Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Patents

How To Survive a Patent Challenge? 221

Posted by timothy from the realistic-steps dept.
An anonymous reader writes "I have written a nifty application that helps me run my own business, and could really help in running almost any business. It has been abstracted well enough that it could very plausibly be made a sale-able product. There are several very good, possibly patentable ideas within it. However, they are overshadowed by virtually an infinite number of possible bs challenges to its more mundane parts. I'm rather fearful of bringing this to market for that reason, and so far have only deployed it as a 'consulting' project with two other small companies (who love it). Does anyone have suggestions about how to proceed?" Other than a generic "hire a lawyer!", are there practical steps a software author can do here?

Comment Re:Sensible collissions that don't affect size? (Score 1) 72

by llamalad (#28911841) Attached to: Generating Fast MD5 Collisions With ATI Video Cards

I did some custom file 'fingerprinting' work some time ago when management didn't want to spring for Tripwire. For each file, the system stored both the md5sum and an shasum in addition to the file size. Figured that it was sufficiently improbable that a single altered file could collide in both hashing functions, particularly without changing in file size.

Granted, a rootkit could probably mess with return values to make it look as though the file hadn't changed at all, but at that point monitoring binaries and config files for changes isn't going to help.
Privacy

Mozilla Labs Wants To Monitor (Volunteers') Firefox Use 118

Posted by timothy from the voluntary-counts-a-lot-for-me dept.
Howardd21 writes "PC World reports that Mozilla Labs wants 1% of its Firefox users to voluntarily provide information about how they use the browser, and their web browsing habits. This would be done through an add-on named "Test Pilot" that collects the information and associates it with some demographic information that the user has provided. Unlike other data collection utilities that software developers may include to provide usage information, the add-on will follow the same open source concept that Firefox adheres to, allowing the market to better understand what is being collected. Mozilla Labs stresses privacy when discussing how they will collect, store and use the data, including publishing it for other researchers to to analyze."
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - Poll idea: what's your slashdot UID

Submitted by llamalad
llamalad writes: I think this would be interesting as it would show to what extent users from a various eras are inclined to answer poll questions. Assuming no one lies, of course. I'd really like to see something like 17k votes for 1-9999 choice... a) 1-9999 b) 10-49999 c) 50000-99999 d) 100000-249999 e) 250000-499999 f) 500k+
Linux Business

Submission + - dell installs ubuntu, sells windows

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: the fact: dell said they will install ubuntu on their desktops, to give a coiche to the costumers.
real fact: dell still sells you windows, but they just delete it and install ubuntu, or just delete everything. thats right, you still give money to microsoft: dell is basically saying "since we don't know if you will install a pirated copy of windows, we still sell you windows (xp), but we don't give you the licence, since you don't want it" ... O_o

just try asking them what price difference is there between a notebook with windows and the very same notebook without anything.

-sorry, the article i linked below is in italian, and i couldn't find the translation...
http://gizmo2.dyndns.org/?p=29#comment-27

Slashdot Top Deals

Gee, Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Close