Apple Tries to Patent Fast User Switching 445
Ashcrow writes "An article from The Register points out Apple's attempt to patent fast user switching. It seems that Steve Jobs admits that Microsoft beat them to the punch but believes Panther's implementation is superior."
Actually unix beat them both (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:2)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:4, Informative)
It's not only possible, but some of us have been doing this for over ten years. If Apple pursues this patent, I'm definitely calling prior art on this.
I don't think so (Score:5, Informative)
Or rather, that Mac OS (Classic, not X) *is* the prior art, and that *Apple* owns the original patent, of which this is merely a continuation if you read the article.
Location Manager allows a single user to change multiple settings on a computer with a single selection:
Wireless Plugged
Wireless Unplugged
Netless Plugged
Netless Unplugged
Wired Plugged
Wired Unplugged
At Home
At Work
Roaming Unplugged
So that with a single selection the user can change:
Bandwidth settings on Qucktime and the network
Power/Battery/Energy saver settings
Screen Saver settings
Printer settings
Network settings (DHCP and Proxies)
Browser settings
If you look at 'Multiple locations - User'
su is *not* fast user switching, it is just changing the user locally in a terminal; and it doesn't change the settings of the machine, applications, or even the environment *outside* the terminal, unlike FUS or Location Manager.
Re:I don't think so (Score:5, Informative)
However, I will answer an unasked question, where you question the value of location manager.
My laptop starts at home, plugged into power but with airport. I use that setting.
I go to work, where I have wired ethernet and power. Mail settings change, as do proxies.
I then go to a meeting, where I have no wireless or wired, and no power. Battery settings correspondingly change.
A second laptop user wants to create an adhoc network to transfer files after the meeting. I switch to the wireless unplugged.
Go back to my desk, and it's back to 'work' settings
I then go home, and it's back to wireless plugged. But perhaps a friend calls, and I drop by. I am now roaming unplugged to check my email, and then I put my system to sleep while we watch a DVD over a beer and snacks.
I then go back home, and back to wireless plugged.
You can question the value all you want, but this is how I live with my laptop ^^
Now this isn't possible under XP: I have friends with XP laptops, and they have to shut down and restart when they change from mode to mode: Wired, wireless, unwired. The corresponding proxy changes, DHCP changes, etc, also require fiddling with the network control panel. And any corresponding changes to bandwidth uses also require fiddling in the respective programs, and printing preferences, etc. My printers at work and at home were automatically configured via Location Manager. Heck, even the display calibration of the monitor at work and the monitor at home.
So now you ask about FUS?
Okay, so in *my* situation, I'd have multiple logins for *myself*.
An admin login, with a bright red desktop where I do all my admin stuff.
My 'personal' login where I have my email, IM, and browsing apps
My 'work' login where I might use Photoshop, iDVD, iMovie, and other stuff.
My 'developer' login where I would have XCode and a handful of terminals, X11, and some man pages loaded up.
Just for ME
And I might live *mostly* in the personal login, but I would switch once in a while to admin to install or maintain stuff, I would switchinto work to do worklike stuff a little more often, and developer whenever I felt the need to, say, build mozilla, or code something.
If my friend came over and wanted to use the web, I would switch to a 'guest' login, or request that they do so.
This is not something I would do on my PowerBook, but rather my PowerMac.
How does this relate to Location Manager? Because it is me, one user, with multiple use models, first handled by location manager for my laptop to handle certain configurations, and then handled by fast user login to handle certain usage patterns. One requires mobility, the other requires a lot of CPU and ram (Hmm, like a G5)
is this useful for you?
Possibly not. You think location manager is of dubious use to you, but I know I loved it.
I also know with FUS that my dad would have one account for him to handle scanning and photos, since that's what he does, and I would give my friends a guest account for web, email, and IM, while I would use 3 or 4 accounts myself.
Again, that is the value to ME and that is why *I* think it's worth existing and possibly even a patent. Just because it's worthless to you, or anyone else reading, does not deny the value of FUS or LM.
