What is Digg?26 Comments
- Flynnz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Troll99
I am the first one to call out a typical mac fanboy article (which there are PLENTY of on digg)
But this article is legit and news worthy.
Save the bashing for the posts that deserve it. (and dont worry, that shouldnt take long with all the young mac users on digg)
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I guess I agree that they shouldnt be able to get a patent for the interface...its really not much differnt then thousands of other interfaces out there. But I do agree "the wheel" is what truly makes the ipod a joy to use, and thats the only area they should be worried about keeping their patent. - Tweekster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Good..they dont deserve a patent for the menus system.
Now the scroll wheel on it, i can see that as a valid patent because it is a unique idea implemented well.
Valan: ive seen enough other players, no one was afraid to copy it...if i am thinking of the right thing, iRiver is pretty close as well as some Rio's - zigid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't think Apple has too much to worry about, even if somebody did copy the concept of their menu system, that company would still have the stigma of just copying Apple's idea. Also, the iPod is just to respectable of a product to suddenly tumble. Though, this could bite them years down the road. I'm confident their vast legal team will figure something out.
- ForumTroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good. Most patents are idiotic anyways and simply hinder innovation. There is no reason that successful companies need patents like this. They should have to continue to work and innovate to be successful, not be forever guaranteed success due to the moronic patent system. Patents are threatening software developers all across the globe because patents are being passed on pretty much every aspect of development including the simplest of concepts. If we had the patent system we have today back 30 years ago we would have patents on things like a “for� loop and a simple “if� statement.
Many companies like Microsoft, Apple and IBM are just building a huge war chest of patents so that if they ever get into serious trouble they can start unloading legal action claiming patent infringement on others. Lots of companies have also been known to be afraid of moving to Linux because it is well known that Linux breaks hundreds of patents that various corporations currently hold. Our patent system needs a very serious reworking. Here’s a story on ridiculous patents that was on Slashdot a few days ago http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/08/2016210&tid=155&tid=123&tid=95&tid=17 - fuelvolts, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1flynnz:
I dont think that Troll99 was "bashing"... - Mr.Therefore, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The hierarchal menu is not unique, but the spin-wheel is, because a hierarchal menu is necessary for functionality in all graphical user interfaces and the spin-wheel is not necessary, but it combines ideas that is a control that is a unique instance in a graphical interface. The spin-wheel has not existed before and it is not fundamentally neccessary to gui operations.
Microsoft is claiming they are going to get royalties from Apples innovation and hard work and the recent decision seems to imply this.
Obviously the patent laws that allow this are fundamentally flawed and promote the ideals counter to innovation, progress, competition and innovative credit, where they allow companies to patent ideas that do not come to fruition and allow those companies to leach from independently discovered implementations of said ideas.
There should be a law that disallows royalties for companies who create, then sit on the ideas, then leach when the ideas inevitablely will be thought of and implemented in some way. It's like those people who buy up website names just to sell them them out when a person who has a real idea wants to be serious about getting something done. The people who practice this kind of business are legallized crooks and this practice should be outlawed compeletly.
I agree a hierarchal menu system could have a patenteable unique look. - aftershave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0USPTO rejects things? This is the first time, I guess.
Regardless, Dell DJ interface (menu) is a complete iPod ripoff. Few lesser known DAPs also fashioned their navigation menus after iPod's, alas, most of them fail to utilize database system based on ID3vX tags, so they're not as fast, nor intuitive.
Software patents are idiotic, plus can't patent the look and feel. - ashanks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I love the iPod. I don't understand how Platt got the patent in the first place, seeing as he described a standard hierarchy system with an interface to view it similar to ordered lists.
I know of a media player that featured multi-level hierarchy playlists, so you could have something like:
ashanks' music -> Rock'n'Roll -> Road Songs -> Highway to Hell - AC/DC
The above (multi-level hierarchies) are not registered as a patent AFAIK, mainly because the music player is now discontinued and never applied for a patent.
Though I do agree, software patents like this are plain dumb.
Has someone registered a patent for a program to print "Hello World", so they can sue everyone who's new to programming? (Better check, hope Microsoft doesn't get on that ;) - a99tandem, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why could they patent something they ripped off in the first place? Their entire menu system is based on the 1st used on the old Creative MP3 Jukeboxes. Granted, they improved the navigation method by leaps and bounds, but trying to patent a menu?? CMON! Thats like MS trying to patent the Start Menu..which is a rip off of the Apple menu itself..
