"Microsoft has been granted a patent for the sudo command, because apparently you can patent a command that goes back to the mainframe days as long as you explain that it's a "personalized version" with a GUI."
It's not specifically sudo, it's just some generic line that could remind it.
Actually, it could be tons of other things.
But I'm shure Microsoft haters will find in this yet another reason to call it evil or whatever. Have fun.
Sounds more like a patent to protect itself from random unknown companies or "inventors" that comes out of nowhere claiming they made the patent first and sueing for ridiculous ammounts of money.
On another note, serious question here, has Microsoft ever sued other companies with frivolous reasons?
Answer is probably yes, but I can't remember anything like that.
You know, like Apple sueing fruits companies or colleges/universities for using a logo that looks like... you know, apples. #microsoftsudopatent
While anti-Microsofties are going to be quick to criticise this, if you read the patent application, you'll see that it's different from sudo. An analogy would be landlines versus mobile phones. In both cases you dial a number on a handheld device and communicate (voice only) with them over a great distance. Similar interfaces that achieve similar results, but enough of a difference to be patentable. For example, mobile phones combine the keypad with the headset. Trust me, I have no love for software patents (I think they should all be banned), but this patent is not sudo.
People from Slashdot have already critiqued this to death and the general consensus on the pro-Linux Slashdot is that it's not sudo and this is probably MS filing a defensive patent application so as to ward off potential future lawsuits. #microsoftsudopatent
@jinushaun: Right, it's not quite sudo. It's more of a reactive screen that then invokes something like sudo to do the job, the patent appears to be for the UI before sudo is invoked, not the act of actually running something as an administrator.
However, while IANAL, it would seem that OSX's "enter an administrator username and password to continue" screens, that certainly pre-date the filing of this patent, are quite similar, and should likely count as prior art. The main "invention" here, seems to be the pre-populating of a list of user accounts that have the permissions to perform the requested task. #microsoftsudopatent
@bagellord: I'm sorry, but the fact you used a Linux command to execute a program "clothes" with the argument "-off" means you will never have a lady disrobe in your presence, ever. Good day to you, sir. #microsoftsudopatent
@bagellord: Hmm, robot chicks... would that make the sudo command Robotinol? You wouldn't even have to sneakily slip it into drinks! Hmm, the manual input might be an issue though... hope you have some WD-40 cause that sounds like it's going to chafe! #microsoftsudopatent
The Giz author isn't lying, I just read the patent claim. Sure sounds like SUDO. Someone tell me this isn't sudo, "Systems and/or methods are described that enable a user to elevate his or her rights. In one embodiment, these systems and/or methods present a user interface identifying an account having a right to permit a task in response to the task being prohibited based on a user's current account not having that right."
What you've quoted is not the "patent claim," but rather the abstract, which has no practical legal significance in defining the scope of the patent.
The claims define patent scope, and these claims include many features that go well beyond what sudo ever did. Whether it would have been obvious to *modify* sudo to do these things is a separate point--it's a facile mischaracterization of this patent to say that MS has "patented sudo."
(It's worth noting that a substantial amount of prior art relating to sudo was disclosed and considered by the PTO in the prosecution of this patent, which strongly cuts against the "obvious to modify" question raised above--the PTO is clearly aware of sudo, and has determined that these claims are patentably distinct from it.) #microsoftsudopatent
It doesnt sound like sudo. it sounds like "run as another user who can run something like this"
EDIT: well its my opinion. i didnt read the full patent, but the first bit sounds like it is describing something like the "run as" window i got once or twice in XP.
@Pengwin: Yep, the main difference is that sudo depends on su, which doesn't really care about who has permission for what; it just runs commands as another user.
The Microsoft patent is explicitly only for use in the case that a computer reads code protected by another user, and requires user interaction to gain that permission. #microsoftsudopatent
@spannu:
"The Microsoft patent is explicitly only for use in the case that a computer reads code protected by another user, and requires user interaction to gain that permission."
What? It isn't specific at all. It is for rights elevation and that is it. Rights for everything, where is the part about another user and where is the dual login? #microsoftsudopatent
The opposite is true--the QWERTY layout was designed to minimize mechanical jams, which is obviously a design to speed up typing as much as possible. As QWERTY's invention didn't anticipate any possible effects the layout would have on non-mechanicaal keyboards, the idea that somehow they designed this to slow us down in the 21st century is clearly an old wives' tale.
For a good demolition of the urban legends surrounding keyboard layouts, I'd recommend this paper: http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/keys1.html
Since the keys are always in the same relative position to your fingers, you will always have a physical point of reference
Actually the patent mentions that it will only bring the keyboard to life with a pre-set tough gesture involving a palm and a couple of fingers. It generates a keyboard based on where your hands are, and modulates the size of that keyboard by the distance between palm and finger. Then there's a gesture to dismiss the keyboard.
So anyone who assumes that this is some kind of weird, floating keyboard that follows you around and disappears when you raise your hand....well.... you're silly.
Well you know, the QWERTY layout was originally designed for the purpose of making typing as slow as possible, so that people working on type-writers didn't move too fast for the machine.
@craig_16: Thats the point. the keyboard will always move with your hand on the screen. The base of the hand is the point of reference for the position of the keybourd. As long as you keep the base of your palm on the screen, the keyboard will always align itself to the right position.
