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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Applications > Apple rips off LiteSwitch? Proteron LLC wants credit.

Apple rips off LiteSwitch? Proteron LLC wants credit.
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Spliff
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Oct 25, 2003, 09:22 PM
 
     
Busemann
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Oct 25, 2003, 09:34 PM
 
Jesus! its just an application switcher. It has been around for years on windows and even OS9.

How could it be different in panther? Its just the bezel backround with the app icons

As for Watson vs Sherlock though..
     
Adam Betts
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Oct 25, 2003, 09:36 PM
 
It's just an application switcher. There's nothing innovative about that
( Last edited by Adam Betts; Mar 17, 2004 at 09:26 PM. )
     
phillryu
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Oct 25, 2003, 09:40 PM
 
Next thing we know, Ambrosia will be demanding that Apple give them credit for the Safari google search Its just a small matter of convincing them that iSeek came first, and they copied screenshots

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Adam Betts
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Oct 25, 2003, 09:41 PM
 
Also, they ripped Apple icons for their product's icon:



And they complained about Apple stealing from them?
     
phillryu
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Oct 25, 2003, 09:47 PM
 
And for God's sake, its just a floating panel with a row of open apps.

Well gee, didn't Windows have that?

Oh, but Apple ripped of Liteswitch's aqua bezel look!

Hang on, the bezels have been around in Mac OS X since 10.0.

So I guess it all comes down to this: Proteron is demanding credit for something they stole, claiming that Apple stole their own interface.

The silliest part of it all is that they're claiming credit for the idea of an application switcher apparently. "A Developer at Proteron first conceived of it." What B.S...

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Oct 25, 2003, 09:54 PM
 
I agree that this accusation is just plain stupid. This whole thing about Apple stealing people's ideas/applications and not giving them credit or payment is getting tiresome.

Has anyone ever "won" one of these arguments? Has Apple ever said "You're right, we stole it. Here's a little credit blurb in the About box. Happy?"
     
phillryu
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Oct 25, 2003, 10:11 PM
 
With Watson they gave the guy an innovative app award and then screwed him.

Here, I hope Apple puts him on an Applestore blacklist..

"Yes, that'll be 30$ Mr... oh, we'll have to escort you out"

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OptimusG4
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Oct 25, 2003, 10:38 PM
 
Originally posted by phillryu:
With Watson they gave the guy an innovative app award and then screwed him.

Here, I hope Apple puts him on an Applestore blacklist..

"Yes, that'll be 30$ Mr... oh, we'll have to escort you out"
They also offered him a job at Apple but he declined and then turned around saying he'd port Watson to Windows.
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foobars
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Oct 25, 2003, 11:34 PM
 
Originally posted by OptimusG4:
They also offered him a job at Apple but he declined and then turned around saying he'd port Watson to Windows.
And boy he certainly showed em....
     
gorickey
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Oct 26, 2003, 12:13 AM
 
I do like how they updated their "innovation" for Panther though...ironic...
     
superfula
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Oct 26, 2003, 12:16 AM
 
Originally posted by foobars:
And boy he certainly showed em....
Ha! Honestly. The concept idea was there before Watson. Sherlock 3 was the next logical step from 2.

As far as Proteron, well I have no pity for them. 15 freekin dollars for an app switcher is absurd. Every function litestep provides can be done elsewhere in the os.
     
ambush
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Oct 26, 2003, 12:20 AM
 
mehehehehe.

This is a good one.

It's an APP SWITCHER GOD DAMNIT.

LIKE

WTF?!


First of all, Apple had the idea of the gray semi-transparent rounded rects.

Also, it looks a lot like windows' app switcher.

On the other hand, they really could have paid proteron something. Money is no problem for Apple, these days.
     
ambush
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Oct 26, 2003, 12:22 AM
 
Originally posted by phillryu:
Next thing we know, Ambrosia will be demanding that Apple give them credit for the Safari google search Its just a small matter of convincing them that iSeek came first, and they copied screenshots
     
addiecool
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Oct 26, 2003, 12:43 AM
 
for God's sake!!!! Proteron, get a life.....
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Oct 26, 2003, 08:52 PM
 
Wow. What an idiot.
     
Ratm
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Oct 26, 2003, 09:47 PM
 
you people disgust me.



     
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Oct 26, 2003, 09:51 PM
 
Originally posted by Ratm:
you people disgust me.



Aww, I'm sorry, did we piss you off??
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Oct 26, 2003, 09:55 PM
 
Well <i>did</i> steal ideas from Watson, even parts of the UI were taken. It was mostly shameless but this LiteSwitc..geez!
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Oct 27, 2003, 06:45 AM
 
Originally posted by superfula:
Ha! Honestly. The concept idea was there before Watson. Sherlock 3 was the next logical step from 2.
Which is, of course, why Apple gave Karelia an award for their product's innovation -- because it really wasn't an innovative idea at all. Hard to argue with logic like that.

Anyway, though, yeah, this LiteSwitch thing is stupid. They are both Aqua ripoffs of the Windows alt-tab switcher. I can understand why Proteron is upset by their product's newfound uselessness, but they'd have a more valid complaint if the similarities didn't seem to be more due to a lack of creativity from both parties than a burst of sneakiness from Apple.
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Oct 27, 2003, 06:59 AM
 
heh, they even have this graphic at the bottom of their pages:

look familiar?
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Oct 27, 2003, 08:00 AM
 
Originally posted by Ratm:
you people disgust me.



So how long have you worked for Proteron again?

