Eolas & The New Internet Explorer
October 07, 2003 | 
14 Comments
Well, thanks a bunch Mike Doyle — You jackass. You’ve just made the Web a less friendly, harder to work around place. Happy?
You know, I had hoped that when we were graced with a new version of Internet Explorer it would be because Microsoft had seen the light and decided to fix all that was broken with it. I should have known better.
No, it all comes down to money. You know, I’m sure there is a way to make money here that doesn’t involve systematically killing the Web. But hey, we know the parties involved have problems thinking of creative, let alone effective, solutions to problems.
Ethan does a great job summing up the whole Eolas debacle. The gist of which is that we’re in for some uncomfortable and problematic changes to the way we develop and design for the Web.
It doesn’t look like any of the proposed solutions are any good and I’m not holding my breath that any of the players involved will come up with something better.
No, if there is going to be an effective solution to this it’s going to come from an independent developer, like it always does. One who has a passion for the Web that outweighs his passion for cash.
For more on this:
Dave Shea’s Eolas Fallout
Todd Dominey’s Get Ready for IE Changes
Filed under: Web General
Comments
1. Craig said:
Apparently, Eolas also invented the “now-ubiquitous stylized ‘e’” logo” (the one that looks like a @). IBM apparently purchased the rights to it in ‘97. Wonder if Eolas threatened IBM, too?
Next up, Doyle will be pulling out his patent for binary.
Posted on October 7, 2003 11:36 AM | #
2. Egor Kloos said:
That poor sod Eolas, he must have known that he going kick everybody in the shin.
Well I might (still thinking about it) do absolutely nothing about it. And I may even end up telling my client that it’s a feature and not a bug. “Hey man, the web is broken always has been. Didn’t ya know?”
Posted on October 7, 2003 12:08 PM | #
3. Keith said:
Yeah I saw that about the “e” – too funny!
Posted on October 7, 2003 12:18 PM | #
4. Scrivs said:
I love the web and stuff guys, but I mean for $500 million I may just break it myself to pay some bills, buy my parents a house, and help some charities…honestly could you pass up a $500 million dollar payday? I can’t even fathom that much money.
And no I don’t think it is cool about the whole screwing up IE thing.
Posted on October 7, 2003 01:05 PM | #
5. Keith said:
I get your point Paul, but I’m not mad a Mike Doyle for getting paid, and I’m not just mad at him, Microsoft has to take some of the blame as well.
I just know there could have been a better way to do this.
If it were me, hell yeah I’d get paid, but I’d do it in such a way that I didn’t leave thousands of Web developers, Web site owners, etc. potentially up shit creek. Maybe he doen’t understand the ramifications, I don’t know, and I don’t care.
What I do know is that because of Eolas’ mucking and Microsoft’s poor decision-making the rest of us now have to pay (time, effort, money) in one way or another, and that my friend - is bullshit.
Posted on October 7, 2003 02:14 PM | #
6. Chris Cooper said:
Everywhere else I’ve been reading about this story, the comments have been kept to a very professional level.
Well, I’m very happy to see someone say it like it really is. Mike Doyle, you jackass. Lovely.
I really don’t understand why we should even refer to EOLAS at all, considering Mikey is the only one there.
And I’m almost positive there was a typeface designed before ‘97 where all the lowercase letters have the circly thing around them. Designed indeed. Mike Doyle, you jackass.
Posted on October 8, 2003 12:43 AM | #
7. Keith said:
Well, now that I think about it, I guess I should have addressed this is a more professional manner.
I mean, after all, Mike Doyle is the second coming of Paul Rand.
Posted on October 8, 2003 10:42 AM | #
8. -b- said:
Doyle is a hero for taking on MS and winning. That’s rare, MS usually wins or settles if it thinks it’s going to lose.
What’s the real impact, how many people will update to the latest IE? Considering the struggle MS has with people applying patches, I’m going to wait to see if anyone complains and what difference it possibly makes. Besides, if you code for it now, that could change on appeal or another suit.
