Court: Microsoft violated patent; can't sell Word

[onehandle]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a $290 million judgment against Microsoft Corp. and issued an injunction that will prevent the sale of its popular Word software.

The court injunction is set to go into effect Jan. 11. Microsoft has said such a bar would prohibit the sale of all currently available versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office.

Microsoft had appealed a Texas jury verdict in favor of i4i Inc., a Toronto company. The jury found recent versions of Microsoft Word infringed on a software patent.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091222/ap_on_bi_ge/us_microsoft_patent

---

Smiling? I'm smiling?

I have no idea why.

hee hee hee...

[derby378]

1. Oh, SNAP!

Is my copy of Word going to self-destruct now?

[HopeHoops]

47. No. Just don't let it do any updates. Fuck M$ Office anyway - use OpenOffice.

I'm sick of various versions of M$ Word not being compatible with OTHER versions of M$ Word. I mean the current version can't even handle an Office 2003 document correctly and given M$'s history on such things that has to be intentional. They cripple backward compatibility to get companies to upgrade (at great expense) to the newer version that "everyone is using". They haven't introduced anything useful into M$ Office in at least 15 years, and even then I'm doubtful the changes were "useful".

I have no problem opening, editing, and saving M$ Word documents in Open Office and IT IS FREE! Fuck M$ Word.

[nxylas]

51. I find Open Office lousy for Word-created forms though

I am looking for work at the moment and so filling out a lot of application forms. For most of them, I find trying to do it in Open Office is like pulling teeth.

[crikkett]

58. I try. OpenOffice is slow and clumsy for me.

I revert to an old version of Office when I want to actually get something done.

[Lithos]

64. Their big trick now is to hook you into Sharepoint

yet another proprietary hook of dubious value.

L-

[hlthe2b]

2. Somehow we're going to be the ones screwed over this....

Bet on it...

[90-percent]

3. ahhh memories

remember the good ole days of wordperfect and ami pro and lotus 123?

It always amazed me that all us software consumers would chose to make microsquish an even bigger monopoly than it already was, by buying their stuff instead of the others out there.

-90% jimmy

[Downwinder]

9. I'd dig out an old copy of WordStar, if, I wasn't using OpenOffice. n/t

[Hepburn]

12. LOL....

...I started on Word Star...did not know anyone else on the DU could remember way back when! My first move from Word Star was WP.4. WP.4 seems like such a dinosaur now...but what an amazing system way back when!

I am still on WP...I think #11, but not sure...and use it on a daily basis. Once into word processing, it seems like EVERYTHING, even the shopping list, is word processed.

:hi:

[mahatmakanejeeves]

23. will that run on DR-DOS?

DR-DOS

I still have a laptop with DR-DOS on it. I have to guess the commands. It's not something that gets used much. OK, at all.

[JDPriestly]

27. WordStar was the first program I used.

Good for what it was but rather limited.

[AngryAmish]

35. remember Volkswriter?

My first word processing program. Blush.

[Buns_of_Fire]

61. I dug out my old copy a while back. It even had manuals in the box!

Unfortunately, it also had umpty-leven 3 1/2" disks to install it from. 3 1/2" disks do me about as much good as trying to stuff a 45 rpm vinyl record into my CD player. Ah, but it brought back memories...

[JDPriestly]

26. God bless WordPerfect.

Remember the visible codes. If you suddenly got some strange aberration in the test, you could just look at the codes at the bottom of the screen and delete the trespassing code symbol. Oh, those were the days. Microsoft hides everything you need to know. Word has lots of bells and whistles, but you can't see what you are doing.

Give me WordPerfect any day. Loved it. Love it still.

[xxqqqzme]

29. Yes, yes, yes

I loved wordperfect because of the hide-em or not codes. I was a probate/real estate paralegal back then and those codes certainly saved me a lot of time.

[Tansy_Gold]

30. They're still there and they're still terrific n/t

[Scout]

45. i loved WordPerfect too ... and before that, WordStar n/t

[D-Lee]

53. Me too!

The control over formatting in WordPerfect is terrific!

