Re: garbage patents

[William T Goodall]

On Wednesday, March 5, 2003, at 11:40  am, Robert Seeberger wrote:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jose J. Ortiz-Carlo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 4:53 AM
Subject: Re: garbage patents

From: "The Fool" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
http://www.macobserver.com/editorial/2003/03/04.2.shtml
+ pictures
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Well, judging by the amount of money that Apple and Steve Jobbs lost 
by
not
having patents on "their ideas", such as the GUI, etc. I'm not 
surprised
they are *finally* trying to secure their piece of the pie. Had they
started
trying to patent everything they displayed before, history would not 
have
been as kind to Billy Gates as it did.

But isn't it true that Apple got all those things from XeroxParc in 
pretty
much exactly the same way?
No actually. See http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html

"Apple did not "rip-off" the Macs UI from Xerox. Apple had hired some 
people from Xerox (like Jef Raskin, Bruce Horn) who believed in 
concepts of a Graphical User Interface.          These concepts are 
pretty broad -- like making a computer easier to use by using graphics 
(icons), using menus,  windows and making a consistent interface to do 
things. The          work on these concepts predates Xerox PARC -- in 
fact it was many of these peoples individual work on those concepts 
that got them hired at PARC. So Xerox (PARC) brought them together to 
refine them.
Apple's work on GUI's predates Steve Jobs visit to Palo Alto Research 
Center. Apple had already had the same broad goals of offering an 
easier to use computer, and possibly using some of the same concept 
(like menus, icons, and graphics).
...
Jobs was so hot on the concepts of UI, and the living  Demos he say, 
that he, later, negotiated a deal with Xerox. He gave Xerox a large sum 
of stock in Apple (worth Millions)          if he could come back, and 
bring some programmers -- to inspire them more on the concepts of GUI. 
This was  like a one-day tour. This was agreed to by Xerox, and so by   
       no stretch of the imagination could this be called  
"ripping-off".

PARC was a research center -- meant to inspire  development. But they 
did not really develop products (in  the commercial sense), they 
developed ideas. Saying that Apple learning some of the base concepts 
and then applying  them was "ripping-off" is like saying that Air-Bags 
are ripping off Newton -- because Air Bags work because they  adhere to 
some of the laws of physics first expressed by Sir Isaac. A silly silly 
argument. Knowledge builds on  knowledge. Xerox didn't see Apple as 
competition, that is why they let them in -- but they charged Apple, 
since Xerox believed that their research had value."

--
William T Goodall
Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web  : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk
Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/
"Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire 
and he will be warm for the rest of his life" - Terry Pratchett

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