- 1337freek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1yay! finally an article not linked to some n00b blogger.
- ashanks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I love the iPod. I don't understand how Platt got the patent in the first place, seeing as he described a standard hierarchy system with an interface to view it similar to ordered lists.
I know of a media player that featured multi-level hierarchy playlists, so you could have something like:
ashanks' music -> Rock'n'Roll -> Road Songs -> Highway to Hell - AC/DC
The above (multi-level hierarchies) are not registered as a patent AFAIK, mainly because the music player is now discontinued and never applied for a patent.
Though I do agree, software patents like this are plain dumb.
Has someone registered a patent for a program to print "Hello World", so they can sue everyone who's new to programming? (Better check, hope to god Microsoft doesn't get on that ;) - fourcorners, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0So Apple and all other players that make playlists on the fly are going to have to pay this prior patent holder for using a menu system that generates playlists? Playlists and rating songs in a library shouldn't be elegable for patent imho by apple, Platt or anyone.
- Deathlord, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Did you notice that John Platt now works for....
Microsoft?
http://research.microsoft.com/~jplatt/
Click the link for AutoDJ - ForumTroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@5blocksfree
You'd say a patent only guarantees stagnation? Most companies continue to work on technology they’ve patented so it’s hardly stagnant…. Your post really doesn't make much sense and I think you clearly missed the point of my previous post. Patents do guarantee older companies success in the future because they’re being allowed to place patents on things that are so blatantly obvious and that are necessary for future innovations. That “future success� comes in the form of money because anyone that wants to innovate off the base idea has to then give royalties to the patent holder.
Stagnation has nothing to do with this and it’s up to the company itself to continue to work on the technology or decide not too. That point is also quite irrelevant since the patent has already been granted on the base idea and that’s what we’re concerned with. The point is that the patent holder now has a revenue stream for a long period of time without having to do virtually anything simply because they were able to patent a basic idea. As to your analogy about human nature it really has no relevance to the conversation at hand. - 5blocksfree, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0>>They should have to continue to work and innovate to be successful, not be forever guaranteed success due to the moronic patent system.
Guaranteed success? I'd say it guarantees only one thing: stagnation. If a company *initially* develops something innovative, and it goes over well with the market, a patent might well make them lazy and unresponsive to consumer concerns. It's basic human nature - people tend toward the shortest distance between two points. If they're the only game in town, they call the shots, and consumers suffer. - craterburnsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0You shouldn't be able to patent it.. it's not that unique. Other Company's had pretty much the same menu style before ipod was out; the scroll wheel isn't either.. Creative had their scroll bar as well, The Zen touch, same basic principle, so it's a diff rent shape.. still the same thing, no uniqueness(I dunno if that's a word lol) Anyway, doesn't matter, people don't even buy the Ipod for functionality of the menu.. they buy it as a fashion statement, or because they are a mac loyalist. All my opinion ofcouse, don't want to piss anyone off.
- craterburnsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Sorry for double post, but, The creative line of MP3 players all had the same menu systems for quiet some time.. and the dell didn't rip off Apple for it.. creative programs the dell firmwares and menu's.. so basicaly.. Creative was the first major company to use it.
- mikoslav, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0The scroll wheel is undoubtedly the major factor for the iPod's success (apart from the thing just looking so cool), but I find it hard to envision a user interface that would make the wheel as usable as it is.
Also, as the 1G iPod was the first MP3 player I ever owned (and still do), could someone point out a product that used such an interface before the iPod did, just for reference. Thanks. - valan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0they still benefited from 3 years of people being afraid to copy it
- Jammerdelray, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0awesome now we can use their interface on windows media products!!!
- fourcorners, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0copyright and patent need reform in a bad way.
- TKDWILSON, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Patents are for things like the cotton gin not for things like a triangle shaped CDR. Think about it.
Eric Wilson - 7of7, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0HA HA Bitches, now I've got the patent for the iPod interface. And I'm gonna use it too!
- zwilliams, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Its insane that Apple gets its patents rejected while M$ gets its some 3000 patents pushed to fruitration on such stupid things like "adding space between words" and "deleting characters."
flynnz: I'll take over zealous young Mac Users over old fart Wintrolls any day. - Steaminx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Even if you have the interface, you can't compete with the product.
- Troll99, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Dear God, could we have one day without a billion Apple and Google stories! I'm soooo bored of reading the same ***** every day. Does anybody know how to set your user profile to block this constant barrage of lameness?
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