Re:I don't think so (Score:3, Interesting)
I see the value of the Location Manager.
I just don't understand how they go together? Do you switch users when you go from wireless to ethernet? When you're surfing the web and your kid needs to print a book report out quick, are you using "wireless unplugged" and your kid, who is presumably right there in the same place, uses "ethernet plugged"? Does your kid have a built in 10bT jack or something?
The ability to change configuration settings on the fly is great f
Re:I don't think so (Score:3, Informative)
Hmm, so if I were 'clueful', rather than moving to the top of my screen, I'd much rather click on the terminal and type in a line to set my new network address, a line to delete the default route, a line to add a new default route, and then edit the
Re:I don't think so (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyway...
so if I were 'clueful', rather than moving to the top of my screen, I'd much rather...[snip]
No. You missed my point - That, while such things may change, they ALMOST NEVER do so under normal operation of a machine in a manner requiring the ability to rapidly switch profiles. "2nd Post!" responded to me with a situation where it matters, but I wo
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:5, Insightful)
Fast user switching isn't even close to running separare x sessions, not is it similar to switching between virtual desktops. Fast user switching unloads part of the OS and logs in another user, this is much more efficient than loading multiple xsessions and switching between them. If apple pursues this patent, the only one that could call prior art on this is microsoft and as stated in the article, apple's implementation is different than microsofts and that is what they are pursuing the patent on.
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:5, Informative)
Applications don't stop? (Score:3, Insightful)
Then how do they deal with the security issues of the MP3 being in a directory owned by another user? What if permissions for the data and/or applications don't allow the new user to access them? Does it do something similar with editors? If the first user was in the middle of editing something, will it still be opened for editing by the second user?
Has Microsoft actually solved these issues, or are they just using a very lax security model, as usual?
That's like saying... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:That's like saying... (Score:4, Informative)
Repeating the same lie over and over doesn't make it true.
Re:That's like saying... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:5, Insightful)
The point is the simple and ease of use of the GUI to switch users. Not text only console, not remote access like vnc or xwindows.
My kids use fast user switching on XP, and its very stable and works quite well. They can switch users, and not disturb the desktop of the last person using the computer. Some households cant afford multiple computers, fast user switching is a good idea. I love apples eye-candy approach, its faster than microsoft's, 1 second switch. They even let you use a pulldown on the menu with each users picture (if you change your login photo).
Anyone know if KDE/Gnome or even Xfree is planning something like this? I heard talk about multiple X servers, but its not out of the box simple use, of even possible.
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:2)
OS X and Windows are latecommers to the game. OSS even had the cube thing first - check out 3ddesk.
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:2)
Yes, startx --
While Apple and Microsoft might be late the game, its a better implementation and more secure at user switch. And a hell of a lot faster.
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:5, Informative)
If you use gdm to login, add the line "1=Standard" after "0=Standard" in your gdm.conf. If you use kdm I think you just add the line ":1 local@tty1
You can also give the different servers different configurations, which is the traditional use for this. But by default the X server started by kdm/gdm requires a login and uses the same config, so it is exactly what you want. BTW if you want to be able to login with the same user twice you will have to enable that, by default it is not permitted to prevent remote users from starting lots of X servers and consuming all your resources... (though this is also limited by the number of virtual terminals you allow.)
Oh yeah, my mother will love that shit. (Score:3, Funny)
If we think that Windows users are going to be wanting to do all that
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:3, Funny)
What could be simpler and easier than alt-f2, (username), enter, (password), enter, startx-space-dash-dash-space-colon-one?
startx -- :1 (Score:5, Informative)
On linux (and probably any other system with XFree86 ) To get to the first virtual console Use: CTL+ALT+F1. Then login and type:
someone@server someone]$ startx -- :1
X windows starts using the next available console. To switch between X sessions use CTL+ALT+F7 and CTL+ALT+F8. To start more sessions use :2, :3 etc. This has been available (but not well documented) for many years. Have Fun!
