Re: FN-FORUM: how many pages will broken after this?

date posted 1st September 2003 18:33

>> I don't understand all this

> Basically, a company (called Eolas) have patented...

OK, OK...I understood it, I meant I didn't understand the widespread panic.
What I'm saying is rhetoric like...

>> We can't use external apps in
>> browsers any more?

>Might be. Watch this space, as they say.

Is completely insane. You honestly really think that all java applets,
flash content, svg(!), etc, etc, is going to be pulled from browsers?

Did you have a hard time 31/12/99?

This all happened before with the Unisys GIF patents and the same kind of
propaganda came out then (I still use GIFs because of the shitty
transparancy support for PNG); whilst its a pain in the ass and doesn't help
progress too much I can't see it having an instant impact on people
developing for the internet. If anything I'd think this would be more
worrying for the small browser developer - Microsoft could afford to licence
these technologies but it may be a bit more of a struggle for Mozilla,
Opera, etc.

Asides, the court case will give us adequate time to learn useful new skills
like carpentry, farming techniques and the use of flint to create fire.

Damon : Base-8