Mozilla Foundation Sues Microsoft Over Tabbed Browsing

SlashRating©
64
slashdottit! tm

According to the german tech-site heise.de, the Mozilla Foundation is suing Microsoft over the use of tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer 7. The Mozilla Foundation owns the patent 5,160,296 through one of their developers (Solomon Katz, a former Opera dev) and has begun suing Microsoft in Mountainview, California. The Foundation wants that MS immediately ceases to distribute IE 7 and pays 1.4 Billion dollars in damages. Heise reports that Microsoft has issued no official response, but is contemplating to ship IE 7 NT (no tabs).

It is already April 1st in Germany

[doug (926)]

I think you've fallen for a hoax.

Re:

[whathappenedtomonday (581634)]

Second that, it's a joke.

Falls sich Mozilla vor Gericht durchsetzt, sei die Herausgabe eines Internet Explorer NT denkbar. "NT" für "non tabbed"

Yeah sure...

Re:It is already April 1st in Germany

[Alphager (957739)]

damnit, i hoped i could get it onto the frontpage.
you have ruined the joke! ;-)

Re:

[karearea (234997)]

Ahh the joys of global communication ... in another 2 hours 40 minutes it will be the 2nd of April ... at least in the land of the long white cloud ... others will catch up in due course :-)

Re:

[name*censored* (884880)]

Ah, but is living in the future REALLY worth the burden of having to live in New Zealand?

(ps. it's a joke)

Ponies!! Ponies!!

[eclectro (227083)]

I want to see some ponies! pink ones! slashdot is lame.

Re:Ponies!! Ponies!!

[Lars T. (470328)]

I want to see some ponies! pink ones! slashdot is lame.

You must not be that new here.

Re:Ponies!! Ponies!!

[Linker3000 (626634)]

Cue new headline "Digg sues Slashdot over patented posting method. Low submitter IQ 'cornerstone of Diggs's success'"

Mozilla (firefox tabs) vs MSFT (Office 12 ribbon)

[JackMeyhoff (1070484)]

This is going to have an impact on their Office 12 ribbon tab patents isnt it?

Patent office on crack

[MaelstromX (739241)]

Ok, April fool's joke aside, what the heck is up with that patent that it is linked to?

Abstract: This directory tab would aid in organizing and tracking files in a suspended filing system. The quick reference directory saves the user time and provides a handy at-a-glance feature to a filing system. This directory tab is designed to eliminate sorting through a suspended folder; it allows the user to look at the directory and visually see what's in a folder. Its design also permits additions or deletions in a quick and efficient manner. The directory tab is designed to allow office personnel who are in need of a particular item within a suspended file folder the ability to date and initial the directory tab. In doing so, the next user that comes along needing the same information will be able to identify who has it in a quick and efficient manner.

Good grief, they'll let you patent ANYTHING won't they?

So, remember folks

[91degrees (207121)]

If you want to be corporately evil without the hoards of geekdom realising it, be evil on April the first.

Today is the day when Microsoft could start a hostile takeover of every linux company, and Google could announcetheir new policy of "Hang it, we'll start worshipping satan", without anyone being the wiser.

Good day

[SolitaryMan (538416)]

I always thought April 1st is the best day for suing someone :)

OK!

[Centurix (249778)]

I knew keeping my Netscape shares would pay off one day!

No hoax foax

[Joebert (946227)]

It's no hoax folks.
April Fools' day was moved to April 2nd when the United States adjusted Daylight Savings Time this year.

Re:

[by Anonymous Coward]

I thought EVERY day in the USA was fools day what with Bush being President.

Thank God Its Sunday

[davmoo (63521)]

I'm glad April 1st is on Sunday this year. That way we don't have to worry about real news getting ignored and overlooked because Slashdot editors are too busy thinking up an entire day of bullshit stories.

No!

[turing_m (1030530)]

Mozilla should hold out for...

One hundred billion dollars!!!

Re:

[bcmm (768152)]

MEEEE TOOO! PLEASE.

Re:

[Clazzy (958719)]

Ok then.

Re:

[Antique Geekmeister (740220)]

No, your llama is full of RAM. And she's going to be really surprised when the crias are born. (Or would they be lambs? Maybe lias? Maybe crambs?)

Re:

[Antique Geekmeister (740220)]

I'm not so suare: the child of a male donkey and a female horse is a mule. A female donkey and a male horse make a hinney.

What do you call the result of a llama that's been stuffed with RAM? Maybe we need a new word: for a woolly-thinking creature that has lots of memory that can't be accessed, we could call it a reagan?

Re:Mod me insightful for no real reason

[Ilgaz (86384)]

Funny is the "metamoderation" doesn't know about April 1 and moderators will be punished to hell when this comment shows up in metamoderation 4 days later or something :)

Re:Mod me insightful for no real reason

[by Anonymous Coward]

Apparently not.

Re:SlashRating

[intercodes (819880)]

I found out something. Try coding in large values in the URL string..

http://slashdot.org/slashdottit.shtml?vote= [slashdot.org]"BIG NUMBER HERE"

It's interesting.

Did I succeed :)?

Re:

[Opportunist (166417)]

You're making a serious, meaningful comment on hoax news on April 1st.

C'mon, get into the spirit of the day and lower your IQ by 100. At least. Do like I did and soak your brain in alcohol. It really does the job well.