[ NNSquad ] Two Examples of Microsoft Innovation

[Rollie Cole <rolliecole@gmail.com>]

As Executive Director of the Software Patent Institute for 17 years (which, by the way, Microsoft supported), I am not a big fan of "bad" software patents.

However, as a user of Microsoft software from the very beginning (I used to live in Seattle, and have known Bill Gates from DOS 1.0 days), the idea that Microsoft has "zero" innovations is just wrong.

DOS 1.0, developed by Tim Paterson, but picked up and marketed by Microsoft, was technically much faster than CPM, as well as being much lower priced and better marketed. Check the PC mags of that era; they all agreed.

Excel 1.0, when it came out, was a breathtaking step forward in spreadsheets. The development team was 4 males, with a running joke that their ages did not total 90 years and their heights did not total 24 feet, not to discriminate against short young people, but to point out major contributions made by young people who do not appear, at first glance, to be destined to change the world.

How about Kinect in more recent years. Yes, Microsoft's deserved reputation is as a "fast follower." But to charge them with ZERO innovation misses many important contributions that they have made.

Roland J. Cole, JD, PhD
Former Executive Director
Software Patent Institute

Message: 4
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:46:56 -0700
From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
Subject: [ NNSquad ]  If you pay attention to patents,  you won't get
       anything done
To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org
Message-ID: <20110329164656.GA3668@vortex.com">20110329164656.GA3668@vortex.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii


If you pay attention to patents, you won't get anything done

http://j.mp/evKvy0  (StormDriver)

      "Let me give you a stark example, that something is wrong with the
       current patent system: Microsoft is a patent giant of IT world, and
       holds 17258 valid patents, even though it didn't develop a single
       important software innovation over the course of all its history -
       just check this very interesting list."

 - - -

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
 - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
 - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
 - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
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--

Rollie Cole
5315 Washington Blvd
Indianapolis, IN 46220-3062
317-426-8679