Linux Multitouch Advancement, the X.org Way
Linked by boulabiar on Sun 20th Dec 2009 19:08 UTC
X11, Window Managers As a result of the MPX integration in the mainline X.Org Server, the French-based ENAC Interactive Computing Lab produced a new video showing off the new multi-touch capabilities using Fedora 12 with its X Server 1.7 and Linux 2.6.31 kernel.
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Isn't it patented?
by Dr-ROX on Sun 20th Dec 2009 21:54 UTC
Dr-ROX
Member since:
2006-01-03

It's a nice feature to have, but as i remeber movies when multitouch started to be demonstrated, Apple and Microsoft were highly interested.
Iphone has lots of touch related stuff patented, I guess multitouch is also not left behind to implement freely..

Reply Score: 2

RE: Isn't it patented?
by darknexus on Mon 21st Dec 2009 03:35 in reply to "Isn't it patented?"
darknexus Member since:
2008-07-15

And since when has the F/OSS world given a rat's rear about patents? Not that I blame them.

Reply Parent Score: 2

jabbotts Member since:
2007-09-06

You'll find the FOSS folks much more stringent about patents and related licenses. Licenses are the very primes and reason for the FOSS community in the first place.

Now, if you have source information that supports the claim that FOSS folks have a general disregard for patent and license law, it could be an interesting read..

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE: Isn't it patented?
by ndrw on Mon 21st Dec 2009 05:43 in reply to "Isn't it patented?"
ndrw Member since:
2009-06-30

No, it isn't. I doubt EPO will ever grant a patent for multi-touch. It is not a novel idea (duh!), it is an incremental improvement over existing interfaces and it is not even a technical invention.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[2]: Isn't it patented?
by spiderman on Mon 21st Dec 2009 09:05 in reply to "RE: Isn't it patented?"
spiderman Member since:
2008-10-23

Well, they've patented this kind of stuff before:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7028023/fulltext.html
The US patent office is incompetent. They don't actually know what software is to begin with and they don't filter anything, not even the most obvious crap.

Edited 2009-12-21 09:07 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 5

RE: Isn't it patented?
by spiderman on Mon 21st Dec 2009 09:00 in reply to "Isn't it patented?"
spiderman Member since:
2008-10-23

Software patents are only applicable in the US and some other small countries. It doesn't matter for free software. They just put their mirror servers anywhere that is not the US.

Reply Parent Score: 2