[Am-info] Re: MS Depositions

[Eric Bennett]

Geoffrey wrote:
> 
> Paul Rickard wrote:
> 
> > ========== On 2002.01.31 08:44 AM, John J. Urbaniak typed: ============
> >
> >
> >>>    They won the lawsuit Appled filed against them over the look and feel
> >>>of Windows. That's all I can think of, and it was probably 10 years ago.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Are you sure?  Didn't they settle that suit about 3 years ago with Apple
> >>getting
> >>lots of money and MS getting 15-20% of Apple stock?
> >>
> >
> >     No, that suit was over Microsoft stealing QuickTime technologies.
> > Microsoft won the suit against Apple and was able to ship operating
> > systems that looked like ones Apple made and makes. That's the legal
> > precedent that allows Linux vendors to release windowing systems that
> > look just like Windows 95. Microsoft can copy Apple, but others can also
> > copy Microsoft.
> 
> Care to elaborate on this one?  What is it about Linux 'window' systems
> that comes from Microsoft?  Understanding that X was around long before
> windows.

Are you sure about that?  Understanding that Windows existed in 1.0 and 2.0
versions before it became popular with the the 3.0 release.  I thought
Windows was out *before* X.

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:UMYJDmm0mG8C:www.wikipedia.com/wiki/History_of_the_graphical_user_interface+Wikipedia+history+of+the+graphical+user+interface&hl=en
 
As for Paul's comment, ISTR that Microsoft won largely because of a license
Apple had granted to Microsoft.  Apple claimed they overstepped the
licensed but the court disagreed.  That would not set any legal precedent
that would allow others to copy Microsoft, unless Microsoft had signed
similar licenses.

-- 
Eric Bennett ( ericb@pobox.com ; http://www.pobox.com/~ericb )

I think I think; therefore, I think I am.  -Ambrose Bierce