhaps a personal email, but a press release nevertheless). Palm had nothing to do with it -- this was entirely Paul's doing. He reports every project he commences -- it's simply good PR. In this case, he likely said nothing about iPhone in doing so; that was likely Markoff's addition. If anything, we can infer that Paul's last effort, Iventor, has folded or he has left it in favor of a big company gig at Palm. With any luck Palm was smart enough to engage Paul in a major redesign because WinCE is unfortunately flooding the market with bad UI and Palm has little left to compete on.
And of course, Apple does not have thousands of ex-Apple [engineering] employees. They have hundreds of current Apple [engineering] employees, very few of which date back to System 7.
(Disclosure: I'm an ex-Apple employee and friend of Paul.)
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I've sent a correction to the FreeBSD docs folks, but to clear the record here:
PS3 was not based on FreeBSD. While it does use a variety of open source components from a lot of projects and does cite them, that doesn't mean it was "based on a modified version of FreeBSD."
PS4 certainly is, but not PS3.
And that's exactly what this continuation of a 1999 patent covers: NetBoot of the original iMac. This is a non-story published by yet another blog that doesn't know how to read patents.
He wrote Wizardry. Next thing you'll be telling me that they're going to shoot Richard "Lord British" Garriott into space.
Prior art from 1982: "Quantum", a coin-operated video game authored by General Computer Corporation of Cambridge, MA, published by Atari of Sunnyvale, CA. Summary: The patent describes a method for speeding up lasso selection operations. It first describes a method for reducing the number of points sampled from the cursor/pen through basic geometry and "including empirical calculations, algorithmic calculations, and/or a user's preferences." Then it goes on to describe a means for rejecting objects that are not contained within the lassoed area. This is done through axis-aligned bounding boxes, almost to the letter as described in legions of prior art in the graphics field known as "collision detection." Apologies to the "inventors" because they certainly worked hard on this problem, but it's bog-standard in the video game field and has been for decades prior to the filing date.
Markoff simply reported on a press release (perhaps a personal email, but a press release nevertheless). Palm had nothing to do with it -- this was entirely Paul's doing. He reports every project he commences -- it's simply good PR. In this case, he likely said nothing about iPhone in doing so; that was likely Markoff's addition. If anything, we can infer that Paul's last effort, Iventor, has folded or he has left it in favor of a big company gig at Palm. With any luck Palm was smart enough to engage Paul in a major redesign because WinCE is unfortunately flooding the market with bad UI and Palm has little left to compete on.
And of course, Apple does not have thousands of ex-Apple [engineering] employees. They have hundreds of current Apple [engineering] employees, very few of which date back to System 7.
(Disclosure: I'm an ex-Apple employee and friend of Paul.)
Oh great, now a spam zombie farm can be placed on another planet.
Why does everybody always get their panties in a bunch when Carmack "discovers" a technique that has been used before?
I can confirm that we did this "MegaTexture" thing in "Myth: The Fallen Lords."
Same thing a few years back when he "discovered" event journaling.
Been there, done that. Alert the media when Carmack discovers a new game play mechanic that isn't just "Doom rehashed."
-alexr
Why is this a big deal? Didn't the Morris worm hit more than one OS -- more than one processor architecture, even?