SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Microsoft won a patent for shutting off computers... WTF?

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Microsoft was awarded a patent the process used to shut off a computer from within a GUI.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,788,474.PN.&OS=PN/7,788,474&RS=PN/7,788,474

Quote:

A user interface and scheme is provided for facilitating shutting down an operating system. Aspects include the operating system receiving a command to initiate shut down, and automatically terminating graphical user interface (GUI) applications that delay shut down which do not have top level windows. Also, aspects provide a user, through a graphical user interface, the ability to automatically terminate all running applications in response to determining that a running GUI application has a top level window.

So fuck you Mac users... you aren't allowed to turn off your machines! Uh... does this now go for phones too? Holy shit... did Microsoft just make it so that a phone needs to go to a command prompt before it can be turned off?

Seriously... how did this one get passed?

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

Hahaha that's pretty funny.

I didn't even know macs had a command prompt, on saying that i am not too familiar with macs.

lol at mac users having to go through the mac equivalent of this:

Usage: shutdown [-i | -l | -s | -r | -a] [-f] [-m computername] [-t xx] [-c "comment"] [-d up:xx:yy]

No args Display this message (same as -?)
-i Display GUI interface, must be the first option
-l Log off (cannot be used with -m option)
-s Shutdown the computer
-r Shutdown and restart the computer
-a Abort a system shutdown
-m computername Remote computer to shutdown/restart/abort
-t xx Set timeout for shutdown to xx seconds
-c "comment" Shutdown comment (maximum of 127 characters)
-f Forces running applications to close without warning
-d [u][p] Mad

x:yy The reason code for the shutdown
u is the user code
p is a planned shutdown code
xx is the major reason code (positive integer le
ss than 256)
yy is the minor reason code (positive integer le
ss than 65536)

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

heh today I was actually using the shutdown GUI in XP to turn off computers in my ADV web class

Posted: Sep 02 2010 08:26 pm

If I want to force shutdown my macbook, I hold down the power button, fuckers!

YOU AINT NEVA GONNA CATCH ME!

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Sep 02 2010 08:36 pm

Reading is FUNdamental, people. Anything looks scary when you only read the first sentence.

This isn't "Microsoft has patented shutting off machines". It's "Microsoft has patented a new means of shutting down the machines, one that among other things solves the issue of hung programs".

In other words...so what?

Title: Alexz Aficionado Joined: May 21 2008 Posts: 2889

I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

Welcome to 1984. Well, 2010, but due to Microsoft errors it got delayed for a short while.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

Ghandi wrote:

I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

Welcome to 1984. Well, 2010, but due to Microsoft errors it got delayed for a short while.

My day has been made.

Posted: Sep 02 2010 11:15 pm

Alowishus wrote:

I didn't even know macs had a command prompt, on saying that i am not too familiar with macs.

I assume it has a terminal but I don't know how long it's had it.

Posted: Sep 03 2010 12:46 am

At least since 2006.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

UsaSatsui wrote:

Reading is FUNdamental, people. Anything looks scary when you only read the first sentence.

This isn't "Microsoft has patented shutting off machines". It's "Microsoft has patented a new means of shutting down the machines, one that among other things solves the issue of hung programs".

In other words...so what?

Before I argue, lets just agree that the language used in the patent document is difficult for an average person to follow.

Now, as far as I understand the patent covers quite a bit about how a machine shuts down and includes the routines for shutting down and pushing through applications that have not finished running. The detail about what steps are taken in what order seems general enough for Microsoft to give other companies a hard time about closing out when more than just background services are running.

Also, for Mac OS X users who aren't aware, your OS is a Unix based OS. Of course it has a command line interface. The command line for shutdown:

Code:

Syntax
shutdown [-] [-h [-u] | -r | -s | -k] [-o [-n]] time [warning-message ...]

Key
-h The system is halted at the specified time.

-k Kick everybody off. The -k option does not actually halt the system, but leaves
the system multi-user with logins disabled (for all but super-user).

-n If the -o is specified, prevent the file system cache from being flushed by pass-
ing -n option to halt(8) or reboot(8). This option should probably not be used.

-o If -h or -r is specified, shutdown will execute halt(8) or reboot(8) instead of
sending a signal to launchd(8).

-r The system is rebooted at the specified time.

-s The system is put to sleep at the specified time.

-u The system is halted up until the point of removing system power, but waits
before removing power for 5 minutes so that an external UPS (uninterruptible
power supply) can forcibly remove power. This simulates a dirty shutdown to per-
mit a later automatic power on. OS X uses this mode automatically with supported
UPSs in emergency shutdowns.

time Time is the time at which shutdown will bring the system down and
may be the word now (indicating an immediate shutdown) or specify a
future time in one of two formats: +number, or yymmddhhmm, where
the year, month, and day may be defaulted to the current system
values. The first form brings the system down in number minutes
and the second at the absolute time specified.

warning-message
Any other arguments comprise the warning message that is broadcast
to users currently logged into the system.

- If `-' is supplied as an option, the warning message is read from
the standard input.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Sep 03 2010 10:04 am

GPFontaine wrote:

UsaSatsui wrote:

Reading is FUNdamental, people. Anything looks scary when you only read the first sentence.

This isn't "Microsoft has patented shutting off machines". It's "Microsoft has patented a new means of shutting down the machines, one that among other things solves the issue of hung programs".

In other words...so what?

Before I argue, lets just agree that the language used in the patent document is difficult for an average person to follow.

Agreed. Which is why I read it pretty carefully.

Quote:

Now, as far as I understand the patent covers quite a bit about how a machine shuts down and includes the routines for shutting down and pushing through applications that have not finished running. The detail about what steps are taken in what order seems general enough for Microsoft to give other companies a hard time about closing out when more than just background services are running.

Patents just plain don't work like that. The patent allows them to prevent other people from using their particular shutdown code without their permission. It has no effect on other people's shutdown code, and so long as it's completely different from theirs, it doesn't prevent another company from creating a shutdown code that works even with hung programs in the background (reverse-engineering is fair game).

Think of it like the chiched better mousetrap. You're allowed to patent your Mouse-O-Matic 2000, but that doesn't let you stop people from using the old mousetraps, or even people from making their own better mousetraps. Patents just give you the exclusive right to your design, not an entire concept.