Eolas vs. <object>

I haven't heard this discussed yet here, but will <object> in the
markup ever actually be feasible now that Microsoft lost the Eolas
case?  I mean using <object> for "plugin" type material of course and
not stuff most browsers can handle natively.

Workarounds right now force people to use script to add an <object>
element directly into the DOM.

Out of curiosity, did Microsoft invent the <object> element in the
first place?  If not, why was Microsoft sued and not W3C or other
browser makers?  I guess the reality is they got a free pass because
they don't have Microsoft's deep pockets?

Seems like the Eolas patent definitely has some implications for
future versions of HTML (in terms of plugin support), but IANAL

Thanks,
Jeff

Received on Tuesday, 17 April 2007 20:44:31 UTC