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I am pretty sure...
that you are not as knowledgeable on this case as you may think. Fact is, Apple, after several years of litigation and back-forth, lost the case. This ("THIS") was the beginning of the "look-and-feel" law. It was the idea, that you can not "invent" the look of a program. That you can not "invent" keystrokes. I mean, what if IBM had patented CTRL-ALT-DELETE and charged everyone for using it? Would that mean that every time you hit CTRL-ALT-DELETE you somehow send a message to some magical server in the sky and it will charge you a penny? Sounds silly, right? That's pretty much what that court felt. And more: What if I went around and patented every single pixel in every single color? Then every time someone wants to use my "interface" I could collect let's say 1024x968x$0.01 ?? It may seem silly, but some of the thinking behind apple's patent lawsuit was exactly that.

The idea that the code was stolen from apple is ridiculous. First of all, companies for decades now have used this thing called "reverse engineering", which is perfectly legal (in every country I think). The idea that MS would have to resort to this measure is absurd. They had, have, and will always have a large contingent of some of the most talented people in the computing world working for them. That's basic economics for you. Second, are you then (since they stole from apple) by extension saying that somehow apple was on the threshold of inventing windows and somehow MS beat them to it? Remember, Apple was focused on their computers, and not much else. MS, at the time, was still spread out and had projects across several computers (atari, PC, amiga, even apple). It may sound silly to you, but Windows is a bit more than just a couple of icons and a couple of keystrokes. Windows, especially the first few versions of it, were "huge collections of interoperable interface code". Up until windows, you had to pretty much hire the neighborhood geek just to install your mouse and a joystick (DOS), and everytime you installed one piece of code or hardware there was a good chance that it would screw up something else. After windows, the hardware/software vendors were able to simplify the coding and installation process to a point where pretty much anyone could install their own hardware. Even I managed to put together several PC's without having to get certified by 10 different vendors. This was the underlying idea of windows. Take the hardware and software and hook it into a generic box (provided it complied with some standards). The problems that everyone, even to this day, always whines about are in a lot of cases the fault of the vendors. Do you remember those super-duper graphics cards in he early-mid 90's that had a 50/50 chance of crashing the heck out of windows, especially if you installed them with the supplied disk? Well, that's what happens when a vendor decides to circumvent the OS's memory allocation model and get the memory from the MB directly. A lot of the graphics vendors did that. Heck, I owned few of them until I finally got tired of having the latest/greatest crashbox.

Apple had a different view on the computer world - one box for everyone - designed, built, and sold by apple, running apple code, wheras PC/windows was many boxes for everyone, built by everyone, programmed by everyone.

