Microsoft 'Sudo' Patent No Danger To UnixMicrosoft 'Sudo' Patent No Danger To Unix

The recent "Rights elevator" patent granted to Microsoft covers a graphic user interface element.

Thomas Claburn, Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

November 13, 2009

1 Min Read
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A patent granted to Microsoft has stirred up worry that world's largest software company wants to claim Unix's "sudo" as its own.

Sudo is a Unix program used to raise a user's privilege level to accomplish tasks that require administrative privileges. It allows a user to temporarily execute commands as the root user.

Microsoft's "Rights elevator" patent describes a way to "enable a user to elevate his or her rights," which of course is what "sudo" does.

To continue reading the rest of the story, please go to Does New Microsoft Patent Infringe On Unix Program Sudo? on our sister site, Dark Reading.

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About the Author

Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, information, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

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