<p dir="ltr">Interesting. Thanks. </p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Feb 1, 2014 7:26 PM, "Rick Troth" <<a href="mailto:rmt@casita.net">rmt@casita.net</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
On 02/01/2014 02:45 PM, Jeff Stebelton wrote:<br>
><br>
> What is the Microsoft tax?<br>
><br>
<br>
Microsoft acquired the FAT filesystem when it got QDOS which became<br>
MS-DOS. Presumably they added directory/hierarchy capability themselves<br>
(for MS-DOS 2.x and beyond). Then when long filenames became vogue, they<br>
invented VFAT, which is a clever way of leveraging the underlying "File<br>
Allocation Table" mechanism to hold the fancier names. They were granted<br>
patents for VFAT which they have successfully used against<br>
Google/Android. As I recall, they also went against TomTom. (I don't pay<br>
as much attention to these things as I should.)<br>
<br>
The "tax" is patent revenue demanded by the patent holder (Microsoft)<br>
for use of their invention. Not likely they have much case against you<br>
or me ... but I'm not a lawyer. It's annoying at least.<br>
<br>
-- R; <><<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
colug-432 mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:colug-432@colug.net">colug-432@colug.net</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.colug.net/mailman/listinfo/colug-432" target="_blank">http://lists.colug.net/mailman/listinfo/colug-432</a><br>
</blockquote></div>