
BT Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Valve - choult
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/08/31/bt-valve-patent-infringement-lawsuit/
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Cozumel
“an intended audience in a reliable and predictable manner. Messages are
stored as files at a server for retrieval by the intended clients. Each client
transmits requests for messages to the server at automatic and periodic
intervals.”

I don't pretend to know anything about this but aren't these software patents
ridiculously vague? The above could apply to pretty much anything!

~~~
angersock
Not just that, but it's a fucking obvious design decision that any half-
competent intern would've come up with.

"Hm, message needs to be reliable, so I guess we need to store it until the
client confirms receipt. The server should probably be the place to store it."

"Hm, the client should ask the server for messages whenever it is ready, so
let's poll. We should probably only do that every so often to avoid load, so
maybe like every 30 seconds or something."

"Well, if I'm chatting, a delay of 30 seconds is annoying. Maybe I should poll
more frequently if I'm in a conversation. I could just cool that off as
messages dribble in slower."

One of the most frustrating parts about software patents is that the actual
techniques are usually pretty fucking obvious to anybody who actually does it
for a living.

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angersock
Oh boy, here we go again. At least this time it's with people who have pockets
deep enough on both sides to make a proper show.

Let's watch the usual hivemind folks come out in defense of software patents.
Folks, software patents are stupid and counterproductive, and this is just one
more example of the same.

