Chapter 1054 - 494: The Master Guides You In, Cultivation Depends on the Individual

Chapter 1054: Chapter 494: The Master Guides You In, Cultivation Depends on the Individual

"You mentioned that case from over a decade ago involved a primitive, obsolete ’Emmett’ code editor, which is essentially a different product."

"Even though they both fall under the category of code editors."

Abigail Henderson quickly typed and then printed a document, "Mr. Osborne, I need you to sign here to confirm whether I’ve summarized this correctly, and then sign here again for consensus."

Kenneth Osborne took a look; it was simply a reiteration of what he’d just said.

He didn’t hesitate to sign his name.

Abigail took the document, sighed, put down the mouse, and twisted her neck stiff from staring at the computer too long, saying, "This is the key focus I need to break through. Think carefully again—does there exist any code editor that can edit software with artificial intelligence attributes?"

Her question stumped Kenneth.

He considered it carefully and cautiously replied, "I don’t know if such a code editor exists, nor if others have used it to write AI programs. I can only guarantee that I haven’t used one; I don’t know if it exists."

Abigail pondered for a while, nodded, and said, "Alright, let’s set aside the first point for now. I still think there should be such a code editor; otherwise, it’s impossible to explain why your core programs are 99% similar."

Kenneth pursed his lips and insisted, "Even if it exists, but I’ve never used it. If the other side has used it, how can it lead to a 99% similarity? Does my brain work like their code editor?"

"Now you’re venturing into philosophical territory," Abigail laughed. "Alright, let’s discuss the second problem, which is the crucial issue—hidden author signatures in the code."

"Tell me, what’s up with the author signature?"

Kenneth thought for a moment, trying to explain in layman’s terms.

"The author signature should actually be called code signing."

"Its primary functions are first to verify the software author and second to have encryption and recognition capabilities, providing secure updates or patches for existing software."

"Code signing can be represented by a set of keys or obtained from a specialized institution."

"The plaintiff company’s so-called author signature isn’t obtained from a specialized institution but is a self-generated key."

"As it happens, my AI software also contains such a set of keys. Frankly, before they sued me, I didn’t even know this key existed in my software code."

Kenneth shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Huh? Really?" Abigail was surprised. "Your original code files really have that key used for code signing?"

"Yes, I checked later, and it truly exists. It’s normal for me not to know. A system’s code can have tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of lines; I can’t possibly examine them all. As I mentioned before, I personally wrote the core code, but other non-core functionalities were compiled using the Eclipse code editor."

"Without any bugs, we wouldn’t check line by line."

Abigail tapped her fingers lightly on the table, pondering aloud, "Could someone else have added this code signature for you?"

Kenneth: "..."

"That’s impossible," he flatly denied. "Only I have access to my computer, and I’m very sure no one has hacked my computer."

"Moreover, if someone really hacked my computer, they could easily take my source code directly; why wait until I implement it to sue me?"

Abigail nodded, "You make a lot of sense."

She shrugged her hands, "But since you ruled out anyone accessing your computer and the possibility of being hacked, the only possibility left is that you added the key yourself." ℴℴ𝘮

"...That’s even more impossible! Would I be unaware if I added a key myself? I’m not at the point of senile dementia yet," Kenneth nearly scoffed, speaking bluntly.

Abigail laughed; she wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she patted Kenneth’s shoulder, "Mr. Osborne, calm down, don’t get so worked up. I’m just discussing logically; there’s only this one possibility."

Kenneth took a deep breath, stood up from his seat, and started pacing around the room, trying to carefully recall what happened the day he wrote that segment of core code.