Re:Actually unix beat them both (Score:4, Interesting)
SU (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:SU (Score:3, Informative)
Re:SU (Score:3, Informative)
Re:SU (Score:3, Informative)
Re:SU (Score:2)
Of course, some environment variables are still based off of the original login, so if you have trouble there then you need to logout and login. In most cases, though, su works just fine.
Re:SU (Score:3, Informative)
You can simply include the "-" arg if you want to fix all the env vars and get a proper login shell: "su -" will give you a root shell, "su - joe" will give you a shell for joe, etc -- all variables, etc properly set.
Actually, no (Score:5, Informative)
RYOP (Read Your Own Post) (Score:4, Funny)
SU(1) OpenBSD Reference Manual SU(1)
NAME
su - substitute user identity
Okay, I know people are challenged to read the articles, but you should at least read your own post. Like where it says "su - substitute user...", giving a vital clue as to what "su" really stands for.
How fast is fast enough? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:How fast is fast enough? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How fast is fast enough? (Score:5, Funny)
Ask any BOFH about the "rule of thumb" for whip, cane, tawse, or switch. I find that 7200 users per minute is about the practical limit.
Personally, I prefer to counterbalance two riding crops to the hub of an old full-height 3600 RPM 5.25" hard drive.
For particularly annoying users, I also have an RM-80 disk pack (14-inch platters!) salvaged from an old PDP-11/70. The platters spin at 1800 RPM, but the huge motor required to accelerate them allows me to spin up four bullwhips.
Moral of the story: Don't fsck with the BOFH.
What the hell? (Score:2, Interesting)
I really have liked where Apple has been going lately as far as the technical side of things goes, but if their management is going to become stupid, then they need a wakeup call.
Re:What the hell? (Score:5, Funny)
This is the USPTO we're talking about. You could patent the wheel and nobody would notice until the Register posted the story.
Re:What the hell? (Score:2)
For instance, there is more than one way to compress music. Company A figures out a way to do it, Company B sees this and goes "ah, we can do better than that". Both can patent their own technologies so long as they are sufficiently different.
There is some grey zone here, but obviously Apple believes that their implementation is sufficiently different from MS's or any other's that it merits a patent.
Having not used Panther, I am not
Re:What the hell? (Score:2, Informative)
Read the article (Score:3, Informative)
Re:What the hell? (Score:3, Informative)
Prior art doesn't matter for patent applications, unless there's prior art that has already been patented.
When patent examiners get a new patent, they look for prior art in the USPTO patent database. The assumption is that if there's any prior art, someone would have patented it. If there aren't any patents, then it passes that test. They don't actually bother to check if there's non-patented prior art, even if it's something anyone in the fiel
Re:What the hell? (Score:4, Interesting)
yes, it is.
There are actually many wheels in th USPTO database. But no one got a patent on the concept of the wheel itself because before the 1980's you had to actually make something innovative to get a patent. Since then... well let's just say a friend of mine got the patent on using electric motors in robots. He doesn't enforce it, but I convinced him to frame it and stick it on his wall a couple years ago for laughs. (He actually did invent a new motor for walking robots but the lawyers put in a claim on motors in robots because they didn't find any prior patents and the patent office accepted the claim.)
The USPTO gives bonuses to patent examiners for accepting patents, it's system engineered for abuse.
The meat of the issue (Score:5, Insightful)
I think that this is really the point here. Apple's got a great implementation of multi-environment profiles and they want to protect that. Jobs himself said that WinXP got there first...It'd just be odd to retract and deny that.
Anybody remember when Apple patented "lighted" computer devices? Everybody was guesstimating that it meant your new iMac would, at the press of a key, turn into the center of a disco party for you and your friends. Mostly we are inaccurate, since we never know what's behind the doors at 1 Infinite Loop.
Finally, when contacted, Jeff Bezos said, "Been there, done that!"
