Microsoft Seeks Another OS-Level Adware Patent 195
theodp writes "Microsoft has just published a patent application for advertising triggered by sequences of user actions, which describes how to interrupt game playing, music listening, and photo viewing with pop-up ads ('the components may be integrated directly into the operating system'). So will this ad technology get a free pass from Windows Defender?"
Hints of a Free Windows (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh really? (Score:3, Insightful)
Anit-Piracy Use? (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsofts current anit-piracy activites (i.e. the Vista Black screen of death) can cause a legitimate customers computer to become virutally in-operable when the malfunction. Imagine the following scenario however.
You can download and install Windows without any sort of licence key for free, but you will need to live with the pop-up ads which effectivly pay for the operating system. You would still have the option of purchasing a licence and thereby getting rid of the ads.
Would this be a legitimate (i.e. not evil) use of this patent?
Re:Ummm... what? (Score:3, Insightful)
Microsoft's Modus Operandi (Score:5, Insightful)
It's funny to see Microsoft use these same tactics over and over again. No matter who the competitor, they leverage their control of the OS to attack their competition.
Does anyone disagree that this patent is an expression of Microsoft applying this formula to supplant Google's dominance in advertising? I'm a little dubious as to its potential threat to Google, but time will tell.
This stinks like the preparations for advertising-supported Microsoft products.
A benign explanation? (Score:5, Insightful)
It might not be a patent that they intend to use, except in the courts...anything that gets rid of Windows malware helps Microsoft, after all.
Re:Anit-Piracy Use? (Score:2, Insightful)
I think so.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Are MS-users really that dumb? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:kdawson fud of the day. (Score:5, Insightful)
Opera didn't just one day start showing ads when there were none before.
And ad sponsored software is usually free (beer) software. You cannot sell something, and then add ads to it with a service pack or update.
That's just wrong, and informing us of it is not FUD.
You sir, are an idiot.
Re:kdawson fud of the day. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:kdawson fud of the day. (Score:2, Insightful)
More kdawsonfud (Score:5, Insightful)
The picture linked shows this in action. The user is processing images. The ad, which is enabled in the software, suggests photo development services of several clients.
From the patent,
Finally, in the screen display shown in FIG. 7, a user has navigated to a user interface 700 for accessing and viewing photos 702 stored on the user device. For example, the user may have downloaded photos 702 from a digital camera and may be viewing the photos in the user display 700. The system may determine based on these user actions that a likely task that the user would like to perform would be to send one or more of the photos 702 to an online photo development center. Additionally, the system may determine that the user does not currently have any particular online photo development service subscriptions. As such, the system has selected and presented a number of advertisements for online photo development services in a preview pane 704 of the user interface 700.
One particular application. Claiming it is 'adware' 'getting a pass from Windows Defender' is nothing but kdawsonfud, not the first and certainly not the last. All it is, an idea, not all that different from the targeted advertising provided by a certain search engine slashbots seem so quick to defend against all claims.
COME ON. (Score:2, Insightful)
More likely, the cable model... (Score:5, Insightful)
More likely, you'll have to pay $19.95 to download Windows Ad Supported.
If you want to get rid of most of the ads, you'll have to pay an additional $189.95. After paying this fee, you'll only see the Microsoft Premiere Vendor(TM) ads. And only every other day.
To go completely ad-free, you'll have to buy a Premier Partner Subscription, with a one-time activation charge of $399.95 and monthly subscription fee of $19.95.
Could be good thing? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:kdawson fud of the day. (Score:3, Insightful)
If you are not interested in a story, fuck off and don't read it, simple.
Why posting a stupid comment slagging off the person who posted it? Unless you have nothing better to do than sit around griping and not doing anything constructive.
If you have something interesting to say, then say it. Otherwise piss off and whine to your shrink instead, at least they are paid to your anti-kdawson drivel.
Digging deeper ... (Score:3, Insightful)
When I see discussions involving ads, who do I really think of? No, not MS - Google. Sounds to me like MS is patenting stuff that they expect Google to want.
No, MS could never sell a version of Windows with OS-level adware in it (unless they plan to give it away and pay for it with the ads, but I doubt it) so instead I see ammuntion for their upcoming battle against the still-mythical GoogleOS. If Google has to pay MS licensing fees for components of GoogleOS, then MS wins no matter which product people use.