Bad news: Microsoft has released the details of future changes to Internet Explorer. They’re being forced to change it because of a recent lawsuit involving a small company called Eolas. Eolas is owned and operated by one man, Michael Doyle, who patented the concept of plug-ins back in 1994. Microsoft will probably put this change out as a Windows Update in early 2004.
Good news: In a recent interview, Doyle explained that free browsers like Mozilla are exempt from any royalties. What this means, of course, as that they won’t have to stop using plug-ins.
bq.. eWEEK.com: What would you say to Web developers [or those few competing browser makers out there] who are concerned they’ll have to purchase some sort of an expensive license to be able to do this?
Doyle: I think the key word there is “expensive.” . . . We have from the beginning had a general policy of providing non-commercial users royalty-free licenses. We expect to be paid for the commercial use of our technologies.
p. One more reason to switch to Firebird, folks. 🙂