SiG Lady Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 ars technica | by John McBride | Published: July 17, 2007 - 09:45AM CT It's such a tremendously bad idea that it's almost bound to succeed. Microsoft has filed another patent, this one for an "advertising framework" that uses "context data" from your hard drive to show you advertisements and "apportion and credit advertising revenue" to ad suppliers in real time. Yes, Redmond wants to own the patent on the mother of all adware. The application, filed in 2006, describes a multi-faceted, robust ad-delivering system that lives on a "user computer, whether it's part of the OS, an application or integrated within applications." "Applications, tools, or utilities may use an application program interface to report context data tags such as key words or other information that may be used to target advertisements," says the filing. "The advertising framework may host several components for receiving and processing the context data, refining the data, requesting advertisements from an advertising supplier, for receiving and forwarding advertisements to a display client for presentation, and for providing data back to the advertising supplier." The adware framework would leave almost no data untouched in its quest to sell you stuff. It would inspect "user document files, user e-mail files, user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, computer status messages (e.g., a low memory status or low printer ink)," and more. How could we have been so blind as to not see the marketing value in computer status messages? The software would also free advertising from its traditional browser yoke. "A word processor may display a banner ad along the top of a window, similar to a toolbar, while a graphical ad may be displayed in a frame associated with the application. A digital editor for photos or movies may support video-based advertisements," the patent application says. The patent application, first unearthed by InformationWeek, gives the impression that your software would have more control over the advertising than you would. "An e-mail client may specify that ads from competitors must be excluded, that its own display client must be used... (that) no more than 4 ads per hour are allowed, and that only text or graphical... advertisements are supported." The patent makes no mention of any method by which an actual user might exert control, nor does it mention very real privacy or security concerns. That's okay. It's still a good thing. It says so right in the application: "The ability to derive and process context data from local sources rather than monitor interactions with a remote entity, such as a server, benefits both consumers and advertisers by delivering more tightly targeted advertisements. The benefit to the user is the perception that the ads are more relevant, and therefore, less of an interruption. The benefit to the advertiser is better focus and a higher chance of conversion to a sale." The patent is a fascinating exercise in advertising delivery systems. But surely that's all it is—an exercise. No way anyone would ever actually make a thing like this... Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middle Man Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 yuck, more junk mail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 They want our money.....and will do about anything to get it I for one dont want ANY!!!!!!!!!! ads poping up on my system If they want tagret me they better look for my butt....its what they can kiss grumpy old coot....jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 You know, I don't think I have ever clicked on an ad on any site. I mean AIM, Messenger, Myspace all have continuous ads. The last thing we need is the backgroud on our screens showing ads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowhand Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Say it ain't so. I feel a rant coming on so I may just back away for the computer now. My resentment of the the tail wagging the dog as regards my business software and Microsoft is barely tolerable. Somewhere right now someone sees the opportunity to sell software that will defeat the advert invasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Wow. Yet another reason to buy a dual boot Mac... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 You know, I don't think I have ever clicked on an ad on any site. I mean AIM, Messenger, Myspace all have continuous ads. The last thing we need is the backgroud on our screens showing ads. Even the match results page for USPSA has an ad now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Wow. Yet another reason to buy a dual boot Mac... Dual boot, hell... just single boot... something other than a Microsoft OS.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I still don't understand why the forces of the universe can't seem to unite against MS and come up with a workable alternative. I just can't understand why an OS needs to do *anything* besides *operate* the frigging hardware for the software. Sigh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. Sometimes I feel like I've already been assimilated dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I've got no idea of the Microsoft patent system, but if it's anything like what we used to do, applicability to real-world is not a criteria they use to file them-- in a lot of cases it's a nuclear mutual-assured-destruction sort of thing-- if your company is sitting on 300 patents, then the other guy with 300 won't come after you and instead will sue the company with 5... doesn't matter if any of them are any good or not. So sayeth the guy with a patent on "reboot and see if that fixes it".. no really... well, there's a little more to it, but not a whole lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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