An interesting patent has surfaced that shows how Microsoft would plan on creating a streaming operating system (thanks to Ron at WinBeta).

The idea is that since only a small amount of data really needed to be cached before the system can run a hard disk image could be streamed to our computer and then cached in its memory. This would make the boot up process incredibly faster.

Microsoft obviously is planning something greater than apps and media streaming to ensure the company makes an impact in the cloud arena. Whether this patent is for a future version of Windows or even an Xbox console, the idea is pretty neat and will make things easier for many. Our idea is that Microsoft wants to create an operating system that is purely cloud based, which would offer a much more integrated solution for a wide range of devices such as personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, tablet devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and distributed computing environments.

via WinBeta

As interesting as this idea might be, and chances are it could be successful, I am sure that there are quite a few folks that would think that this is a terrible idea, not to mention the potential privacy concerns as well as the old argument – who owns the software?

Is a streamed Windows operating system in our future? is a post from: winextra
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I wasn’t going to write anything about this because the whole argument from Google seemed to be nothing more than the whining from a scared company who hadn’t gotten to keep all its marbles; but then I read a great post by John Gruber at Daring Fireball that laid it out quite nicely.

So if Google had acquired the rights to these patents, that would have been OK. But when others acquired them, it’s a “hostile, organized campaign”. It’s OK for Google to undermine Microsoft’s for-pay OS licensing business by giving Android away for free, but it’s not OK for Microsoft to undermine Google’s attempts to give away for free an OS that violates patents belonging to Microsoft?

This anti-competitive strategy is also escalating the cost of patents way beyond what they’re really worth. Microsoft and Apple’s winning $4.5 billion for Nortel’s patent portfolio was nearly five times larger than the pre-auction estimate of $1 billion. Fortunately, the law frowns on the accumulation of dubious patents for anti-competitive means — which means these deals are likely to draw regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop.

First, the “estimate” of $1 billion was partially set by Google itself.

Then when the auction actually started, it’s OK for Google to bid over $3.14 billion, but when Apple and Microsoft bid $4.5 billion, that’s “way beyond what they’re really worth”. And if these patents are “bogus”, why was Google willing to pay anything for them, let alone pi billion dollars?

No one other than Nathan Myrvold and his cronies sees the U.S. patent system as functioning properly, but Google’s hypocrisy here is absurd. Google isn’t arguing against a handful of never-should-have-been-issued software patents. They’re not arguing against patent trolls like Myrvold and his shell companies like Lodsys — companies that have no products of their own, no actual inventions, just patents for ideas for products. They’re effectively arguing against the idea of the patent system itself, simply because Android violates a bunch of patents held by Google’s competitors. It’s not “patents” that are attacking Android. It’s competing companies whose patents Google has violated — and whose business Android undermines — who are attacking Android.

I might not agree with Gruber very often but in this case …. what he said.

Google’s “What’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander” patent whining is a post from: winextra
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So valuable in fact, that when the 6,000 patents; and patent applications, came up for auction Google slid in a bid of $900 million and thus began the horse race to see who would actually end up owning them.

Well the race is run and the lucky winner turns out to be a consortium of companies that included: Microsoft, Apple, EMC, Sony, Ericsson, and Research in Motion.

The loser – Google; and that doesn’t bode well for the company

“No major industry player is as needy in terms of patents as Google,” patent expert Florian Mueller wrote in an email to seattlepi.com. “There are already 45 patent infringement lawsuits surrounding Android and makers of Android-based devices have to pay royalties to dozens of right holders. Just this week Microsoft announced that threemoreAndroid device makers, in addition to HTC, are already paying royalties on Google’s Android to Microsoft.”

via The Microsoft Blog – Seattle PI

When the dust is settled and the checks are cashed the patents apparently will be divvied up based on each of the companies individual interests.

The final winning bid: $4.5 billion

Microsoft & friends win Nortel patent sale – take that Google is a post from: winextra
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If there is one topic that can get tech pundit’s panties in a bunch it has to be the utter stupidity of the current patent system, and the stuff that actually gets patented.

Now we might only be at mid-week here but seriously I doubt that anything can come along at this point to beat this totally ridiculous patent that Microsoft just got awarded for some mind-numbingly stupid idea called “virtual skywriting”.

Yup, you read that right – virtual skywriting.

According to Todd Bishop at GeekWire they actually applied for the patent back in September 2008, and just now the always classy and technology aware U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded them the patent. Todd also had an interesting point that Microsoft might have actually mislead the patent office when applying for the patent:

Here’s where it gets really weird. In the patent application, Microsoft included a photo that it described as “an example of virtual skywriting in use.”

In reality, however, the picture the company used was an image of actual skywriting. We know this because an eagle-eyed GeekWire reader pointed out that it’s an image of real skywriting over New York City from 2001, part of the “Clouds” public art project by Vik Muniz. (NPR recently featured the project online and included the same picture.)

It’s hard to see Microsoft’s use and description of photo as anything but misleading — suggesting to the USPTO that the company had a working prototype in action at the time of the filing.

Not that it’s the most consequential technology in the world, but accuracy in patent filings is an important principle at a time when Microsoft and others are pushing to reform the system. I’ve asked the company if it can explain what happened.

Really Microsoft?

Not only is this ridiculous but did you really need to stoop to this level to try and get the patent?

image courtesy of GeekWire

Stupid Patent of the week goes to … Microsoft. Virtual skywriting, really? is a post from: winextra
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Microsoft in talks with Skype – Purchase or Partner? – WinExtra

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Estimate: 2.5M Windows Phone 7 Shipments in Q1 – GigaOM

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In this case it seems that, according to Todd Bishop at Geekwire, Microsoft applied for a patent last year for an online matchmaking service that would be based around private affinities. You know, the type of things that hang around like skeletons in our closets but to Microsoft, and their patent, these are the things that could help us find better mates.

What is interesting,or humorous depending on your point of view, is the example that Microsoft uses in their patent filing.

For example, suppose two users, Ashley and Ross, are both young professionals and both like a specific series of comic books. However, both parties understand that comic books are often viewed as fanciful or juvenile, and, as such, to indicate an interest in comic books in one’s profile might lead to embarrassment or inappropriate characterizations. Accordingly, it is very likely that neither Ashley nor Ross will know of their common affinity, except by chance. …

Once (the) matching component identifies the matching affinity, (the) notification component can provide Ashley (a) message indicating, e.g. “We’ve located someone who shares your affinity for comic books. The two of you might have a lot in common.”

The patent was originally filed back in June 2009 but has only recently been made public.

Microsoft’s proposed affinity patent, using comics as an example is a post from: winextra
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