For more on this topic, see my post
http://texturadesign.com/archives/000028.htm
Posted on October 8, 2003 11:28 AM | #
9. Britt said:
Yeah, it’s easy to blame Mike Doyle for this. Perhaps his patent case is similar to the GIF patent, but nonetheless he developed the technology for it and released WebRouser and applied for a patent in 1994. There are plenty of articles from ‘95 that explain the ramifications. All he is asking of Microsoft is to pay their share of licensing fees. Microsoft is the one who decided not to do that and instead make changes to IE, something many of us who are concerned about standards have been doing for years but to no avail. I’m wondering why everyone seems to be siding with MS on this particular issue. They had a choice and chose to change IE rather than pay.
Posted on October 8, 2003 11:45 AM | #
10. Keith said:
I’m not siding with MS or MD - I think they’re both in the wrong here, and actually I feel like the judge is partly to blame as well.
I do feel like Doyle is full of it (thus the jackass comment) and I also feel that he could have done more to come to an acceptable compromise.
Britt does have a point, that MS, in the end, is the one who decided to change IE (which is where the problem lies) instead of pay.
What really burns me is that it takes this crap to get a change into IE and it’s a step backwards if anything.
Posted on October 8, 2003 01:19 PM | #
11. -b- said:
Agreed, MS could’ve just paid him. What surprises me is that the anger is directed at him, rather than MS. MS didn’t have to change the code, they could’ve just licensed his patent. I’m sure they had their reasons not to, but I’m not going to react to MS’ legal strategy.
Posted on October 8, 2003 02:40 PM | #
12. Tron said:
Microsoft is not the only one who are infringing the trivial patent held by Eolas. Other browsers like Mozilla, Opera and Netscape infringe it too. Companies like Macromedia, RealNetworks who make plugins also suffer from it.
So now this Doyle is playing the digital Robin Hood. Saying he wants to get Microsoft back for all the hurt and pain they have caused. That Big Bad Wolf hurting Little Red Riding Hood. Ugh, isn’t this noble of him! He will not go after anyone else he says. Well, can you bet on that? It would be stupid to do so.
This patent is a bad thing for everyone. Except (finacially) for our Robin Hood of course.
Posted on October 9, 2003 03:52 AM | #
13. Miguel Furlock said:
Our opinion:
Microsoft has lost the case deliberately. Mr. Eolas (it’s not a company, it’s not Robin Hood… it’s SuperEolas…) is just the right thing in the right moment.
Now, Flash and Java will come into trouble. The next IE and the annoying ‘Accept’ button will make it really funny, when surfers reach a page with embed object tags. But… no problem at all folks! Within some years Microsoft will have presented Sparkle and Longhorn, and YOU WON’T HAVE ANY NEED ANYMORE to worry. Use this products… and get rid of problemas using other programs!
Also… don’t you worry about all those millions of pages with flash and java that will get lost in the operation. We do not need any history at all, we just need to use strategy and tactics so to make it clear that IE is the best way to surf around.
And… bla bla bla.
The facts are, that hundreds of thousands used flash and made Internet interesting, funny, bright and competetive (TV…). Now, with the Accept button, all the artistic work is on the edge. Or we redesign millions of pages, or they just begin to be a problem.
That are the facts.
Mr. Eolas had no history. Now maybe he feels quite important. But the only history that will exist is the history of Big Brother, if we let him do.
And also, if we do the work he wants us to do: Redesign or throw away millions of pages, designed with tools and based on a standard that worked beautifully. ¿Will you join now the voluntary troops of Big Brother and spend … 50 hours in redesigning? How many hours will that be if we count all the work that has to be done around the world?
Is this work to be done freely and with enthusiasm?
We think that this is enough. So we’ve started a little campaign to unite web masters and designers protesting. So far, 1400 have signed in. (Our page is in Spanish, but maybe this comment will encourage others to do the same in other languages).
What? Only 1.400? Yes, that is nothing. A drop of water in the desert.
But that’s how raining starts. With a drop of water. One little and insignificant drop of water.
Take care out there.
But if you can, make it rain.
Best wishes
Miguel Furlock
http://www.almas.tv/ciencia/embed.html
Posted on November 10, 2003 12:12 AM | #
14. ayman said:
lets see then judge
Posted on July 28, 2004 02:18 AM | #
Comments are now closed