The tech blogs have been exploding with news about Microsoft filing a patent for what appears to be some kind of ad framework that's embedded deeply in an operating system. As Ars Technica put it, "Microsoft has filed another patent, this one for an "advertising framework" that uses "context data" from your hard drive to show you advertisements and "apportion and credit advertising revenue" to ad suppliers in real time. Yes, Redmond wants to own the patent on the mother of all adware."
So what's really going on here? Two theories come to mind:
- A free albeit ad-supported version of Windows, or
- A pre-emptive patent to keep someone else -- including adware makers -- from doing the same thing.
I'm leaning slightly towards the first of the two theories, although I suspect an ad-supported Windows would be something that MS would bundle with cheap hardware as part of a strategic partnership, and not just give away. Of course, if they did just give it away, that wouldn't be bad -- but it would kind of miss the point as to why people choose a free OS over Windows. (Speaking for myself, I'm happiest with Windows right now, but I've learned anything is possible given enough time.)
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