Microsoft patents the mother of all adware systems

[villager]

Source: arts technica

Microsoft patents the mother of all adware systems

By John McBride |

It's such a tremendously bad idea that it's almost bound to succeed. Microsoft has filed another patent, this one for an "advertising framework" that uses "context data" from your hard drive to show you advertisements and "apportion and credit advertising revenue" to ad suppliers in real time. Yes, Redmond wants to own the patent on the mother of all adware.

The application, filed in 2006, describes a multi-faceted, robust ad-delivering system that lives on a "user computer, whether it's part of the OS, an application or integrated within applications."

"Applications, tools, or utilities may use an application program interface to report context data tags such as key words or other information that may be used to target advertisements," says the filing. "The advertising framework may host several components for receiving and processing the context data, refining the data, requesting advertisements from an advertising supplier, for receiving and forwarding advertisements to a display client for presentation, and for providing data back to the advertising supplier."

The adware framework would leave almost no data untouched in its quest to sell you stuff. It would inspect "user document files, user e-mail files, user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, computer status messages (e.g., a low memory status or low printer ink)," and more. How could we have been so blind as to not see the marketing value in computer status messages?

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Read more: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070717-microsoft-patents-the-mother-of-all-adware-systems.html

---

All right, maybe it is time to either go back to Mac, or switch to Linux...

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

1. This is one of those rare instances I actually thank God for hackers.

They'll find a way to break this horror- probably within an hour or two of it being implemented. :thumbsup:

[ProudDad]

2. Or get a nice "legal" copy of Win2K

The best of the bunch -- without snitchware, spyware or nagware or kill-your-system-ware...

Fuck m$...

NO SOFTWARE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO BE PATENTED...BULLSHIT CONCEPT.

Copyright is one thing, patenting software is an abomination...

[bitchkitty]

22. Or get a Mac - I did! :) n/t

[Brundle_Fly]

37. let me guess...

you are loving it.

I switched in 2002, have a quad core mac pro and a dual core macbook pro now...

never going back.

[conspirator]

36. Patenting software is a draconian measure that will never work. Thank God for linux n/t

[Deja Q]

3. Hasn't adware existed long BEFORE 2006?

Their attempt has no merit.

Or maybe it does; once Microsoft demands royalties, nobody will make it anymore. So much for (un)wanted advertising...

[DRoseDARs]

24. This move by Mircosoft is a little different in that it snoops on your harddrive...

...and presents ads based on what it finds, if I understand correctly. Adware is annoying, spyware is what really begins violating your privacy and property. Microsoft can dress this pig all it likes, it's still spyware.

[derby378]

26. Bingo!

The Pirates of Silicon Valley have struck again...

BTW, if you haven't seen the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley yet, I highly recommend it. The movie is technically Jobs-centric, but also spends a lot of time on Bill Gates. It also mentions the company that pulled the biggest screw-up in the history of computing by passing on the first mouse ever designed.

[alfredo]

28. That will make little Johnny nervous when he sees ads for porn sites

pop up on his desktop. That can be hazardous if his mom is in the room. He can't blame his little sister.

This patent will be a boon for Linux and OSX.

[CoffeeCat]

4. This just in!

Microsoft Corporation has patented the procedure by which humans
breath in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide!

A Microsoft spokesperson issued the following statement, "People of
the world...please stop breathing, unless you want to pay Microsoft 3 cents
every time you exhale!".

[villager]

5. well, Pepsi *did* try to trademark the phrase "Uh-huh" back in the Reagan 80's

Crazed, amoral conservatives seem to embolden these corporations...

[superconnected]

6. this is the company that bought gator...

(mass adware infecting software company)

[RC]

7. Linux anyone?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=linux+download&spell=1

[villager]

10. I think so. Any tips on installing?

n/t

[RC]

16. I downloaded UBUNTU from the net

Burned the iso file to a disk and loaded it to a spare computer (Compaq Prosig 330 P550) last February. Runs faster than the XP that was on it.
It is user friendly, does what I want it to. It comes with Firefox and Thunderbird, OpenOffice. With a minimum of effort I got it to play my MP3's. It communicates very well with my XP Pro shared folders.
Stable. No crashes. Doesn't need to be rebooted at least once a week.

What is Ubuntu?
http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu

[SecularMotion]

17. Fedora 7 tutorial

Here's a step-by-step installation guide to replace Windows desktop with Fedora 7.

http://www.howtoforge.com/the_perfect_desktop_fedora7

edit:added link

[silverojo]

18. Try one of the live-CD distros first, before you install

That way, you can practice using Linux until you find a distro you like...without risking causing any problems with your hard drive.

If you want a blazing fast distro, try Puppy Linux. It's really flexible, easy to learn, and has a great support forum. The whole OS is less than 100 MB, and there are lots of easy-to-install programs available for it (called "pupgets" and "dotpups"). When you get familiar with using Puppy, there are several ways you can use it without having to use the live CD--a regular install, a frugal install, or (as I'm doing) you can just save two or three configuration files to your hard drive...that way, you don't even have to partition your hard drive AND you have access to all the files you created in Windoze! There are also other window managers so you can create more eye candy on your desktop, if you like that sort of thing.

There are other live-CD's available too, like Knoppix...which is really beautiful, comes packed with software and drivers. The down side to Knoppix is that it's meant to be a live-CD only, mainly to either let you try out Linux, or to do disaster recovery. There are also live-CD's that you CAN install to your hard drive, if you so desire--like the well-known Ubuntu Linux.

Personally, I just like Puppy best because it's easy, no hard drive partitioning is needed, and it's FAST.

