Subject: Fwd: [OT] Is M$ trying to patent Linux away?
From: W.D.McKinney (deem@wdm.com)
Date: Wed Feb 25 2004 - 09:44:11 AKST
-----Original Message-----
From: Curtis Rey [mailto:crey@san.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 06:40 PM
To: suse-ot@suse.com
Subject: [OT] Is M$ trying to patent Linux away?
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/02/25/1346201
Time for all you vet 'nix gurus to give reference of your "earliest" use of a
virtual desktop pagers. I know that SGI has had one for quite some time and
X-windows may have even had this prior to Win 3.1. Below is a synopsis of
the basic article with some seemingly informed comments from /. . I for one
would like to get as much information so I might file my contentions with the
USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trade Office - for this not native to the U.S.). The
USPTO has both a process for filing claims or notifying them of prior art.
And one /. poster claims that each valid submission of knowledge of prior art
has a $50 award to the submitters for each instance of verifiable prior art.
I take this as a clear message that M$ is "truly" feeling the heat of FOSS and
Linux - lets get the facts and kick some M$ butt.
Microsoft Seeks Patent On Virtual Desktop Pager
Posted by timothy on 25/02/04 6:37
from the enlightenment-anyone dept.
ihabawad writes "Microsoft has a patent on file for this really cool new
technology called 'virtual desktops' where you see a 'pager' on the screen.
Read all about it by searching under "Published Applications" for patent
#20030189597 at the US Patent and Trademark Office. You know, I had a dream
that I was using such a thing once; what was it called? -- yes, FvwmPager!
Weird, eh?"
Patent application #20030189597 - Virtual Desktop Manager
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/documents/1900.htm
37 C.F.R. 1.291 [gpo.gov] gives members of the public the right to protest a
pending application by simply advising the patent office of any reason why a
patent should not issue, including prior art. The essential aspects of this
are that you must (a)correctly identify the application; (b)provide a concise
explanation of the reason for the protest; and (c)provide a copy of the prior
art your protest relies on.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/
get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=37&PART=1&SECTION=291&TYPE=TEXT
Prior art referenced in patent.
[0014] FIG. 1B is a pictorial diagram illustrating one implementation of a
panel containing a desk guide used to switch among multiple virtual desktops
according to the prior art.
[0015] FIG. 1C is a pictorial diagram illustrating another implementation of a
panel containing a desk guide used to switch among multiple virtual desktops
according to the prior art.
Those who are talking about the old x-windows multiple desktop switch tools
are correct: and Microsoft is well aware of them. They are claiming a
particular version where there is a tray icon (without preview) that summons
a dialog which shows all the desktops in scaled format for selection. I use
the alt-tab powertoy that I'm pretty sure this is based on: as I alt-tab I
see a reduced picture of the app I'm selecting to (except my X-Window client,
which it can't read).
- --
Spammers Beware: Tresspassers will be shot,
survivors will be shot again!
Warning: Individuals throwing objects at
the crocodiles will be asked to retrieve
them!
If pro is the opposite of con, then the
opposite of progress must be congress!
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.2 (GNU/Linux)
iD8DBQFAPOwdN9r/ngHXpykRAsF2AKDdOxJOPvhF9fkcUwOVYLRconS2GQCgr5ro
PxIQmdLSWUtDaUBDAoenJPI=
=Fl7+
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
---------
To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a23 : Wed Feb 25 2004 - 09:44:14 AKST