[news.eclipse.platform.swt] Re: interesting question .... plugin idea ne

["Bob Foster" <bob@xxxxxxxxxx>]

"polle@snave" <unknown@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:b8ared$hcc$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Beware that Borland holds a patent on two-way tools.
> (ttp://www.borland.com/news/press_releases/2001/05_01_01_patent.html)

If they (think they) do, it's not the patent in this press release. First of
all, the scope of this patent is limited to "event wiring" in visual tools;
second, it is limited to generated code that uses "delegation" implemented
as a feature in a programming language. Since Java doesn't implement
delegates, I wouldn't fret about this one. (You have two choices in Java, to
wire events either with traditional listeners or with proxys. If Borland
thinks a proxy is a delegate, let them sue Sun. ;-)

But, hey, they don't want to sue anyone but Microsoft. Anders Hejlsberg is
the inventor on this patent. Anders was hired away from Borland by
Microsoft, prompting a Borland lawsuit for unfair hiring practices. Anders
has delegates on the brain and puts them into everything he works on. For
Microsoft, he has so far put delegates into WFC and C#.

Maybe this is Borland's survival plan - an anti-Microsoft patent trust.
Gotta love it.

Bob