Microsoft granted patent for double-click

[PC-GUY]

I was thinking about posting this in the just for laughs but I'm sorry to say its true. So I wonder how much that will cost us and long we will be aloud to use it.
Microsoft has been granted a patent on the double-click by the US Patents and Trademark Office. The patent, number 6,727,830, was granted on April 27.

An abstract of the application says: "A method and system are provided for extending the functionality of application buttons on a limited resource computing device. Alternative application functions are launched based on the length of time an application button is pressed. A default function for an application is launched if the button is pressed for a short, i.e., normal, period of time.

"An alternative function of the application is launched if the button is pressed for a long, (e.g., at least one second), period of time. Still another function can be launched if the application button is pressed multiple times within a short period of time, e.g., double click."

News source: smh.com.au

 

[VIPER_1069]

lmao geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze so if u use the double click on a mac/linux/beos/other then you are liable ?!

hummmmmmmmmmm hasent bill got enough money !?

 

[LTR12101B]

Some ham radio transceivers (with microprocessor control) were using a double click on the push to talk to trigger the repeater toneburst, long before Windows was a twinkle in Bill Gates eye - similarly, a long press of the up/down buttons was often used to go to high speed stepping.
Computer keyboard control has also had autorepeat (on a long press) for ages

An original idea - NOT!

And this is why there is a campaign against software patents - approaching a critical vote, in the EU.
Most software patents seem to be on things which are just common sense, and there is not the time, expertise or will to search for and properly interpret any possible "prior art".


Surely all possible press, multipress, combination press and long hold of buttons has already been done to death by the average (and insanely complicated) digital watch?

 

[scarecrow]

So, do I have to patch my next KDE desktop sourcecode to enable doubleclicking?
Or maybe I have to buy a next generation Linux mouse, with four buttons?
Or doubleclicking will be allowed in other OS'es, provided that the standard arrow cursor would be swapped with a "Gates head" cursor? (oh, I mean the upper head, by the way...)

 

[serjer]

lmao fortunately i like only single clicks