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I'm not a shilling for Zuckerberg but you are being too hard on him. First, the patent isn't for "summary of privacy settings", it is for a systems/methods to g
by osipov 18y ago
I'm not a shilling for Zuckerberg but you are being too hard on him. First, the patent isn't for "summary of privacy settings", it is for a systems/methods to generate the said summary. Second, a patent isn't supposed to be original or clever. The criteria are 1) novel, which can be a non-original, i.e. a derivative work. 2) non-obvious (to one skilled in the arts) or in other words non-obvious to a patent examiner who doesn't know much except for some prior patents in the field.
- axod 18y agoAny software patent is 'non-obvious' to a non-programmer. That's the problem with them.
- plusbryan 18y agothem = patents, or non-programmers?
- mcxx 18y agoPatents, of course.
- tlrobinson 18y agoWell the real problem is the patent examiners probably aren't programmers, thus won't have a good idea of what should be patentable.
- kobs 18y agoFor most CS students/programmers, I'd wager that being a patent examiner isn't very alluring. This is even more evident at career fairs where representatives from the USPTO have to get in your face to grab your attention. You just don't see too many students lining up to talk to them, rather than say, Google or Microsoft.
- Hexstream 18y agoI can't decide if he was joking or not.
- osipov 18y agoI think your statement lacks nuance and insight I came to expect from ycnews.
- axod 18y agoSo why not give your opinion, and add to the debate? Do you think most software patents are non-obvious? How can a software patent be non-obvious? All programs are pretty obvious. Algorithms, not so much, but then you're talking more mathematics, which should not be patentable anyway.
- osipov 18y ago>"All programs are pretty obvious. Algorithms, not so much." How do you expect anyone to respond to something like that? Are you suggesting programs are not algorithms? Can you point to an authoritative reference explaining the difference? I gave my informed opinion on patents, unfortunately this site is turning into reddit just like reddit turned into digg.
- axod 18y agoThere's a big difference between "System and apparatus to display 'hello world'", and say an encryption algorithm. Yes it's a blurred line, but I'd say most programs are todo lists, rather than complex algorithms of scientific merit. For example, say the software that runs facebook - that's pretty much going to be 'grunt work' - lots of building blocks, shoved together, to make something work. But a compression algorithm, has more of a basis in mathematics entropy etc. My sincere apologies if this once again disappoints your view of what comments on hacker news should be. (I have several software patents, but I firmly believe they are a terrible idea).
- ComputerGuru 18y agoSorry, but Windows has had the ability to generate summaries of privacy settings ever since NT and the creation of NTFS w/ ACL configuration. It's called "Effective Permissions" and tells you - bottom line, all settings and configurations taken into account - what each user can access and what they can't. Obviously MS hasn't contested this patent yet, but I wonder what they'll do when they read it up....
- osipov 18y agoAgain, the patent isn't for "ability to generate summaries of privacy settings". The patent is for systems/methods to do so. Consider a patent for systems/methods of flying. Such a patent doesn't infringe on attempts of flying, just on systems/methods described by the patent.