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| Microsoft obtains patent on use of pronouns |
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By brian, Section News
Posted on Sat Jun 19th, 2004 at 10:16:07 GMT |
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The US Patent Office has granted Microsoft a patent on the use of pronouns in programming languages (US Patent 6,748,585 "Computer programming language pronouns", granted June 8 2004, filed November 29, 2000). According to the patent "by using pronouns... the programmer can write programs faster and easier and eliminate program redundancy without losing readability.". The details of the patent can be found at USPTO.gov.
(8 comments) Comments >>
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| Microsoft attempts to sue Director of National IT Institute in Brazil |
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By brian, Section News
Posted on Fri Jun 18th, 2004 at 16:10:41 GMT |
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The director of the Brazilian government's national IT Institute, Sérgio Amadeu da Silveira, has issued a short press release commenting on legal action taken against him by Microsoft, regarding comments made by him about their business practices. In the press release he says "the purchase of software that preserves the values of openness and freedom is, for the Brazilian government, a subject unavoidably connected to the democratic principle. And because it has been a long and painful path to reach our current democratic developmental stage in this country, we will not give up in our fight.... the future is free."
The original press release is available at ITI.br (in Portuguese), with a translation into English by Pablo Lorenzzoni at Propus.com.br. The Brazilian Free Software organization, Projeto Software Livre Brasil, is organizing petitions in support at Petitiononline.com (english version).
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| Microsoft patent to be reexamined at PUBPAT's request |
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By brian, Section News
Posted on Sat Jun 12th, 2004 at 08:48:14 GMT |
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[From PUBPAT] The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued an order granting the Public Patent Foundation's request for reexamination of Microsoft's patent on the FAT file system. In its order, the Patent Office found that PUBPAT's request raised "a substantial new question of patentability" regarding every claim of the patent. Details in the press release from PUBPAT.org.
(4 comments) Comments >>
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| New GNU Source CD released (18th edition) |
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By brian, Section News
Posted on Sat Jun 12th, 2004 at 08:48:02 GMT |
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Lisa Goldstein of GNU Press has sent out a newsletter announcing the latest release of the GNU Source CD (18th edition, with lower prices), and GNU Project 20th Anniversary T-shirts. There is also a call for volunteers to help on GNU stalls at conferences in Portland and San Francisco in July and August. Details in the announcement from GNU Press at GNU.org.
(3 comments) Comments >>
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| FSF-Europe Summer Newsletter |
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By brian, Section News
Posted on Fri Jun 11th, 2004 at 12:09:22 GMT |
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FSF Europe has sent out a new newsletter, covering updates on software patents, AGNULA, information about Georg Greve visiting with free software activists in South America and news on the Italian SAIE law. The newsletter is available from FSFEurope.org.
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