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Can Ubuntu read and write on FAT32? - Page 2

post #21 of 26
9/16/06 at 11:38am
You can't patent a standard that you do not own. FAT32 was developed by MS to extend Windows to support partitions too large for FAT to handle. VFAT is the Linux compatibility adaptation for the MS FAT filesystems for which MS has a history of providing support to third party developers for. If MS wanted to modify FAT32, they certainly could have even without a patent. Patents are normally applied for in order to protect a technology, and no doubt this was MS's intention. I'm surprized MS was only awarded the patent last year -- seems kind of late to me, but better late than never I suppose.
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post #22 of 26
9/16/06 at 9:31pm
Microsoft allows their technology to be adapted freely to the point it becomes a standard. Then MS puts their foot down and tries to seek royalties or lock out competetors. This has happened with MS' document standards, MS fonts, mp4 compression, filesystems, etc.

What MS does is very abusive. So I don't think they should have gotten the fat32 patent. Thank god the EU isn't putting up with this bs. Can't say the same about the US lawmakers.
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post #23 of 26
9/17/06 at 12:55am
Actually Starcub it is very possible to patent what you don't own. The patent office is not known for checking into things like that thoroughly.

At any rate, this is a different topic that I am to tired to broach at the moment myself, however personally I would be interested to see what/any prior art existed, as MS was not the only DOS people around, along with a few other OSes and filesystems at the time that FAT was popular. Along that topic patenting something that is already in common use is a VERY grey area, as BT alluded to.

Seablade
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post #24 of 26
9/18/06 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigtrouble77
Microsoft allows their technology to be adapted freely to the point it becomes a standard. Then MS puts their foot down and tries to seek royalties or lock out competetors. This has happened with MS' document standards, MS fonts, mp4 compression, filesystems, etc.

What MS does is very abusive. So I don't think they should have gotten the fat32 patent. Thank god the EU isn't putting up with this bs. Can't say the same about the US lawmakers.
Like or not, the standard becomes whatever ships to the market. You can go to the store today and find new products from independent developers that use FAT filesystems. For those developers that need it, why should they expect MS to provide free support to help them develop their products -- MS is not open source, it's market driven.

As for the patent itself, I'm guessing the reason MS applied for it was to prevent others from adopting the technology and making proprietary changes to it, effectively destroying the technology as a standard. If people are concerned about MS getting the patent, it's probably due to FUD propogation.
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post #25 of 26
9/18/06 at 5:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by seablade
Actually Starcub it is very possible to patent what you don't own. The patent office is not known for checking into things like that thoroughly.

At any rate, this is a different topic that I am to tired to broach at the moment myself, however personally I would be interested to see what/any prior art existed, as MS was not the only DOS people around, along with a few other OSes and filesystems at the time that FAT was popular. Along that topic patenting something that is already in common use is a VERY grey area, as BT alluded to.

Seablade
Really? If the patent office didn't do its job, then I doubt the patent wouldn't stand up in court.

My guess is that PC filesystems came into being about when with the introduction of the first basic computers in the late 70's/early 80's timeframe. Remember the old cassette tape driven computers (Atari)? FAT however, seems to me a floppy or HD tech. So I'm guessing it was originally developed by IBM and continually extended after that by MS who cornered the market after buying the PC business from IBM in the early 80's.
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post #26 of 26
9/18/06 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Really? If the patent office didn't do its job, then I doubt the patent wouldn't stand up in court.
And its amazing how many things have to be proven in court to get ridiculous patents thrown out these days The patent office is one big Cluster**** at the moment. Ill have to look up the history of Fat sometime, FAT12 I believe was the first of the bunch, but that even predates some of my memory on the topic I believe. Seablade
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