http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1767520,00.asp
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1730746,00.asp


miscosft has filed a patent for the 'IsNot' operator (thats the '!=' operator to c/c++/java programmers and '<>' to visual basic porgrammers.)

i sometimes the the news on ani-software parent sites.
Microsoft also have patents like

1)the *nix sudo sommand (used in linux / unix for decades, but never in windows)
2) timed double clicking.

im not against real patents for real inventions..
but you should NOT be able to patent prior art OR the obviouse.

what you guys think about the possability of software patents in europe ?

What I fail to understand is how can MS get patents on stuff like sudo and isnot - when they didn't even comeup with them in the first place and never use them in any way on its OS/Dev Platform.. And as you said IsNot is just a variation of != and does the same basic operation..And this OP has existed almost since the beginning days of C - far far earlier than MS came up with any Development Products.. How can they claim patent on something that's not even their own invention.. How on earth - or who on earth can be stupid enough to grant their patents ??????? Are there only dumb f***s sitting up in the patent office ?? People who can't see anything but all that $$$$ that MS very conveniently swings in front of their eyes.. To hell with software patents.. I've signed up for that Anti- Software Patent Movement in Europe.. and am supporting is to the fullest extent.

If this is the way it goes - I'm going to design my own language and take all the features from every other language, modify the keywords by one letter here and there and file for a mass patent..lol.. in fact that way the whole world will be filing for patents.. urrghh.. what a Mega IDIOT - this time MS has gone really far to prove it's idiocy.

This reminds me of an attempt that US made around 3-4 years back to make a patent on a particular variety of real high quality long-grained rice with a beautiful smell/flavour that has been growing in the Indian subcontinent and pakistan since time unknown.. It's called Basmati Rice Infact we, pakistan & bangladesh were the only exporters of this rice till recentlycoz it wouldn't grow on anywhere on earth. All of a sudden US comes up with this genetically modified breed of rice which is 99.99% similar to Basmati and claims it to be their own !!! It wasn't even a genetic hybrid in all probablity - they just tried mixing our basmati with some other variety and tried to get that patent - even on the NAME... There was a long drawn international court case - till they were forced to rename it to Jasmati I think - they claimed it was a hybrid of our Basmati and the Thai jasmine rice..hence jasmati..lol..

Anyways, my whole point is do you see any similarities between these events ???

Yeah, we see the connection. The only reason Microsoft is probably asking for these patents so they can abuse and exploit it to the fullest. And like the Windows story, modify and edit. And Bill Gates can just keep on forking out the cash for it. As long as we don't have to pay for it, does it really matter?

NO.
I will NEVER survive with TIMED SINGLE CLICKS in Debian!
OR imagine pressing Ctrl + click!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Please don't do this, almighty Gates.

OK, now maybe Single Timed clicks i could survive, but not Ctrl-click. The day Ctrl-click is a patent, then i go all console. No better yet, i'll go physical. I'll work out, i'll do laps, i'll sleep with Michael Jackson. But Microsoft will cross the line if they do that. Counter Though: What if other company's jump on the Microsoft wagon. Imagine though.....Gamecube that has a patent on the power button.....

sigh... microsoft and americans and capitalism... what can i say? (no political abuse in this forum)

Yeah, but in Australia i heard that a man got patent for an object round that permit to do less effort when you've to move... -.- The MS has a patent for everything...the mouse too is under license...i think

thats fine. the mouse is a real invention.
it has a wheel sensor on the bottom (or now laser)
it has buttons ans scroll wheels.
it uses a protocol. all of which have been desgned.

what annoys me, is then someone starts looking through a patent database, and
patenting whatever isnt already there...

for example patenting logic.
you cant patent AND OR XOR NOT
its just blatently obviouse, and has been used by everyone for centuries.

Let's collectively drop our evil M$ software and go for Linux or any other *nix based OS. Let us burn down the house of Gates and crucify him .

Just kidding...

I just want to see him going bankrupt and becoming a beggar.



Jipman at sadistic mode, signing off...

I have nothing againsed Bill Gates as a person.
just the poor quality software, legal abuse and lies that come out of his company.

Bill gates personally donates huge amounts of money to charity, which in the real world is more important than computer security.

I would like to see Microsoft go down the same path as Apple mac.
in the space or OS-9 or OSX they completely turned around their poor OS, and brought it into the *nix family.