Stop using C++, it's patented!!!

[hopkins@kaleida.com (Don Hopkins)]

I really hope Microsoft can enforce this patent, and keep C++ all to itself!
c(-;

        -Don

>To: hopkins@kaleida.com
>Subject: Microsoft patent on Virtual function & virtual base class
>implementations
>Date: Sat, 26 Mar 1994 01:04:07 -0800
>From: John Gilmore <gnu@cygnus.com>
>Status: O
>
>From: axb@defender.dcrl.nd.edu (Arindam Banerji)
>Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
>Subject: Virtual function & virtual base class implementations PATENTED ?
>Date: 23 Mar 1994 15:22:12 GMT
>Organization: University of Notre Dame
>Message-ID: <2mpmr4$4hn@news.nd.edu>
>
>The following patent was issued to Microsoft yesterday. Does anybody have more
>complete information on the contents and details of this patent ?
>
>
>  
>PATENT NUMBER = 5297284
>TITLE = Method and system for implementing virtual functions and virtual base
> classes and setting a this pointer for an object-oriented programming
> language
>ISSUE DATE = 03-22-94
>INVENTOR = Jones; David T.
>INVENTOR = O'Riordan; Martin J.
>INVENTOR = Zbikowski; Mark J.
>ASSIGNEE = Microsoft Corporation
>CLASS=395/700     TYPE=  395
>CROSS REFERENCE CLASS=364/DIG.1   364/255.1   364/255.8   364/261.4
>364/DIG.2   364/938.3   364/955   364/955.6
>ABSTRACT :
>A method for a computer compiler for an object-oriented programming
> language for implementing virtual functions and virtual base classes is
> provided. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the data
> structure layout of an object includes a virtual function table pointer, a
> virtual base table pointer, occurrences of each non-virtual base class,
> the data members of the class, and occurrences of each virtual base class.
> If a class introduces a virtual function member and the class has a
> non-virtual base class with a virtual function table pointer, then the
> class shares the virtual function table pointer of the non-virtual base
> class that is first visited in a depth-first, left-to-right traversal of
> the inheritance tree. In preferred embodiments of the present invention,
> each instance of a given class shares a set of virtual function tables and
> virtual base tables for that class. In preferred embodiments, adjusters
> are used when a function member in a derived class overrides a function
> member that is defined in more than one base class, and when a derived
> class has a base class that overrides a function member in a virtual base
> class of that class and the derived class itself does not override the
> function member.
>
>
>-thanx
>
> 
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>Arindam Banerji                              (219)-631-5273 (Voice)
>384 FitzPatrick Hall                         (219)-631-5772 (Voice)
>Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering    (219)-273-0862 (Voice)
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>Notre Dame, IN 46556                         axb@cse.nd.edu (E-mail)
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>