Microsoft Patent Envisions Free Computing

Dotnaught writes "A Microsoft patent application published on Thursday shows the company contemplating free computers and software for its customers. It suggests 'a service provider such as a telephone company, an Internet service provider, or a leasing company may provide computer systems or components to users at a reduced charge or for free in exchange for targeted advertising delivery.'"

Didn't we have this already?

[YrWrstNtmr]

CompuServ + Circuit City. PeoplePC. Altavista. Walmart.
Free hardware and/or online access.

Didn't work too well last time, either. Once you let the marketing guys fingers into it, they screw it up, by pushing too much.

Unbelievable

[Anonymous Coward]

People give away a free service and make money on advertising. I'm sure nobody ever though of that before!

Is there some sort of prizes for most ridiculous alleged "invention" or are they just working within to destroy the whole patent system? What the hell is the invention supposed to be?

23 worst

[Anonymous Coward]

Pcworld reported in May this year on the 25 worst tech products of all time. Giving away free PCs is 23 on the list. Dan Tynan notes that at least these 'innovative' products earned their place in the H-T Hall of Shame. You must have seen the pcworld report but for those of us that havent seen it, here is what he had to say...

"In the late 90s, companies competed to dangle free PCs in front of you: All you had to do was sign up, and a PC would eventually show up at your door. But one way or another. there was always a catch: You had to sign up for a long-term ISP agreement, or tolerate an endless procession of Web ads, or surrender reams of personal information. Free-PC.com may have been the creepiest of them all. First you filled out an extensive questionnaire on your income, interests, racial and marital status, and more. Then you had to spend at least 10 hours a week on the PC and at least 1 hour surfing the Web using Free-PC's ISP"

Re:hello?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. Wasn't exactly this done already? How can they patent this?

Because the patent system is useless except for employing lawyers and extorting innovators. It isn't that this is innovative, but because it is now a patent it can be used to sue a smaller company that does not have billions to defend itself.

Or perhaps Microsoft is making mockery at the patent system? Or maybe Microsoft is getting ready to create it's next virus infected spyware trojan adware (Vista) operating system and want to protect it.

Prior art?

[mabhatter654]

isn't there already prior art for this? I thought there were 2 or 3 companies already doing this, many were in South america, so that may not be "prior" art. Also, wouldn't netzero qualify... they didn't give away a whole PC, but they had a model of ads-for-service 5 years ago.

Re:They tried this already

[aichpvee]

People have done this before. Given away from computers that required you to view ads while using them, and usually required a certain amount of time spent with the computer connected to the Internet for retrieving new ads.

Could someone who cared enough to read the article explain how this patent is different than what those companies were doing in the late 90s?