Microsoft patents pay-as-you-go computing

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/202/1050202/microsoft-patents-pay-as-you-go-computing

MICROSOFT HAS come up with a pay-as-you-go scheme for which it applied for a patent last week. Although unique, this scheme appears to be nothing more than another way for the company to spy on its users. The idea is that users will be charged for both software usage and the access to computer hardware, measuring the amount of computing power and charging the consumer against a billed or pre-paid account. The "Metered Pay-As-You-Go Computing Experience" scheme patent was filed last week with the US Patent and Trademark Office. So, basically the idea is to allow a user to take advantage of certain applications when they need to, but not have to pay for them when they are not in use. This seems to be the only up-side for the user however, as Microsoft has admitted that this scheme could end up being more costly in the long run in comparison to simply buying a PC which may include elements which are not used on a regular basis.

Microsoft seems to delight in coming up with bad ideas lately. This gem of an idea seems to be yet another dead duck from their think tank

[Lagerlout666]

I can see what their thinking here. Your out and about, maybe in a cyber cafe. Cyber Cafe doesn't have something M$ owned that you need, per say microsoft word. So you can either download microsoft word from their website. Install it. and then for £2 a time inserting your credit card you have access to it for say so many prints, or for 4 pages of writing or something like that.

I have to agree though, another piss poor idea.

[GhostShip]

The patent office has rejected this scheme btw and not granted them a patent citing "prior art", its not very nice for them to try to steal pre existing work but when most things are merely based on exising concepts its a simple method to try.

Heres your own link for that story 

https://forum.winmxworld.com/index.php?topic=7545.0.html

[Trestor]

I may be wrong, but last I heard only a specific design can be patented, not a concept. That is, I can't patent the idea of making movies, but I can patent a design by which movies can be made. Does anyone know better?

[GhostShip]

Certain countries allow lax interpretations of the wording and thus allow things like software patents, other reject such plainly flawed attempts, the normal route for most US companies is to apply for a process patent thus trying to monopolise an idea/concept with little else of intrinsic value, if the idea was as patent law requires, "unobvious" then it could possibly be granted but I dont see that in this case.

[White Stripes]

@Deux -- you can print from MS Word Viewer ... freeware from MS themselves... but i understand where you are coming from.... (then theres google docs if you want to import and edit your word docs )

@GS (second post) i was wondering about the 'prior art' thing as soon i as i saw the topic for this thread in the main news section.... cos (wealthy) ppl used to 'rent' computer time on mainframes by dialing in with only a modem and 'glass tty' (or even a regular tty if they couldnt afford one of the 'new' glass ones)...... .....then along came the MITS Altair... the IMSAI 8080... the MOS KIM-1.... the Apple 1......... the rest is, as they say, history....