...blazing that trail to 1985. Hold onto your hats, technophiles, innovation slows down for no man!

In order for a patent to be enforceable, you cannot have "prior art" either in a sold product or public domain. This function has existed before Microsoft even existed, so prior art defenses should be a piece of cake.

You might surmise the patent office would know this.... so there must be more to it than MacNN reported... and it wouldn't be the first time.

They'll have fun trying to enforce that one. A rather ironic patent given Windows was the last major OS to receive this functionality.

It seems they are trying to patent their GUI elements that perform the same task as sudo in Windows. They may be able to do this, as Apple certainly has patents on their graphical implementations of certain common computer tasks. sudo, as we all know, as a command-line tool in a completely different operating environment.

However, there have been some GUI implementations of sudo in Mac and Linux. One of the oldest Mac OS X apps is "Psuedo," an app that allowed you to drop an app on it and run with root privileges. I talk about in the past tense, because I'm not sure if it's still around, or works with Leopard/Snow Leopard.

And in the Linux world--specifically the Gnome dektop--gksudo has performed the same function for a while.

I decided to enable the 64-bit kernel on my MacBook Pro. I edited the Boot.plist file as required to do this, then saved the edited file to my desktop. I then dragged it into the system library where it goes, and, since I have not enabled the SuperUser account on my system, a graphical dialog box popped up, asking me to authenticate the overwrite.

Isn't this exactly what M$ has just patented? And I'm assuming this is prior art, is it not?

With MicroSoft losing market cap year after year, laying off 800 employees after laying off thousands more earlier, I wonder if MS is getting desperate in its patent suit?

It looks like now a PC can install a retail version of Snow Leopard using Free Empire Efi, or Rebel Efi, or Boot 132 loader.

http://prasys.co.cc/2009/10/empire-efi/#more-2127

I wonder how many people will forgo the multiple expensive flavors of windows 7? Or for those looking to upgrade to get windoze 7 to work, instead buy a mac, or try Snow Leopard on their PC for $29 to get the retail version? After all, isnt that what a anti-virus subscription costs now a days?

Apple is making great profits and 2-3 years time, if it keeps growing, it could be bigger then MicroSoft, market cap wise, which is funny considering how many MS mice, MS Keyboards, windows mobile CE, Zunes, flavors of windoze, and X boxes Microsoft peddles.

Hey, wasnt the PC supposed to do what an X-box does? You bought the PC, then the X box. You bought windows ME, then windows Vista. How many more $$$ are out there?

This article says it all... This is just Pure Microsoft attitude. It is not enough for them use other people work and ask for LOT of money for it, but also try stealing the intellectual property of others. This will be always their way. Try invent something of you own without it buy or steal.

I say, use it but don't loot it.

This issue isn't ultimately about Microsoft, it's about the sorry state of affairs at the USPTO. It is becoming increasingly clear that those working at the patent office are no more qualified (or motivated) than those working at the DMV. If M$ or anybody else is able to get such things through the patent process, why shouldn't they at least try? Yes, it takes a shameless amount of brass neck but the patent office is supposed to prevent such things not facilitate them through incompetence. Bad Microsoft but even badder USPTO!

Are they trying to patent separately each GUI element of each function of the OS?