Microsoft owns the patent for tab based browsing

[Nomad559]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18336

-Snip-

Those watching Vole's more recent moves with the US Patent office have started to pull files to see if the software giant has any more rabbits up its sleeve.

Much to the shock of Firefox and Mozarella users everywhere, it seems that Vole owns the patent for tab based browsing.

In March 1997 the software giant showed up at the patent office with the invention of Discoverability and navigation of hyperlinks via tabs.

In other words, when a computer user uses the Tab key to move the focus from one hyperlink to another on a webpage opened in a browser, the use of that function is now owned by Microsoft.

[amber dog democrat]

1. I use Apple's Safari.

I don't know if this affects me or not. Microsoft would own the patent to sex if it could - and then they'd write weak code requiring an endless stream of updates, patches and fixes.

[Nomad559]

3. Apple fixes 15 flaws in Mac OS X

Apple fixes 15 flaws in Mac OS X

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5350010.html

-Snip-

Apple Computer released an update to its Mac OS X operating system on Tuesday to fix 15 security issues in the software.

Many of the problems are flaws in the operating system's underlying open-source software, including a critical flaw in the Kerberos authentication system--software that can act as a gatekeeper for computer networks. The patch is available for Mac OS X 10.3.5 and Mac OS X 10.3.4, and also fixes issues in Mac OS X 10.2, known as "Jaguar."

The patch fixes software flaws that could enable an attacker to crash or freeze the Apache 2 Web server, run software by utilizing Apple's Safari Web browser or expose the password store used by the network. Security information provider Secunia/news:link> ranked the Kerberos threat as "highly critical," its second-highest danger rating.

[amber dog democrat]

5. Interesting - but I am not affected by this

I don't operate servers nor am I on a network. And the key thing is that I have never experienced problems in productivity. It just works.

After a year of being forced to use XP at my last job, I came away thinking its ok for a Windows box, but still kind of lame.

However its not the tool, its the person behind it. By all means use your platform of choice. All the same I suscribe to the doctrine that " friends don't let friends use Microsoft" .

[Nomad559]

7. I am not affected by this

You are If you use one of these system versions.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798

This Security Update is available for the following system versions
Mac OS X 10.3.4
Mac OS X 10.3.5
Mac OS X Server 10.3.4
Mac OS X Server 10.3.5
Mac OS X 10.2.8
Mac OS X Server 10.2.8

[amber dog democrat]

8. OS X 10.2.1 - not using the other versions.

There was no need to upgrade.

I am able to do everything I need to do on X.2.1

Being a former Apple employee, I am naturaly slow to adopt the latest and greatest of anything.

When there is a reason to migrate, then its a diferent story. But for now the first roll out of Jaguar is great to use. Not too many cosmetic changes.

[Huckebein the Raven]

9. and the occasional blue screen of death

:evilgrin:

[da_chimperor]

11. I don't think it effects safari

At least if that's the exact definition in the patent application. Pressing the tab key does nothing. You've got to press 3 keys to switch from 1 tab to the other, and the same goes for Camino, and possibly for Firefox. All have tabs (multiple pages accessible from 1 window, for those unfamiliar with it), but it seems none would be effected by the patent. It's like there's two definitions of tabbed browsing.

[progdonkey]

2. Video Game Revolution

This kind of absurdity reminds me of something I saw last night on PBS detailing the rise of the video game from its pre-Pong days to Doom3. One of the little gems was that Ralph Baer, the creator of the Odyssey, received a patent for a "Television Gaming and Training Apparatus, " (basically a patent for the concept of "the video game") in 1973. He sold the patent to Magnavox, which in turn sued left and right just about any company that created a TV video game system.

Ah, corporations and their patents....

[trotsky]

4. Whew

For a minute there I thought the patent was for tabbed browsing as it is done in Mozilla with a middle-click or a right-click, "Open in New Tab".

This is just for keyboard-based browsing. Whoop dee do.

[RoyGBiv]

10. Yeah...

It's difficult to imagine how they'll defend this, if they choose to try. The functions the patent states were "invented" by MS have, as the author of the article said, been in use for years and were well before the patent was filed. I suppose there could be some peculiarities to the implementation specified in the patent's legalese I didn't grasp.

[baldguy]

6. "Microsoft Patents 1s & 0s"

REDMOND, WA--In what CEO Bill Gates called "an unfortunate but necessary step to protect our intellectual property from theft and exploitation by competitors," the Microsoft Corporation patented the numbers one and zero Monday.

With the patent, Microsoft's rivals are prohibited from manufacturing or selling products containing zeroes and ones--the mathematical building blocks of all computer languages and programs--unless a royalty fee of 10 cents per digit used is paid to the software giant.

http://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/humor/1n0_patent.htm

[electricmonk]

12. Microsoft Granted Patent for Creating Insecure Software

Redmond, WA - The US patent office awarded US patent 9,724,341 to Microsoft for its unique method in creating massive vulnerabilities in its software using Internet Explorer and ActiveX.

Microsoft's application for a patent on "the process to eliminate competition through unfair business practices" was denied.

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