berger@clio.las.uiuc.edu (03/22/88)
Where were you when people were drooling over the Xerox Star, several
years before the Macintosh environment existed, saying that it was the
future of small business computers? You seem to be ignoring half the
story.
Actually, this whole diatribe is missing the point. My understanding
is that Apple isn't claiming that windows/mice/icons are their
invention, but rather, that they have a copyright on the particular
way theirs work (pull down menus, multiple one-button clicks, etc.).
While the case seems trivial and unethical to me (ie: those seem
like trivial, obvious adaptations of research that Apple doesn't
own and innovations they didn't invent themselves), let's not mislead
others by saying that Apple is suing over windows and icons.
Mike Berger
Department of Statistics
Science, Technology, and Society
University of Illinois
berger@clio.las.uiuc.edu
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