[mdlug] MS patents OS crippling

[Ingles, Raymond]

> From: Raymond McLaughlin 
> R. Kannan wrote:
> > In case you haven't seen this, MS has patented the tools for
extortion:
> >
> > "On Tuesday, Microsoft was granted US Patent No. 7,536,726 (it was
filed
> in 2005) for intentionally crippling the functionality of an operating
> system by 'making selected portions and functionality of the operating
> system unavailable to the user or by limiting the user's ability to
add
> software applications or device drivers to the computer' until an
'agreed
> upon sum of money' is paid to 'unlock or otherwise make available the
> restricted functionality.'
> 
> And, I think, prior art is trivial to find. A couple of weeks ago I
got
> some limited experience with DEC's TRU64 UNIX. My research lead me to
> references indicating that system functionality depended on certain
> license files (PAK files if I recall) being present and up to date.

 Lots of mainframes had similar restrictions, too.

 Sincerely,

 Ray Ingles                                                (313)
227-2317

  "...it is largely unnecessary to trade civil liberties for security...
   the best security measures -- reinforcing the airplane cockpit door,
   putting barricades and guards around important buildings, improving
  authentication for telephone and Internet banking -- have no effect on
     civil liberties. Broad surveillance is a mark of bad security."
                           - Bruce Schneier
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