Fuck, look what Microsoft is doing to their browser now.
 

Ready to have to change all of your web pages with embedded content? |banghead|

"Web developers take note - this change will affect all active content, such as QuickTime, Macromedia Flash, Java and other ActiveX controls."

Information for Developers about Changes to Internet Explorer

More infor on how this will affect us can be found here.
Creating the Best User Experience for Active Web Content

OK so it's a security issue.... Also I see the workarounds involve using external javascript files... What if the surfer has jscripting turned off???

From this page
http://developer.apple.com/internet/ieembedprep.html

"What About Users Who Have JavaScript Turned Off?

Both of the above methods rely on JavaScript. A small percentage of visitors to your site may have disabled JavaScript in their browsers. The techniques suggested above will not work for these few users—they won't see your embedded content at all.

One thing to keep in mind is that many or most Internet Explorer users who have disabled JavaScript have also disabled support for ActiveX controls. Therefore, users who have disabled ActiveX have not been seeing QuickTime content displayed in Internet Explorer for Windows and the migration to JavaScript techniques for embedded content doesn't alter or affect their experience. You only need to be concerned about users who have disabled JavaScript, but have ActiveX enabled."

This is so fucked up!!!!! All because MS refuses to rewrite IE... Just another shitty patch!!!!!

Too bad we can't just get everyone to use Mozilla. :D

We can only dream Cleo.....

Amen Cleo

DD

CNN has an article about it now
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/interne....ap/index.html

This one is even better.

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5088349.html

Moves to force microsoft to stop distributing IE... guess that means they can't sell their OS either since the 2 or so incestuous...

;)

Because of an existing patent on launching plugins directly from the browser, and because the company refused to settle to a decent royalty rate to use it, Microsoft is making changes to stay away from the patent.

All other browsers, including mozilla and any other browser that can show content in the browser (such as quicktime, real, flash, and many other popular plug ins) will be forced to do similar or to pay a royalty fee. These guys want a VERY high license fee, and it is unlikely that anyone will line up to pay it (especially not the "free" browser people). Already Real and others are re-writing their applications to work in this new enviornment.

Automatically invoking the plug in is in violation of the patent.

All browsers (including the browsers on apples and unix) that have similar functionality will have to be changed as well.

Another sucky application of a patent.

Alex

From what I've been reading, Slashdot has had some threads on it, it looks like they are only going after Microsoft.