Sorry for continuing this fairly off-topic thread, but IMHO it
has some relevance to the use of Java on Linux (if even a little :-)
The full text of the patent can be accessed under the following
URL:
http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/n
etahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1='5,838,906'.WKU.&OS=PN/5,838,906&RS=PN/5,838
,906
it's real easy to locate on the PTO's server (search for patent #
5 838 906).
The abstract contains the following sentence:
"After launching the program object, the user is able to interact with the
object as the invention provides for ongoing interprocess communication between
the application object (program) and the browser program."
This seems to indicate that the invention requires two programs
to interact (the browser and the program launched as a result
of the user interaction with the browser, either on the local,
or one or more remote computers. IMVHO, this does *not* describe
Java applets, as there is *no* separate program that runs when
a Java applet executes (it runs as part of the browser program,
and fully resides within the browser's address space).
As the law is all about nit-picking, I've picked mine, and
IMHO the patent does not describe plug-ins (which are a dynamic
extension of a the browser), but *external* programs used to
control a browser through IPC. No two programs, no IPC, no
patent.
Any comments?
Stefaan
--
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___________________________________________________________________
Perfection is reached, not when there is no longer anything to add,
but when there is no longer anything to take away. -- Saint-Exupéry
