The ‘modest’ changes to IE and Windows follow a US court’s ruling in August that the company infringed on University of California browser plug-in technology licensed to Eolas Technologies Inc.
The company announced changes to the way IE handles some web pages that use ActiveX Controls, such as Macromedia Inc’s Flash. Changes are expected early next year.
Microsoft said that if web developers who do not update their pages using techniques suggested, users might see a dialogue box before the browser loads the ActiveX Control.
Other web-based software also effected by the changes to ActiveX Controls includes: Apple Computer Inc’s [AAPL] QuickTime; RealNetworks Inc’s [RNWK] RealOne; Adobe Systems Inc’s [ADBE] Acrobat Reader; Sun Microsystems Inc’s [SUNW] Java Virtual Machine and the Windows Media Player.
Microsoft and Macromedia will, separately, provide documentation among other resources for web developers to explain the changes. Macromedia will provide examples of before and after HTML scripts online at the Active Content Developer Center.
As part of the August ruling, Microsoft was ordered to pay $520.6 million by the US District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, eastern division. Microsoft has said it plans to appeal the ruling.
This article was based on material originally published by ComputerWire.
