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Paul Sutton wrote:
I still can't work out what exactly this patent is for ok its about how data is stored in an xml file, but open office does, that, adn i thought open office used separate files
No it is about how one represents documents internally to the system. I think (I read the patent a while back so can't remembers the details) that it boils down to remembering where the metatags would be in a document (a kind of meta-meta-tag), so that you can more quickly change the representation.
So instead of "<flash>a</flash>" I have doc = "a" and tags "flash" (starts 1, ends 2) ]"Then if I move to a format where "flash" doesn't work I simply have "doc" and don't have to do any manipulation to the doc (like removing "<flash>" and "</flash>".
There was probably some more to it than that since one needs to know how to update these meta-meta-tags, but I think that was the basic jist of the approach.
Didn't look terribly innovative, I suspect anyone faced with the same problem might try something similar.
I get the impression Microsoft deliberately did a complete rip-off of the i4i technology that they already had out in the market. So this isn't some sort of patent troll, more a revenge type action.
Still it is software patents - so an increasing American only issue, and becomes irrelevant there as well.
Simon -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html