Re:The meat of the issue (Score:5, Interesting)
Location Manager is one of the coolest features the old Mac OS had. I always wondered why Microsoft didn't shamelessly copy it, considering what a pain in the ass it was to change network settings in Windows (especially in the days when you had to reboot for them to take effect)-- it never occurred to me that Microsoft actually might respect someone else's (especially Apple's) patent instead of ignoring it [vaxxine.com] and figuring their army of lawyers will protect them from any repercussions.
~Philly
Re:The meat of the issue (Score:3, Informative)
Linux pcmcia has had similar stuff since about 1994/5.
Apple's is just a *lot* prettier and more used oriented than anyone elses 8)
um... (Score:2)
or, for that matter: su - change user ID or become super-user
Re:um... (Score:2, Informative)
Read the article.
Grok fast user switching
Grok Location Manager
Unless the X-Terminals you're talking about actually changed system settings, preferences, and configuration states (like IP address, network connection settings, battery/power settings, screen savers, executed scripts, startup and shutdown services, and ran programs in the background), FUS and LM is a different beast.
It's *obvious* in hindsight, but OS 9 had it, and Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2k, and XP don't, so perhaps it isn't *obvious*
what ARE you talking about... (Score:2)
Actually, it's so obvious that it's been a stock feature of Unix for decades, and that doesn't make it worth patenting, or even patentable.
Direct link to feature description on Apple (Score:5, Informative)
sounds like multiple X-servers (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes but. (Score:2, Funny)
Fast User switching, some thoughts. (Score:3, Funny)
Apple + FreeBSD = FeeBSD
OS X Aqua is a single user gui on top of a multi-user system, this is otherwise known as a kludge.
On second thought I'll post this anonymously.
Prior art (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Prior art (Score:5, Insightful)
That's like saying the hammer drives a nail into wood, is different from the hammer that drives a nail into wood, but also makes funny noises.
fast user switching? got that. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:fast user switching? got that. (Score:2)
Can someone please read the article (Score:5, Informative)
Can someone please read the patent application? (Score:3, Interesting)
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide some method for quickly and easily changing an entire collection of parameters of relevance to the pen-based computer system when its owner adopts different personas.
I don't know of many pen based systems that Apple still markets...
In other news: (Score:5, Funny)
sueing microsoft (Score:5, Insightful)
The article even points out weaknesses in the strategy (I know, I know, I broke the slashdot rule by reading the article).
"At WWDC, Jobs admitted that Microsoft had beaten Apple to market by offering such a feature in Windows XP, but he claimed Apple's implementation was the better of the two." and "The downside - if Apple's intent is to outflank Microsoft; we're only guessing here - is that the patent refers to multiple personas of a single user, not multiple users".
Microsoft is an EXTREAMLY WEALTHY corporation. When it comes down to how the legal system works, the more money you can spend on lawyers the more you can get away with. Hell, even the GOVERNMENT didn't beat them. I know they were convicted of being a monopoly, but really, what has happened since then? They still hold a monopoly on the desktop market, they still own windows and office, and they still infest every windows computer with a copy of internet explorer. I'd say that they really won.
I'd love to see apple (or anyone else) be able to truely step up to them. Sadly, as long as they continue to have as much money as they do, there is no chance
Re:sueing microsoft (Score:5, Funny)
So frivolous patents are bad unless someone uses them against MS?
Re: sueing microsoft (Score:4, Insightful)
So would I.
The pity is that the very law designed to protect American consumers and competitors is such a rat's stew of politics, ideology, and byzantine caselaw. The sordid history of antitrust law - with its endless larding of exceptions and layers and layers of right wing theory - is one part of the tale of how corporations have come to dominate our culture.
Still, the stink rising from the MS settlement has added itself to the general odor hanging over our justice system (joining such rich fumes as the failure to prosecute major corporate criminals of the past three years, the hysterical drug war, and the 2000 election fiasco). Again, more's the pity. This type of phoniness is one of the reasons people lose their faith in the system, and a system in which fewer and fewer believe is a system in trouble.
