Andrew Tridgell has published a patch that could make the Linux implementation of the FAT filesystem impervious to Microsoft patent claims of the kind that forced a settlement from TomTom. The patch alters the VFAT code so that it does not generate both short and long filenames.

tridge has done it again, offering a patch to Linux's VFAT filesystem that retains support for long names, while carefully avoiding ever having both a long and a short name for the same file. As before, media containing the old long/short-name combination VFAT format are still supported.

The community is at work, I see. Not only is there a prior art search going on regarding three Microsoft patents asserted against TomTom, but now Andrew Tridgell has posted some code on LKML. You'll never guess what it does?

Andrew Tridgell discusses why reading patents is usually a good idea, how to read a patent, and how to build a solid defence. Tridgell also suggests how free software could scare off patent holders.

The GNU diff and patch utilities let you compare files to generate a patch that describes the changes between files. You can then apply the patch file on that machine or another. You might think to use diff and patch on XML files, since they are just text files -- and depending on your application, diff and patch might serve your needs well.

Following bellow is build Xen Host on top Ubuntu 9.10 Server.It is based on direct clone via “hg” and build Xen 3.4.3-rc4 from xensource.com,applying Andrew Lyon’s 2.6.31 patch set V12 to vanilla kernel 2.6.31.12 along with tuning patched kernel via “make menuconfig” and building aka Suse xenified kernel in Ubuntu 9.10 environment.Notice that forward porting of original patch set was don

With the 3DMark patch, the games will recognize your systems pixelshader and DirectX levels, allowing you to play more games, and turn up the graphical settings on many games. You will need the following things: Wine source 3Dmark patch (0.9.58 and earlier) or 3Dmark patch (0.9.59 and higher)

a new firm is offering to work with you on a vulnerability patch that they will then patent and go to court to defend. You'll split the profits with the firm, Intellectual Weapons, if they manage to sell the patch to the vendor.

Once upon a time, the way to get a patch into the mainline kernel was to email it to Linus Torvalds. A hopeful developer would then wait for Linus to release a new kernel tree to see whether the patch had been included or not. In the latter case, the more persistent developers would resend the patch. Often, developers had to be persistent indeed if they wanted their code to be merged.