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Apple thanks Microsoft for inventing the Trash Can | |
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| Time: 05:35 EST/10:35 GMT | News Source: The Register | Posted By: Bill Roach | ||
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Most mammals hibernate through January and February, but Apple lawyers clearly belong to the reptilian genus, for winter finds them at their most productive. They certainly haven't been idle in recent weeks. We must thank attorney and Apple user John Kheit for uncovering a blizzard of patent activity since the new year that must be quite unprecedented in Apple's history. The computer pioneer has decided, posthumously, to lay claim to lots of stuff that it err, invented twenty years ago. The desktop Trash Can, window buttons, dialog boxes and a task scheduler have all been claimed as Apple Intellectual Property in a snowstorm of greedy patent filings. | ||
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| #1 By 1169 (212.38.182.251) at 3/6/2003 6:38:39 AM |
| My knowledge was that the Xerox Parc OS had a trash can, as well as several other 'desk' software like the one for the commodore64 (forgot the name now) or the amiga, as well as the Atari Desktop systems...bizarre |
| #2 By 7390 (198.246.16.251) at 3/6/2003 9:27:25 AM |
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Yes, the Register does suck but in this case they are just reporting the facts from Apple. So it's Apple that sucks.
And to be honest this sounds a little desperate. |
| #3 By 8241 (205.189.47.238) at 3/6/2003 10:14:14 AM |
| Thank gosh I have a googenflagen on my desktop, instead of a trash can. The googenflagen was invented 20 billion years ago, by aliens. It looks rather like a hairy trashcan, except upside-down (not unlike those fuzzy hats that Russians wear). When I drag documents into it, it "temporarily deletes" them. Well, at least that's what _appears_ to happen - in actuality, it undergoes a process called googenflagenizationlismy - a process which is totally beyond human comprehension (because it actually occurs in the 7th dimension). |
| #4 By 8589 (65.71.66.54) at 3/6/2003 10:20:00 AM |
| Maybe this will be the final nail in Apple's coffin? We can only hope. |
| #5 By 135 (213.61.245.251) at 3/6/2003 10:42:59 AM |
| Fortunately Windows doesn't use a Trashcan. They have a Recycle Bin which is much more environmentally friendly. |
| #6 By 1295 (216.84.210.100) at 3/6/2003 11:28:13 AM |
| This makes me giggle like a little school girl. Apple == Grasping_At_Straws |
| #7 By 14158 (170.12.2.132) at 3/6/2003 11:33:23 AM |
| Yes, RedHook, it does sound a bit desperate on the part of Apple. And, EWWHWW, let's not hope it's the end of Apple. Competition is healthy, but I think all these corporations who are now litigating each other have a tweaked idea of what competition is all about. |
| #8 By 7711 (12.107.81.66) at 3/6/2003 11:37:06 AM |
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#4....FOTFLOL...
But I heard from a source inside of Area 51 that its actually the 8th dimension... (I could tell you the source, but then I'd have to kill you.) |
| #9 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 3/6/2003 11:56:09 AM |
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I'm shocked by the number of people who do not understand this. These are design patents, not utility patents. They patented the exact look and feel of the very specific trashcan icon. This is nothing new. Apple has done this for every iteration of OS/look-and-feel.
And it still hasn't prevented others from copying them (cough, cough). The only thing these design patents protect against is "skinners" 100% ripping off the look-and-feel of OS X. As for the task scheduler--there are fools at other sites saying, "how can they possibly patent cron?" Guess what? The patent specifically mentions AppleEvents... Sorry, folks the scheduler is a very Apple-specific patent only. But here you guys are--two days late--virtually commending the Reg for their reporting and claiming the 15th Death of Apple. Uh huh. This post was edited by sodajerk on Thursday, March 06, 2003 at 14:14. |
| #10 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 3/6/2003 11:58:08 AM |
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OH, and did I forget to mention you "softies" have more to say about THIS (a freakin ICON, people!) than corporate IM, the biggest Office upgrade which packages collab software, and the XBox going into Arcades?
Sad, very sad. |
| #11 By 9264 (208.159.121.136) at 3/6/2003 8:03:48 PM |
| Stupid Apple. Microsoft should have just let them die. I mean they bailed them out and this is how Apple repays them? |
| #12 By 2960 (68.100.182.5) at 3/6/2003 9:12:24 PM |
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Ok #16, grace us with your wisdom and understanding of past events. Just HOW did Microsoft bail out Apple?
You can't possibly be talking about the $150 million investment in the late 90's could you? If you are, you need to study more about corporate politics and a little less about babbling rhetoric because at the time Microsoft INVESTED that money Apple had over 2 Billion in the bank and NO long term debt. Were they bleeding red ink? Of course. I was the service manager at an Apple Dealer at the time. I know damned well how badly they were bleeding. Were they broke? Hardly. They were, and are, in a position that many companies of any product would die for. Ok, so it can't be the 150 million because to think so would be ridiculous. So, maybe you are talking about the Microsoft's agreement to continue producing Office/Mac? Hmmm..., I don't think so. You see, Office/Mac was, and is, one of Microsoft's most profitable products. They make a crapload of money off of it. In fact, if Microsoft DID ever stop producing Office/Mac, a product generating such revenue's, they would be keel-hauled by their investors and share-holders and probably sued for corporate stupidity. Ok, I'm out of idea's, so YOU will have to tell us how Microsoft bailed out Apple. Please? And no, I am no fan of Steve Jobs. In fact, I can't stand the guy. TL |
| #13 By 2332 (65.221.182.2) at 3/7/2003 12:43:29 AM |
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#17 - If it weren't for a combination of Microsoft's money and software, Apple would have been dead 5 years ago.
It was the availability of Office for the Mac that kept them alive. The fact (I say fact tenatively since I find it hard to believe that even if EVERY Apple user bought Office for the Mac that it would even be 5% of the money they make off the PC version) that Office is profitable for Microsoft has nothing to do with the notion that if it wasn't for Office, Apple would have died. |
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