Yeah, it sounds like the best solution there is for a touch screen (unless they could make a keyboard magically ascend from the screen itself), but I think I'll always prefer a physical keyboard.
The tactility of a physical keyboard... cannot be beat.
@kickassy: Always keeping the base of your palms on the screen would require an input area approximately the size of a 12-inch screen. On a single screened device there wouldn't be enough room to actually see the document you are typing. Even if there was some way around that, I still don't think this would be a desirable way of entering large amounts of text.
On top of no G, two Bs, and a mis-shifted bottom left row... the right hand is not in proper home position. I love the idea, but seriously, how could they not get an artist who actually understands touch typing? Is MS that hard up?
@witeowl: two occurrences of the letter B I can understand; it's legit, as on a LOT of keyboards, the spacing from J and F is the same. I even have an old keyboarding book that instructs that B is hit by what is typically the user's dominant hand, although it's actually more on how you learn as well.
It's one of the key positioning letters: the letter H. IIRC, the entire right hand should be one key to the right. That way, they can put the letter G on the left bar. Well, that, and J is where the rests are, along with F.
BUT, it's a prototype art piece. All it has to show is that it, well, exists.
11/12/09
So, they patented GKSudo? #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
Actually, it could be tons of other things.
But I'm shure Microsoft haters will find in this yet another reason to call it evil or whatever. Have fun.
Sounds more like a patent to protect itself from random unknown companies or "inventors" that comes out of nowhere claiming they made the patent first and sueing for ridiculous ammounts of money.
On another note, serious question here, has Microsoft ever sued other companies with frivolous reasons?
Answer is probably yes, but I can't remember anything like that.
You know, like Apple sueing fruits companies or colleges/universities for using a logo that looks like... you know, apples. #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
People from Slashdot have already critiqued this to death and the general consensus on the pro-Linux Slashdot is that it's not sudo and this is probably MS filing a defensive patent application so as to ward off potential future lawsuits. #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
However, while IANAL, it would seem that OSX's "enter an administrator username and password to continue" screens, that certainly pre-date the filing of this patent, are quite similar, and should likely count as prior art. The main "invention" here, seems to be the pre-populating of a list of user accounts that have the permissions to perform the requested task. #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
11/12/09
sudo clothes -off #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
11/12/09
11/12/09
11/12/09
11/12/09
What you've quoted is not the "patent claim," but rather the abstract, which has no practical legal significance in defining the scope of the patent.
The claims define patent scope, and these claims include many features that go well beyond what sudo ever did. Whether it would have been obvious to *modify* sudo to do these things is a separate point--it's a facile mischaracterization of this patent to say that MS has "patented sudo."
(It's worth noting that a substantial amount of prior art relating to sudo was disclosed and considered by the PTO in the prosecution of this patent, which strongly cuts against the "obvious to modify" question raised above--the PTO is clearly aware of sudo, and has determined that these claims are patentably distinct from it.) #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
...
"Seriously?"
"Yes... or else I'll format C: and partition your bodies until your own chkdsk's won't recognize the fragments!"
...
"/sigh" #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
or else I'll mkdosfs -vF 32 /dev/hda #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
EDIT: well its my opinion. i didnt read the full patent, but the first bit sounds like it is describing something like the "run as" window i got once or twice in XP.
11/12/09
The Microsoft patent is explicitly only for use in the case that a computer reads code protected by another user, and requires user interaction to gain that permission. #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
[patimg1.uspto.gov]
Wow, i hope that link works. But that hardly looks like sudo
i hop #microsoftsudopatent
11/12/09
"The Microsoft patent is explicitly only for use in the case that a computer reads code protected by another user, and requires user interaction to gain that permission."
What? It isn't specific at all. It is for rights elevation and that is it. Rights for everything, where is the part about another user and where is the dual login? #microsoftsudopatent
09/27/09
For a good demolition of the urban legends surrounding keyboard layouts, I'd recommend this paper: http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/keys1.html
09/26/09
Actually the patent mentions that it will only bring the keyboard to life with a pre-set tough gesture involving a palm and a couple of fingers. It generates a keyboard based on where your hands are, and modulates the size of that keyboard by the distance between palm and finger. Then there's a gesture to dismiss the keyboard.
So anyone who assumes that this is some kind of weird, floating keyboard that follows you around and disappears when you raise your hand....well.... you're silly.
09/26/09
Where is my neuro-interface?
09/26/09
Well you know, the QWERTY layout was originally designed for the purpose of making typing as slow as possible, so that people working on type-writers didn't move too fast for the machine.
09/26/09
09/26/09
09/26/09
09/26/09
09/26/09
Yeah, it sounds like the best solution there is for a touch screen (unless they could make a keyboard magically ascend from the screen itself), but I think I'll always prefer a physical keyboard.
The tactility of a physical keyboard... cannot be beat.
09/26/09
09/26/09
09/25/09
I'm still waiting for someone to make this happen though:
[xspblog.com]
09/25/09
09/25/09
It's one of the key positioning letters: the letter H. IIRC, the entire right hand should be one key to the right. That way, they can put the letter G on the left bar. Well, that, and J is where the rests are, along with F.
BUT, it's a prototype art piece. All it has to show is that it, well, exists.