[crikkett]

59. That's the first word processor I learned to use. On a 386... n/t

[NYC_SKP]

4. I cannot imagine this going into effect, but people who need Word better get it now.

I have Office Pro for XP and Office 2008 for Mac, so not worried.

Needless to say, it's much more stable on the Mac.

[eShirl]

6. Open Office is another option (and free)

I don't use it much, but it's always done what I asked it to.

[dragonlady]

49. Open Office is wonderful

It has always done what I've needed when working on documents created with Micro$oft.

[onehandle]

14. Oh, it's always available via torrent.

Day and night. Night and day.

[regnaD kciN]

25. My thought exactly...

Are they also going to issue an injunction against pirating it? :evilgrin:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

56. Don't do that. There's free, legal alternatives. -nt

[AlphaCentauri]

60. "people who need Word better get it now"

that would make a nice marketing slogan

People will react with fear thinking they could be left out

[DURHAM D]

5. I love the ad at the bottom of the thread...

[WriteDown]

7. Article is bare bones...

what's the deal?

[CrispyQ]

24. A better article here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121766377&ft=1&f=1001

[Donnachaidh]

8. so where do we request rebates for the money they owe us?

:rofl:

[hobbit709]

10. AW! That's just too bad.

Using WordPerfect since 5.0 for DOS.

[Hepburn]

13. WP 4.0 for Dos...that is where I started.

Two floppy disc drives back then! :hi:

[Tansy_Gold]

20. I think my first WP was 2.0, but I really learned on

Symphony.

I just bought WP Office X4 and love it. I have to do paying work with MSW and hate it; all my personal stuff is WP.

The BF scolded me for years over my loyalty to WP, until he needed to access some old business documents and MSW couldn't retrieve them. WP could and did.



Tansy Gold

[Hepburn]

39. I do a ton of ghost writing for other attys...

...and one of the requirements to use my services: No MSW word processing.

Gawd, that system sucks.

[Hepburn]

11. Word is a piece of shit...

...ask me if I care if that junk is ever on the market again.

I have done word processing since the mid-1080s...and the WORST program to use, IMO, is MSW. It has built-in templets that simply cannot be removed and the reveal codes function for this piece of crap is basically a hidden secret.

MSW major league sucks.

JMHO

[WriteDown]

15. So you're upset because you can't remove the templates?

:rofl:

[Renew Deal]

22. If I'd been doing word processing since the mid-1080s

I'd be afraid of change too.

[Hepburn]

38. Hint....

...MSW was designed to have certain templets ~~ to be left alone.

Duh...:eyes:

[Renew Deal]

21. Come'on, it has to be better than parchment or papyrus

:shrug:

[berni_mccoy]

16. That's going to hurt. Much more than any patent suit against IE.

[skoalyman]

17. Not to worry, they have a room full of monkeys locked in a room

working on the work around.:freak:

[LiberalLovinLug]

19. LOL

Explains a lot. If they hire enough monkeys maybe one day we'll get an actual functioning operating system from them.

But what software patent did they actually infringe on? Why didn't they say in the article? Probably yet another Apple product or innovation.

[Ian David]

18. That's okay. I still use Bank Street Writer.

[Norrin Radd]

28. I use Atlantis.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

31. does this mean no more of those fucking .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files?

I hate Apple more than I hate Microsoft - but fuck I hate Office 2007 files.

[bejamin wood]

42. I'm extremely happy

I used various flavors of Linux for the last seven years, then our office got Windows 7. My workflow nearly trippled and I'm not looking back.

[wildflower]

44. I can't stand Word 2007

I'm looking for a copy of Word 2003 to use instead. I liked Word well enough up until the 2007 version.

[AdHocSolver]

50. Look into obtaining a copy of OpenOffice. It will handle practically any file format.

Check it out at this web site:

http://www.openoffice.org/

It is free, well-written software. Updates are free as well.