Here, you can watch tutorial videos about Puppy:
http://rhinoweb.us/

Here's the help forum: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/login.php?sid=199a9939d46d7170ba0c039f77e4bd30

Here's where you can download Puppy:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/puppylinux/

NOTE: There are several versions of Puppy available. Try the ones with seamonkey-fulldrivers in the name, as SeaMonkey is your browser, and there are also drivers for most PC hardware. Most CD burners like Nero have a mode that lets you burn .iso files to CD. If your CD burner doesn't do this, here's how to download a freeware program that will:
http://rhinoweb.us/howtoinstallburncdcc.htm

Welcome to Linux--enjoy your Micro$haft-free stay!

[villager]

19. Thanks, all! So "Puppy" works off the disc, while your M$ OS

...remain (tho' mostly unused) on your harddrive?

[silverojo]

20. Exactly

Any of the live-CD distros run this way. But the cool thing about Puppy is that you can remove the CD, and therefore be able to read and write with your CDRW drive--even when you're just trying it out for the first time. The other live-CD's require you to leave the disc in the drive, while you try them out (once you install the distro, THEN you no longer need to use the CD).

Once the Puppy live-CD loads its files, it runs totally in RAM, so if you have at least 128MB of RAM, you'll be fine. :)

[villager]

23. thanks again!

:thumbsup:

[Hippo_Tron]

30. The open source equivalent of Microsoft Office isn't as good, my main reason for not using Linux

That and games.

[JacquesMolay]

35. I'm going back ....

... I ran redhat for years, but Windows XP was on my laptop when I bought it, and I kept it. I'd like to switch but a bunch of software I need for work will only run on windows. I think I'm going to buy a PC soon, go back to the penguin for home use.

[Feron]

39. You can always dual boot and/or

use something like WINE to run your Windows programs in Linux. I do both. Just something to keep in mind and maybe tryout when you get the extra PC.

The only problem is that you can use NTFS files in Linux, but you can't write to the NTFS partition. At least not yet. And Windows will not recognize the Linux filesystem*. So what I did was create a FAT32 partition so that I can access and write files in both operating systems.

*I forget the name ,but there is a Windows program that will read your Linux partition.

[high density]

8. Maybe this is some sort of anti-piracy scheme?

"Pay us or else we're going to blast you with ads."

;)

[Socal31]

9. Fuck them.

This is why I will not install Vista. You have to agree to MS being able to delete ANY file off of your computer that they deem "improper." Of course they say it is for "pirating protection", but how long until the music industry pays them off to start deleting Mp3s???



Fuck Them.

[villager]

or they strike a deal with the gov't to look for "improper" political content?

n/t

[killbotfactory]

11. Great

You get to pay for the privilege of getting advertising shoved in your face.

[Canuckistanian]

12. That's it, I'm switching to Linux

It'll be a bother and I'll have to teach my wife how to use it, but this is it.

I still run Win98SE and yes, it's buggy as hell, but I know how to fix the bugs.

But I'll be damned if I'm going to let Bill Gates rummage around in my personal files, looking for something to sell me.

[villager]

13. this would seem to be a straw-meet-camel's back moment...

n/t

[Canuckistanian]

21. Been putting it off for too long

I see no future in MS products for me.

[viat0r]

14. Make the switch

I use linux at home and have one mac. What you can do is install wn2k or xp in a virtual environment on your linux box if you need to run any windows apps that have nothing similar under linux or you have to use for work etc....You can even setup "seamless virtualization" so that basically it looks and feels just like the windows apps are running within the linux environment. Things like this don't even shock me anymore basically if you want to control your computer and you don't want your computer controlling you switch to linux :)

[silverojo]

15. Yep, it's time to switch to Linux

I'm already migrating over to Puppy Linux. Amazing how fast a PC can be, when it's not bogged down by Windoze and malware.

Win98SE is the LAST Windoze system I'll ever use. :mad:

[CatholicEdHead]

25. I am sticking with XP as long as my computer last or is viable

So much for "Windows Defender", right Microsoft?

I hope this is not pushed via Windows Update.

[conspirator]

34. You are a wise guy. Vista is visually stunning but it sucks. It installs updates and restarts

without your permission. It is really hard to configure, and it doesn't add anything significant to XP

[ramapo]

27. Switch

I have one windows machine because I can't get similar apps on OS/X. However I run Win2K. XP is ok but never, ever would I run Vista.

Our other machines are all Apple. No more headaches (well very few) compared to a constant stream of trouble with windows.

[DarkTirade]

29. Every time I see a news article like this

I just keep thinking... maybe those 80s cyberpunk authors were right. Not about the specifics of the technology, of course, because our computer systems are developing so rapidly. But about the societal implications.

[villager]

40. time to brush up on your Lew Shiner and Bruce Sterling!

n/t

[Solon]

31. Makes me glad I finally ditched Windows, after it hosed my system. n/t

[oscarmitre]

32. Easiest distros for a new Linux user

well they were for me anyway - Ubuntu, Fedora Core (I started with 5, then 6 and now 7 is out of course), OpenSuse10. Mandriva is good,it has a free version. If you're new to Linux stay away from Slackware or Gentoo which I find difficult, I'm not a geek but I'm familiar with Linux somewhat. A good place to read up on the distros is DistroWatch - http://distrowatch.com/ And if you need help just go to Google Linux - http://www.google.com/linux - and search away, there's heaps of help.

[conspirator]

33. FU*CK MASS ADVERTISING AND FU*CK GREEDY BASTARDS

who want to put ads everyhwere.

[Prophet 451]

38. Yikes!

I'd already decided that I wasn't switching from my current XP to Vista (for various reasons, much of which has to do with M$'s idiot-proofing) and this just cements that decision further.

Hey, Linux users! Which distro would you recommend for gaming?