[Debian-uk] Symbian get UK patent on linking to a DLL - analysis wanted

[Magnus Therning]

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Ben Hutchings wrote:
> On Tue, 2008-03-25 at 17:16 +0000, Wookey wrote:
> <snip>
>> We (FFII and killsoftwarepatents.com) would be interested to know
>> which pieces of software will be infringing this - can anyone here
>> give examples, or other analysis of this? Feel free to pass this mail
>> on to people who might.
> <snip>
>=20
> Windows seems to have prior art:
> <http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2006/07/19/671238.aspx>.
>=20
> However, since this patent apparently refers specifically to linking by=

> ordinal, and that's rare on Win32 and unknown in ELF dynamic linking, I=

> can't think of anything infringing this.

Doesn't wikipedia say that linking by ordinals on Windows is more common
than that blog post?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic-link_library#Symbol_resolution_and_b=
inding

I also vaguely remember in my Amiga days that it wasn't too uncommon
with link errors based on numbers, so that system might have used
ordinals more extensively than more recent ones.

Then I can't help but be amazed that identify-by-ordinal provides an
inventive step over identify-by-name.  I guess that shows just how naive
I still am when it comes to swpat ;-)

/M

--=20
Magnus Therning                             (OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4)
magnus=EF=BC=A0therning=EF=BC=8Eorg             Jabber: magnus=EF=BC=8Eth=
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http://therning.org/magnus

What if I don't want to obey the laws? Do they throw me in jail with
the other bad monads?
     -- Daveman


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