Wanna see fast? (Score:3, Funny)
Switching back is the hard part.
Legit (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Legit (Score:3, Informative)
Important Quote (Score:5, Informative)
At WWDC, Jobs admitted that Microsoft had beaten Apple to market by offering such a feature in Windows XP, but he claimed Apple's implementation was the better of the two.
That would imply, surely, that Microsoft has a solid prior art claim?
No. The current application, filed last November and updated this past June, turns out to be a continuation of a patent, number 6,512,525 filed in August 1995, long before Windows XP arrived, and finally granted in January 2003 with the same title. That patent is also assigned to Apple.
Apple patents everything (Score:5, Interesting)
If they give any indication they'd ever use this patent, ever, I'll bitch and moan about it with the rest of you. But they never will, and anyway, this idea is SO obvious I can't concievably imagine them ever winning a lawsuit based on this patent even if they tried.
In the meantime, i want to see how long it takes someone to make a serviceable Virtual Desktop implementation based on faking out the fast user switching implementation. Also, I find the Register's last paragraph a bit odd:
Will Apple use its new-found intellectual property rights? Maybe not, but like its use of QuickTime patents to win a $150 million investment from Microsoft demonstrated some years back, it may now have the opportunity to do so if it ever hears the words 'cancelled' and 'Microsoft Office' in the same sentence.
Patents? Hmm, I seem to remember that particular lawsuit being over several tens of thousands of lines of actual source code that slipped directly out of the Quicktime codebase and into the Microsoft Media Player codebase, through the intermediary of a third party contractor that both Apple and Microsoft hired at different points. I could have missed something, though.
Re:Skins == Trademark (Score:5, Informative)
Why Patent User Switiching? (Score:2, Funny)
just patented "fast"
Fast user Switching (Score:2, Informative)
screen(1) for X11 (Score:2, Insightful)
1. start X
2. start dozens of terminals/browsers
2. detach the whole thing while leaving everything running
3. attach it again at a later time, maybe on another box
Just like screen(1) does now for text terminals. And come on, who can live without screen(1)?
Re:screen(1) for X11 (Score:2)
patents and implementation (Score:5, Interesting)
Likewise, by extending their Location Manager patent to include user-oriented settings Apple is implying that the switching technique and internal binding methods are unique to their implementation. Microsoft may have a semblance of fast user switching under XP, but there is no doubt that their implementation relies on different hooks and methods than the Apple implementation, which is a very thin layer that leverages the Darwin underpinnings of the OS. Most geeks here can easily guess the techniques Apple had to use in order to make this possible on top of Darwin. These techniques are certainly more graceful and less of an OS kludge than whatever Microsoft had to bolt onto Windows, and could easily be applied to other Unix-like OS's.
There will be a time in the not-too-distant future when portable devices will contain GPS by default, and automatically switch locations and users on the fly. Apple is doing the right thing here, formalizing their design via the patent system.
Re:patents and implementation (Score:3, Informative)
Microsoft uses a thin local Terminal Server that's running in the background to achieve this. Quite elegant actually. The only problem with this is that it adds another layer between user & hardware, so there's a performance hit.
I was really impressed with how WinXP handled itself in a little test I devised: Start installing MS Offi
Re:patents and implementation (Score:3, Informative)
Prior Art? (Score:3, Interesting)
I used to work for a corporation called Bull [bull.com], a French computer manufacturer and consulting outfit.
One of that company's core products at the time was smartcard-based . The project they were really proud of consisted of a massive rollout for a chain of hospitals in France, where doctors and other staff, just by inserting a chip card into a reader on a kiosk PC, could almost instantaneously call up their user profile, including rights to patients' dossiers and user-specific access to applications. The GINA mask would even display the doctor's photo while he/she typed in the PIN code.
This was based on Windows (forget which version), but the actual functionality was developed in-house. And I'm pretty sure we weren't the first to do anything of the sort.
