Pixelated Semantics

Patently obvious

Microsoft has been granted a patent for "Computer programming language pronouns", which covers the use of ellipses, blanks, and ditto marks as substitutes for names in a computer programming language. The patent's summation: 'Eliminating names is a substantial benefit as programmers dislike creating names.' Microsoft has been dedicating itself lately to patenting many common features of computer use, IT development, and data delivery. Recent items include use of a "task list" generated from comments in source code, and the "time based hardware button for application launch". Some may see it as raiding the Collective Intellectual Property of a generation of programmers, like some Pythonesque act of corporate piracy, enabling the extension of cash-cow "licensing" programs to atoms of computer-based activity.

Item posted by AutoEditor at 10:44 am ::