[Coco] patents

[Roger Taylor]

At 08:16 AM 12/20/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>BMP is pretty much an open format, as are most of the simple bit map 
>storage modes.  GIF was very popular until Compuserve tried to sue and 
>collect royalties on their patent, at which point it appears that a large 
>number of sites totally banned GIFs to prevent being liable for the royalties.

I have a few new graphics programs that know nothing about GIF.  It feels 
strange to assume that the most common format in the world (besides JPEG) 
will be available in a program you have, and when you go to click Save 
Picture As... it's not there.  I don't blame anybody for being safe because 
you never know who else will gain rights over the LZW algorithm.  It could 
even wind up in the hands of an underpaid fella sitting in a rack house 
eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches while he should be watching network 
activity.  :)

Joking aside; my question to whomever owns the patent would be to explain 
what part of the algorithm is actually the algorithm and what part is 
common routine code.  A table of pointers that point to other pointers, 
etc., is not my idea of an algorithm.  This process is probably dreamed up 
even today by new programmers who think they were the first to think of it.

I think in our age that most patents are a waste of money and effort 
because somebody out there will always invent the same thing but slightly 
different... just different enough to be legal, but practically the same thing.

speaking of different brands of the same thing

There are 3 big-name companies that I know of out of no telling how many 
thousands of others, who control a variety of brands that APPEAR to be 
competitors.  This is teasing the customer to think that a competition is 
going on, and the customer is tempted to voice his opinion.

Coca-Cola is the largest soda company in the world.  They own so many sub 
brands and other beverages that the actual Coca-Cola brand soda is just a 
small figure in the overall picture.  I know this because I worked for them 
for 8 years.  Sometimes you'll see two large soda displays next to each 
other, one with much cheaper brands.  Go ahead and buy the cheaper one.  Or 
perhaps grab the most expensive brand because it's better and you can 
afford it.  Makes no difference in the end.

Think twice before you try to make the expensive "Borden" brand milk go 
away by buying "the other" brand right next to it... there's a 90% chance 
that it comes from the same factory, and off of the same delivery 
truck.  Obviously, it all comes from cows. :)  I do contract work for 
Borden so I see this all the time, people setting the high-priced Borden 
gallon down and picking up the much cheaper brand instead, even brands 
marked with the store name.  I won't say any more. :)

And what in the world is up with Frito Lay's "Stackers" ?  Surely the world 
is coming to an end when somebody can dupe "Pringles".  Or  perhaps Frito 
Lay silently bought Pringles out and is now baiting the customers.  Why 
not?  Everybody else is doing it!


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Roger Taylor


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