Good luck, Mr. Jobs.
Prior art? (Score:2)
And yes, you can rig up 3ddesk to switch between Xnest sessions (logged in as different users) on Linux. I was doing this before Apple announced copying this into OS X on one of my boxes, just for the hell of it. Perhaps I can sue them for millions now?
Re:Prior art? (Score:2)
Facts, anyone?
My God, RTFA already!!!! (Score:5, Interesting)
- This is a continuation of a patent filed in 1995, and finally reviewed and granted in January 2003. Even if this was patenting Fast-User Switching, it was filed way before MS had it.
- This is NOT a patent on Fast-User switching (by itself). MacOS has, since, well probably no earlier than '95 but I'm thinking it was introduced around '98 or so had the "Location Manager". It works like this: LM compatable Control Panels saved their prefs in config files within the Preferences directory in the System Folder, and registered themselves with the Location Manager on initialization. Then, using a Location menu, you could simply snap all the settings to different configurations with one menu. Quite handy, I have one set on this machine for "normal" and one for "MIDI setup".
- We've all seen the Balmer video, but even he wouldn't be so stupid as to announce "our compeditors beat us to it" and then file a patent. Steve may be sadistic, but stupid he is not.
If I see one more post about "I have a virtual desktop and I can put a different xterm on each one" or "One word: su" , all I gotta say is this:Read the Patent Application: It's interesting. (Score:4, Interesting)
[0082] In the example presented in FIGS. 4a and 4b, the hand-held machine is shown to have two personas. In the case of FIG. 4a, the persona is Stephen Capps, professional engineer, while the persona illustrated in FIG. 4b is provided in for Stephen Capps, private citizen. As shown in FIG. 4a, some information associated with Stephen Capps, professional engineer, includes his company affiliation, title in the company, company address, and company phone number. In contrast, his private citizen persona is shown to include his home phone number, and may include such other information as a home address, etc.
I definitely haven't seen either Mac OS X switching or Windows switching do something _that_ useful.
Has anyone here actually read the pattent? (Score:5, Informative)
It covers "Multiple personas for mobile devices".
It's a hell of a stretch to go from that patent to fast user switching. The Register even admits it's a inaccurate description of user switching, although they underplay it.
That patent sounds like it would more accurately describe a handheld device that could serve multiple roles (like a mp3 player, a movie player, a camera, a phone, etc) and could rapidly reconfigure it's GUI to accommodate whichever 'persona' the user wanted.
I'd say this is just the Register blaring sensationalist bullshit to get attention (and succeeding wildly since they have a front page
Re:Has anyone here actually read the patent? (Score:5, Informative)
It covers "Multiple personas for mobile devices". That patent sounds like it would more accurately describe a handheld device that could serve multiple roles (like a mp3 player, a movie player, a camera, a phone, etc)
A laptop is a mobile device too. In fact, the patent explicitly makes a distinction between a hand-held computer and a portable computing device (see claims 34/35, 43/44 and 50/51 from the patent). In the desciption it states that: "Computers are becoming increasingly [...] portable. [...] Laptop, notebook, and sub-notebook computers are virtually as powerful as their desktop counterparts." In other words, the class of portable computing devices referenced in the patent includes laptops.
It covers "Multiple personas for mobile devices". It's a hell of a stretch to go from that patent to fast user switching. The Register even admits it's a inaccurate description of user switching, although they underplay it.
The term 'user' as used in Unix is really just a persona. It's certainly not equal to a person since the root and guest accounts are not directly related to a person. They are more like roles, aka personas. Multiple personas seems to be an valid description of (fast) user switching.
I'd say this is just the Register blaring sensationalist bullshit to get attention (and succeeding wildly since they have a front page
Unfortunately, I haven't got the time to examine the entire patent (it's very long), but your criticisms don't seem to hold water. So for the time, I'll have to give The Register the benefit of the doubt.
PS. Quotes were edited for readability.
