Re: Eolas releases WebRouser via the Internet

Joel Crisp writes:
> Hi all..
> 
> Just a few comments :

> PRESS RELEASE:
> =================================================================
> 9/18/95 Chicago: Eolas Technologies announced today that it has
>     released its WebRouser(TM) applet-enabled World Wide Web
>     browser, royalty-free for individual non-commercial use.
> 
> [ CHUNK DELETED ]

[MORE DELETED]

>     Another major advantage of WebRouser is the ability of Web
>     documents to dynamically modify the browser's button bar and
>     menu structure.  According to Eolas CEO, Mike Doyle, "Most
>     Web designers try to build in some sort of navigation system
>     into their documents, usually at the top of the page.  The
>     problem arises when the user scrolls down the page and
>     suddenly the navigation GUI is no longer visible.  WebRouser's
>     <LINK> command allows the Web document to place a button bar
>     at the top of the screen, as a part of the WebRouser GUI.
>     When the user scrolls down the document, the navigation
>     buttons remain in place.  Since the document drives the
>     definition of the buttons' functions, each Web site can have
>     its own Netscape-style "What's New," "What's Cool," etc.
>     button bar pointing to their own content, not to some
>     hard-coded browser company location, such as in other browsers."
> 
> This has been in the HTML-3 spec for some time. Are Eolas going
> to try to patent this too ?

  They have a right to the patent.  They have used the radically new and
differentiating:

<link ROLE="HOME" HREF="someurl">

  instead of what is specified in the HTML 3.0 document:

-- begin excerpt from http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/MarkUp/html3/dochead.html
The LINK element indicates a relationship between the document and some
other object. A document may have any number of LINK elements. The LINK
element is empty (does not have a closing tag), but takes the same
attributes as the anchor element. The important attributes are:

REL 
     This defines the relationship defined by the link. 
REV 
     This defines a reverse relationship. A link from document A to
     document B with REV=relation expresses the same relationship as a link
     from B to A with REL=relation.  REV=made is sometimes used to identify
     the document author, either the author's email address with a mailto
     URI, or a link to the author's home page.
HREF 
     This names an object using the URI notation. 

-- end excerpt

  Who could possibly deny that this is a revolutionary new way to ignore
the specification?

  -Bill P.

Received on Monday, 18 September 1995 10:48:49 UTC