On Sun, 23 Jul 2000, you wrote:
> Anyone know where I can find something
> in linux to play those dangbusted asf files?
Not no but "hell, No!"
Microshaft PATENTED the *.asf format ignoring the preexisting mpeg formats on
which it is based. If there is ever a way to read the (decidedly second rate
quality) Active Stream Format files, it will have to be written by Microsoft.
Anyone writing a program to decode the *.asf files, without written permission
of Microsoft, is an infringer.
Anyway, likely the patent is crap. But the US Patent Office is the #1
Embarassment of the Digital Age, handing out software patents with very little
research (same staff, and ten times the workload) and letting the courts decide
which is valid. Anyone have a spare $200 million (US) to go to court on this
patent with Microsoft and PROVE it is invalid?
And if you see words in this message I do not normally type, I think you can
see that I am furious because I am helpless before these bozos.
Civileme