Fast User Switching "Switcher" Ad (Score:5, Funny)
When I used to be Dan on my powerbook five seconds ago, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't get my e-mail from work, I could only browse the net at 56k, and all my Brittney Spears mp3's would play back in Swedish.
Then I got Apple's fast user switching.
Now I'm named Barbara. I can browse the internet using bluetooth, I've got access to corporate VPN's Dan never did, I've got a Hello Kitty background on my desktop, and everyone in the chat room thinks I don't have a penis. This just rocks!
My name is Dan..er..Barbara Wickowski, and I'm an insurance salema..er..saleswoman.
Bad pun..... (Score:5, Funny)
How can they even think of this? (Score:3, Insightful)
From the earliest days of the mac (Score:3, Interesting)
Like a game of chess, maybe? (Score:4, Interesting)
Sun Java Station with fast user switching for GUI' (Score:3, Interesting)
lightyears ahead of this point and click...
Old News (Score:3, Interesting)
Then there was su, slightly quicker if you're a good typer.
Then came screen, ^a1, ^a2... seems pretty quick to me!
Then came sudo, awfully fast, especially when combined with keybindings in screen.
Oh, you meant silly GUI switching? Fine. But why switch users when I can just 'sudo -u luser mongo-app --display
Maybe I really want to see a different desktop theme? Ok, how about binding those to virtual desktops....
All those patent lawyers must be bored, they've twisted the USPTO to the point where it's just a funny rubber stamp and mask outfit, so they need a new challenge!
Re:Old News (Score:3, Insightful)
Silly GUI switching? It doesn't seem all that silly to my Mom who owns an iMac. I really don't want my mom dealing with sudo commands and all that other terminal stuff. The terminal may work just fine for you, but don't call my mom silly for using a GUI!
Linux method = fractured metaphor (Score:3, Insightful)
C'mon now. It's plain to see that fast user switching is a better solution than just virtual consoles, or even multiple X servers. For one, security. I can safely transfer control to someone else without worry of them messing me up. This safety isn't necessarily from deliberate attempts to cause harm. I have a user account for people who don't know my computer, thus they have a nice little box they can check their email in. An accidental keypress can dump you back in the other environment.
Second, it fractures the metaphor. When you "log in" a GUI then you are identifying that machine as "you" for the duration of that session. Everything that computer does, it should do as "you." Fast User Switching is a clean extension of the metaphor to allow for multiple users at a time. The console and multiple X terminals is not.
For the people who just advocate using su or sudo to switch shells, that's fine. For advanced users, that's very possible and doable. Remember OSX has a pretty schwag terminal app built right in should power-users want it. But the average user doesn't understand it, doesn't want it, doesn't need it. However, they do need a way to switch users.
Re:When was this last on Slashdot? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:When was this last on Slashdot? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Umm, well yeah. (Score:2)
Edison had a nasty habit of patenting things he did not invent...
Re:The Fast User Switching I Want to See... (Score:2)
AMD and Intel already have 64-bit chips that you can buy today. Apple is behind, despite Jobs bogus announcement of the first 64-bit pc. An AMD 64-bit workstation is cheaper than the lowest available 64-bit Mac.
Re:The Fast User Switching I Want to See... (Score:2, Informative)
I also expect that to be the last such migration in my life time. It might be famous last words, however I do have trouble believing 64-bit processing and addressing will get outgrown by any software we'll be running on the desktop.
The PS2 has a full 128-bit processor. The EE (MIPS R5900) is based around a 32-bit MIPS design, has 32-bit instructions, etc, but all 32 of the general purpose registers are 128 bits wide. Really crazy. You can use those as real 128-bit registers, or you can split them up and
Re:Why? (Score:2, Insightful)
Because someone else will, and then sue them.
Because microsoft will sue them.
Because holding patents is unfortunately a very important thing for a technology company these days. All their competitors have huge profiles of patents, so must Apple.
The problem is not Apple patenting this, it's the fact that it can be patented in the first place.