Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Bows to Eolas, Revamps IE

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the here-ya-go dept.

Tenacious Dee writes "The patent quarrel between Microsoft and Eolas takes a strange turn with an announcement from Redmond that the Internet Explorer browser will be modified to change the way ActiveX controls are handled. A Microsoft white paper details the behavior change."

4 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Or... by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They could perhaps just remove ActiveX entirely, insecure as it has proven to be.

  2. Better security by lheal · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The paper will explain how the IE changes will be implemented and to warn developers that users won't be able to directly interact with Microsoft ActiveX controls loaded by the APPLET, EMBED or OBJECT elements without first activating the user interface with an extra mouse click.

    That's what should happen anyway, stupid patent or no stupid patent. You shouldn't be able to go to a web page and have it run whatever it wants to on your computer. This won't protect against tricking the human, but it does raise the bar slightly for classic phishing popups, viruses and spyware.

    I'd say Microsoft wised up a little, except that there are probably other ways to get IE to run ActiveX without user intervention.

    --
    Raise your children as if you were teaching them to raise your grandchildren, because you are.
  3. Workaround? by Teppy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I understand Microsoft's writeup correctly, ActiveX controls will still load without user intervention, but will require an additional click to begin accepting user input the first time.

    What if someone were to write an ActiveX control that goes around and does all the clicking for other controls on the same page?

  4. Re:Or... What's at stake for the industry by h4rm0ny · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Is my enemy's enemy my friend? I don't think so. If I chastise Microsoft for patenting software (which I do), then I can hardly endorse it in anyone else. When what you dislike is the weapons themselves, then it hardly matters who is using them on who.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.