Hello Tim, If you notice this is the same patents that Timeline successfully sued Microsoft over concerning SQL Server 7.0. It seems that the cost-effective license that Microsoft licensed from Timeline for the inclusion of OLAP technology didn't include end-user third-party usage.
Software patents are a extremely bad idea and should be soundly discouraged.. Todd Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -----Original Message----- From: Tim Churches [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2003 8:41 PM To: openhealth-list @ minoru-development . com Subject: The evils of software patents Apropos the recent thread on this list about federated vs consolidated EHRs, and the related discussion of the need to restructure transactional data into forms better suited to aggregate analysis, reporting and other decision-support activities, it is worth having a look at the item under the heading "21st February 2003" at this page on the excellent Software Patents site: http://www.softwarepatent What a world on waste press release about their patent and be amazed.s.co.uk/now/victims.html It refers to a press release about patents held by Timeline Inc at http://www.tmln.com/press.htm - prepare to be amazed at the sheer bread of their patent claims - I was flabberghasted! Now I have to spend hours reading the relevant patents (and probably failing to reach any conclusion as a result) to determine whether the (to be open sourced) code on which I am now working, which aims at making aggregate analysis of health data faster and easier, will infringe these patents. Increasingly often, I despair... -- Tim C PGP/GnuPG Key 1024D/EAF993D0 available from keyservers everywhere or at http://members.optushome.com.au/tchur/pubkey.asc Key fingerprint = 8C22 BF76 33BA B3B5 1D5B EB37 7891 46A9 EAF9 93D0