If you are unable to download it, the web site has a link to a list of sites such as Amazon.com where you can order the program on disk.

[wildflower]

54. I'll look into it, thanks!

Is it compatible the other way too? I.e., if I create a file in OpenOffice, can someone with Word open and work with it?

[AdHocSolver]

63. Yes. You have to specify the file format that you want to save the file in.

OpenOffice uses its own file format to work on a document. When you save the file, the default format to write to disk is the OpenOffice format. In the Save File As window, there is a box with a pull down menu under the File Name box which allows you to specify a file format. As the file is written to disk, it passes through a filter that converts it to the format that you specify.

We have used OpenOffice exclusively for a couple of years now, and haven't had any problems exchanging files with M$ Word users. There are probably a few arcane features in M$ Word that the filter can't handle, but for most people, there should be no compatibility problem.

Check for links to user groups at the OpenOffice web site, or Google OpenOffice for links to user groups to find out other people's experience.

[dixiegrrrrl]

32. I know nobody who is happy with Microsoft.

What a lovely gift this article will make.

[Odin2005]

33. HA-HA!!!

[TrogL]

34. Open Office is your friend

[RamboLiberal]

36. Microsoft has already removed the code from Word - so they can keep selling

Microsoft said it has been preparing for such a judgment since August. Copies of Word and Office sold before Jan. 11 aren't affected by the court's decision. And Microsoft said it has "put the wheels in motion to remove this little-used feature" from versions of Word 2007 and Office 2007 that would be sold after that date.

"Beta" or test versions of Word 2010 and Office 2010, expected to be finalized next year, do not contain the offending code, the software maker said.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said it may appeal further, asking for either a rehearing in front of the appeals court's full panel of judges or in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/22/microsoft-word-patent-app_n_400866.html

[boppers]

37. A custom XML editor feature? Really?

Looking into the tech, this is a feature rarely ever even used by most people... folks used to working with XML are using actual XML tools (or text editors), not Word.

Sheer stupidity on their part.

Judgement:
http://www.i4ilp.com/court/JudgesRulingOnAppeal.pdf

Patent:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=y8UkAAAAEBAJ&dq=5787449

That being said, this is a stupid patent, on something I would consider obvious technology, dating from the 60's GML technology. Of course, judges are not software engineers, so the idea of separating <element>value</element> into multiple parts may seem like a novel invention to them.

[Retrograde]

40. Bah. Just use emacs like the good lord intended

Just kidding - I usually use (and complain about) Open Office which thinks it knows more than I do and seems more flaky than MS Word. But it's free and mostly does what I want it to.

I really miss vi and some of the old VMS editors. Not exactly word processors in the strictest sense but they got the job done.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

41. Why miss vi?

There are versions that run on dos/windoze. I use one a lot. There are just some things that are easier to do in vi.

The only problem is undoing the habits when using another editor, like when trying to skip lines.jjjj :hi:

[Recursion]

65. Emacs, too

Very occasionally I have to fire up a non-UNIX machine at work, and both emacs and vi work fine on it.

[BrightKnight]

43. .

[Ignis]

46. SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--

denfreude!

:rofl:

[Kablooie]

48. They have a simple work around. Sell a version that can't open .XML, .DOCX and .DOCM files.

They say that will be available by Jan 11.

Who the hell works on XML files using Word anyway?

[Zech Marquis The 2nd]

52. The only reason I even touch the piece of shit

is because DeVry REQUIRES their students to use Word and Office. WE do get it free, but still..I'd rather use iWorks.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

55. Don't smile. Patent trolls are more evil than Microsoft. -nt

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

57. That's at least the second time they've been zapped.

The other one I remember was when they ripped off Sun's Java- they rewrote it to suit themselves (WAY against Sun's licensing) and integrated it into the OS. They called it the Virtual Machine. When they got busted on it they pouted for a while then removed it from Windoze.

They never learn...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Jim Sagle]

62. Next the courts should outlaw Office 2007 on the grounds that Excel 2007 ain't nuthin' but shit.