On Tuesday, Microsoft quietly issued a Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) product update that changes the way the browser handles ActiveX controls. The update, which applies only to IE 6 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP, puts Microsoft in compliance with the Eolas Technologies patent verdict. Referred to as a cumulative non-security update, the change will affect the way users interact with certain ActiveX controls, including high-profile add-ons such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Computer's QuickTime, and the Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine (JVM). However, Microsoft says that the changes won't be annoying, requiring at most an extra mouse click. Microsoft outlined the changes it would have to make to IE in December 2005, and this week the company noted that other versions of IE would be updated, including versions for Windows 2000. Microsoft says that IE 7.0 for Windows Vista and XP will conform to the requirements as well. Microsoft lost a $521 million patent infringement case to Eolas last year but still vows to appeal the ruling. According to Eolas, IE and other Web browsers infringe on its patent for integrating small applications into a Web browser.
Microsoft Updates IE to Conform to Eolas Verdict
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