So how did MS steal that code? Maybe that would explain Apple's near demise in the 90's? Blame MS? DOOM DOOM DOOM it's all MS's fault again.
Posted by: rock06r   Posted on: 02/01/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Interesting  Bobby Sskcat | 01/30/04
Free publicity  IT_User | 01/30/04
should m$ trademark "virus"?  stephen732@... | 01/30/04
So says you...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/30/04
No, so says a U.S. judge  IT_User | 01/30/04
Rants  Chris Moller | 01/30/04
Frequently?  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 01/31/04
and even better still  nograin | 01/30/04
Right, just like....  rock06r | 01/30/04
Question about Xerox  IT_User | 01/30/04
Darpa  rock06r | 01/30/04
No, I'm not in charge of black projects  IT_User | 01/30/04
Ig No Rant.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 01/31/04
I am pretty sure...  rock06r | 02/01/04
RE: I am pretty sure...  JakAttak | 02/02/04
Xerox, Apple, and MS  Richard Flude | 01/31/04
superb OS years ahead of their rivals.???  richdave | 04/16/04
Apple control  BruceWheelock@... | 01/30/04
I think CSC's Threads is a much better precedent  IT_User | 01/30/04
No joy  IT_User | 01/30/04
Two flaws in your argument.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 01/31/04
both appropriate and legal.  richdave | 04/16/04
I still don't see  Arrg | 01/30/04
It doesn't  IT_User | 01/30/04
Come on  vferrara | 01/30/04
Not that clear to me  IT_User | 01/30/04
Not sure, but...  vferrara | 01/30/04
Interesting how you termed it  IT_User | 01/30/04
Remember the initial hype?  vferrara | 01/30/04
I remember that image  IT_User | 01/30/04
Changing the first letter.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 01/31/04
It would be both legal and proper for  richdave | 04/16/04
Seems to me...  Jose Jimenez | 01/30/04
windows  prrawlins | 01/30/04
Exactly right.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 01/30/04
Even if Lindows loses, they win  vferrara | 01/30/04
If MS loses..  d_jedi | 01/30/04
how about  prrawlins | 01/30/04
Look out AppleWin!  IT_User | 01/30/04
Boy, you sure do have it in for Linux, don't you?  emartin_z | 02/02/04
I Didn't realize that..  Arrg | 01/30/04
opps precedent not president  Arrg | 01/30/04
Re: I Didn't realize that.  PottHead | 01/30/04
Not quite  vferrara | 01/30/04
Not Windows, MS Windows.  neil ubich | 01/30/04
Hmmm...  James T. Kirk | 01/30/04
Once again, not quite.  vferrara | 01/30/04
To flip it though  IT_User | 01/30/04
Proportionate response  rapson | 01/30/04
Less an overreaction, to be sure  IT_User | 01/30/04
However...  el1jones | 01/30/04
Maybe you're right ... maybe not!  vferrara | 01/30/04
Good point about confusion  IT_User | 01/30/04
It could..  d_jedi | 01/30/04
A reasoned response  IT_User | 01/30/04
Now why would you be disappointed to own the  richdave | 04/16/04
the word windows  prrawlins | 01/30/04
Que?  NemesisNL | 01/30/04
True, but...  neil ubich | 01/30/04
Toys 'R Us...  Confused by religion | 01/30/04
Except this one  IT_User | 01/30/04
Trademarked name still up for debate  jasonp@... | 01/30/04
You're right, almost  IT_User | 01/30/04
Windows in the dictionary Lindows isant (nt)  nite_w0lf | 01/30/04
wrong, see my message below  hipparchus | 01/30/04
Same song, second verse  aduana@... | 01/30/04
You don't understand the issue  rock06r | 01/30/04
generic terms  Joe Blow_z | 01/30/04
286  d_jedi | 01/30/04
Mr. Nonsense  rock06r | 01/30/04
Nonsense doubled  davidpz@... | 01/31/04
learn to read  rock06r | 01/31/04
Civiliy isn't your long suit...  IT_User | 01/31/04
There wasn't a public distribution version  AbsolutelyNot | 01/31/04
TechDiva - sure of your names?  IT_User | 02/01/04
understand  prrawlins | 01/30/04
Even they were not first  rock06r | 01/30/04
Try again  zd-spam | 01/30/04
OK expert  rock06r | 01/30/04
Generic term IN THE INDUSTRY  IT_User | 01/30/04
Generic term?  davidpz@... | 01/31/04
Absolutely!  IT_User | 01/31/04
Actually, the trade name is Microsoft.  richdave | 04/16/04
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Glad you mentioned AOL.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 01/31/04
You're welcome  FilledOut | 02/02/04
Off topic, but  Update victim | 01/30/04
Lindows is a name (a place name)  hipparchus | 01/30/04
Close, but what does this have to do with anything  vferrara | 01/30/04
try an encyclopaedia that's where I found it  hipparchus | 01/30/04
Windows trademark  jasonp@... | 01/30/04
Nope, only in the same industry  IT_User | 01/30/04
So what's the industry?  jasonp@... | 01/30/04
hehehe  prrawlins | 01/30/04
Not up to legislature, thankfully  IT_User | 01/30/04
I should have said "Lindow man" + surname Lindow  hipparchus | 01/30/04
But..  d_jedi | 01/30/04
and  neil ubich | 01/30/04
I had enough of those confusion ...  GraysonPeddie | 01/30/04
Kleenex...  wploger | 01/30/04
Uhh, it's a DUTCH judge  Spoon Jabber | 01/31/04
Uhh, it's also an AMERICAN case  wploger | 02/02/04
LINDOWS by accident  prrawlins | 01/30/04
Protection from confusion  Domb2 | 02/02/04
You must be easily confused.  jkozura_z | 02/02/04
Judge, Jury, Executioner  d_jedi | 01/30/04
Interesting  IT_User | 01/30/04
I assume..  d_jedi | 02/01/04
There is an AppleWin  IT_User | 01/30/04
big difference..  d_jedi | 02/01/04
Windows actually an infringement, proof here.  Ironiclife | 01/30/04
Lindows used a "Lin"  IT_User | 01/30/04
What is your source?  rock06r | 01/30/04
Check a litle deeper  IT_User | 01/30/04
Well that just worms my apple  FilledOut | 01/31/04
maybe they could  JWatson77 | 01/30/04
Do you honestly believe that's a good thing?  rock06r | 02/01/04
you missed the point  JWatson77 | 02/01/04
i would like to here the end results of this  JWatson77 | 01/30/04
Wow, Microsoft continues to generate bad publicity.  DonnieBoy | 01/31/04
Copyright law..  d_jedi | 02/01/04
The point is valid  IT_User | 02/02/04
5 countries is not all of europe and....  hipparchus | 02/01/04
You should always file everywhere.  rock06r | 02/01/04
This might be part of the strategy  IT_User | 02/02/04
Easy solution: use a name that doesn't leach of Windows Trademark  marksashton | 01/31/04
Easier solution:  Spoon Jabber | 01/31/04
hmm..  d_jedi | 02/01/04
What trademark are you referring to?  IT_User | 01/31/04
Exactly  nite_w0lf | 01/31/04
But it does make it legitimate  rock06r | 02/01/04
Landmark Case  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 02/01/04
LINDOWS = LOSERS = MORONS  usapride | 02/01/04
Troll bait  jellyclock | 02/02/04
That's just wrong and mean  FilledOut | 02/02/04
Do any of you actually run businesses?  Domb2 | 02/02/04
RE: Do any of you actually run businesses?  pshempel | 02/02/04

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