Microsoft licenses FAT

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1402353,00.asp
from WinCustomize Forums

FAT has become a standard file system for all kinds of devices. And so, Microsoft has decided that it's time to start getting these companies to pay up in the form of licensing.

Good or bad? Hard to say. FAT belongs to Microsoft and they should have control over who uses it. On the other hand, would FAT have become a standard if there had been licensing fees for all those years?

4,008 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well I'm sure microsoft knows exactly what they're doing. Make a product widely (and freely) available...and make it a standard...then start charging fees....those asshats will do anything to make more money...simply pathetic IMO
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Microsoft is more than welcome to come and suck the 10lbs of FAT off my ass that I did not license
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
aaahahhahahahah
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The inventor of the intermittent wiper for cars did the same thing....got about 20 cents for each and every car that had one.....filthy rich, now....
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Tacky, but true. We all just love all of the bugs that bless us from the manufacturer. So how appropriate, as another user said, for them to wait until everyone is dependent on a particular file system type, then begin charging a license fee to use it.

Capitalism at it's best (ha, ha)!
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The FAT fs is horribly inefficient. If people are willing to pay for it then they deserve the headaches associated with it.

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Didn't the creators of the MP3 format do this as well? There should be like something to prevent this.