Microsoft Patents Breakthrough Technology!

Sebastiani · 09-24-2009, 03:30 PM

Whitespace!

Historic times, these are.

brewbuck · 09-24-2009, 03:43 PM

I don't have time to read the patent in full, but it looks like what they are doing is using whitespace to encode proprietary keywords in such a way that non-Microsoft compilers will interpret these keywords as whitespace and ignore them. Ostensibly, this is to maintain compatibility between "C++" programs using Microsoft proprietary extensions, and existing standards-compliant compilers.

I could be wrong -- like I said, I don't have time to parse through all that right now. But it's certainly not a "patent on whitespace."

MK27 · 09-24-2009, 03:43 PM

Yeah I read it the same way as brewbuck.

Thank god they have patented this, otherwise it will spread.

Sebastiani · 09-24-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewbuck

I don't have time to read the patent in full, but it looks like what they are doing is using whitespace to encode proprietary keywords in such a way that non-Microsoft compilers will interpret these keywords as whitespace and ignore them. Ostensibly, this is to maintain compatibility between "C++" programs using Microsoft proprietary extensions, and existing standards-compliant compilers.

I could be wrong -- like I said, I don't have time to parse through all that right now. But it's certainly not a "patent on whitespace."

I was obviously exaggerating, yes.

Still, this is hardly 'patentable' material, IMO. More like a clever hack, if anything...

Quote:

Thank god they have patented this, otherwise it will spread.

My sentiment exactly.

**Bubba** · 09-24-2009, 07:15 PM

Didn't they just lose their XML patent?

NeonBlack · 09-24-2009, 07:23 PM

Certainly not a new idea though. Look around and you'll find programs that compile in both C++ and whitespace for example.

abachler · 09-25-2009, 11:54 PM

It's just another frivolous patent. It wouldn't hold up in court, but then it'd cost anyone who challenged it million of dollars just to get to court. Someone needs to get 50000 companies to simultaneously sue MS in a litigation version of a denial of service attack.

Zach_the_Lizard · 09-26-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abachler

Someone needs to get 50000 companies to simultaneously sue MS in a litigation version of a denial of service attack.

Shhh..... Don't tell anyone that! After Microsoft falls, this unholy legion of lawyers will move on to new prey, until the rest of civilization is destroyed. You heard it here first!

ಠ_ಠ · 09-26-2009, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abachler

a litigation version of a denial of service attack.

distributed denial of service attack

09-24-2009, 03:30 PM	#1
Sebastiani Guest Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 4,923	Microsoft Patents Breakthrough Technology! Whitespace! Historic times, these are.
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09-24-2009, 03:43 PM	#2
brewbuck Senior software engineer Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 5,381	I don't have time to read the patent in full, but it looks like what they are doing is using whitespace to encode proprietary keywords in such a way that non-Microsoft compilers will interpret these keywords as whitespace and ignore them. Ostensibly, this is to maintain compatibility between "C++" programs using Microsoft proprietary extensions, and existing standards-compliant compilers. I could be wrong -- like I said, I don't have time to parse through all that right now. But it's certainly not a "patent on whitespace." __________________ "Congratulations on your purchase. To begin using your quantum computer, set the power switch to both off and on simultaneously." -- raftpeople@slashdot
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09-24-2009, 03:43 PM	#3
MK27 subminimalist Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NYC Posts: 3,944	Yeah I read it the same way as brewbuck. Thank god they have patented this, otherwise it will spread. __________________ Accuracy and integrity mean nothing if you don't make it past the censors...PYTHAGORAS
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09-24-2009, 07:15 PM	#5
Bubba Super Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 7,472	Didn't they just lose their XML patent? __________________ If you aim at everything you will hit something but you won't know what it is.
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09-24-2009, 07:23 PM	#6
NeonBlack Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 171	Certainly not a new idea though. Look around and you'll find programs that compile in both C++ and whitespace for example. __________________ I copied it from the last program in which I passed a parameter, which would have been pre-1989 I guess. - esbo
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09-25-2009, 11:54 PM	#7
abachler Rampaging 35 Stone Welsh Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2,927	It's just another frivolous patent. It wouldn't hold up in court, but then it'd cost anyone who challenged it million of dollars just to get to court. Someone needs to get 50000 companies to simultaneously sue MS in a litigation version of a denial of service attack. __________________ He is free, you say. Ah! That is his misfortune… These men… [have] the most terrible, the most imperious of masters, that is, need. … They must therefore find someone to hire them, or die of hunger. Is that to be free? - Simon Linguet Last edited by abachler; 09-25-2009 at 11:57 PM.
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