     
Angus_D
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Oct 27, 2003, 08:46 AM
 
I won't argue with the fact that Apple is cannibilizing marketshare of ISVs, but an application switcher isn't exactly innovative. I doubt the people who wrote the new one in Panther have even seen LiteSwitch.
     
BZ
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Oct 27, 2003, 09:20 AM
 
To be fair, Apple did take a known shareware app and build it into the OS. Nobody, though, should be at ALL suprised by that. They have been doing it for years.

I liked LiteSwitchX. I used it for a bit, but never bought it because I could live without (and I buy over $1,000 a year in software).

What they should do now, is just expand on it. Make it LiteSwitchX Pro. Apple does take shareware and build it into the OS, but it does not go beyond the basics. If LSX just adds 10 new, cool features (controlling the size and placement of the floating bar, ability to change the color, ability to switch with different key commands, or see other information (uptime, memory, etc) in the app) they could still get pro users to buy it.

Watson on the other hand, got screwed. They did make a full application, with tons of use and Apple built it all in to sherlock. I paid for Watson, use it every day and love it. I never open Sherlock.

BZ
     
nickm
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Oct 27, 2003, 09:43 AM
 
While I do think this is just a publicity stunt, I do have to say that I like LiteSwitch X better than the app switcher in Panther. If I didn't already have a license, I would probably still pay about $10 for it.

I am, by the way, a switcher switcher. I used to use Keyboard Maestro, but then LiteSwitch X proved to be more elegant and figured out how to get around the command-tab issue, so I switched.
     
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Oct 27, 2003, 09:55 AM
 
Originally posted by BZ:
To be fair, Apple did take a known shareware app and build it into the OS.
What features of LiteSwitch did Apple take?

The functionality of Panther's app switcher is identical to Jaguar's.
JLL

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moki
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Oct 27, 2003, 10:41 AM
 
Many of you seem very quick to dismiss Proteron's claims... but it is very possible that where there is smoke, there is fire. This is interesting, for instance:

from: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...30928140534224

.....

"FWIW, the guy who wrote Lite Switch X for Proteron was a student at BYU. He was hired after graduation this past year by Apple. He would never say exactly what he has been working on there, but I'm sure that this was his contribution"
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JLL
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Oct 27, 2003, 10:47 AM
 
Originally posted by moki:
Many of you seem very quick to dismiss Proteron's claims... but it is very possible that where there is smoke, there is fire. This is interesting, for instance:

from: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...30928140534224

.....

"FWIW, the guy who wrote Lite Switch X for Proteron was a student at BYU. He was hired after graduation this past year by Apple. He would never say exactly what he has been working on there, but I'm sure that this was his contribution"
If the guy behind LiteSwitch wrote the Panther app switcher while working at Apple he has even less reason to be bitter.
JLL

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kovacs
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Oct 27, 2003, 11:07 AM
 
Originally posted by BZ:
Watson on the other hand, got screwed. They did make a full application, with tons of use and Apple built it all in to sherlock. I paid for Watson, use it every day and love it. I never open Sherlock.

BZ
I bought Watson after I used Sherlock 3 for the first time, I still use it every day and couldn't live without it, Watson has been frequently updated and only has gotten better. I never open Sherlock because frankly it's not half the app Watson is. Proteron should do the same, just use the new technologies available in Panther ( free gift from apple ) and apply them to their apps and make their apps better, that's the only way to survive or grow. They should stop whining and make liteSwitch 10 times better than apple's Application switcher...
     
moki
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Oct 27, 2003, 11:13 AM
 
Originally posted by JLL:
If the guy behind LiteSwitch wrote the Panther app switcher while working at Apple he has even less reason to be bitter.
Apparently, the guy who wrote LiteSwitch is independent of the people who publish it, that is, Proteron.

(I say "apparently" because I have no idea of the veracity of the claims made in the above quotation)
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Oct 27, 2003, 02:51 PM
 
Originally posted by phillryu:
And for God's sake, its just a floating panel with a row of open apps.

Well gee, didn't Windows have that?

Oh, but Apple ripped of Liteswitch's aqua bezel look!

Hang on, the bezels have been around in Mac OS X since 10.0.

So I guess it all comes down to this: Proteron is demanding credit for something they stole, claiming that Apple stole their own interface.

The silliest part of it all is that they're claiming credit for the idea of an application switcher apparently. "A Developer at Proteron first conceived of it." What B.S...
When I asked my client who recently switched to mac how he liked panther and has he tried 'option+tab', he replied "they copied that from windows".

So I think LiteSwitch needs to open their eyes.
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Oct 27, 2003, 03:32 PM
 
And LiteSwitch ripped off Windows, ergo, Apple ripped off Windows.
     
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Oct 27, 2003, 04:08 PM
 
Microsoft should ask for credit from both Proteron and Apple for copying the application switcher from Windows 3.1.

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Sharky K.
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Oct 27, 2003, 04:50 PM
 
Don't get me wrong I really like 10.3. But why the hell did Apple use this useless feature?
The dock was perfect for app switching. And the dock could easily be altered if there is a new function I don't see.


If a company or person makes a lot of fuzz about this little something than that person or company is really stupid.
Creative and innovating people can think of more solutions for different kind of purposes there whole life.
     
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Oct 27, 2003, 05:09 PM
 

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Oct 27, 2003, 05:16 PM
 
Originally posted by Sharky K.:
Don't get me wrong I really like 10.3. But why the hell did Apple use this useless feature?
The dock was perfect for app switching. And the dock could easily be altered if there is a new function I don't see.
useless feature?
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Oct 27, 2003, 05:29 PM
 
Originally posted by ::maroma:::
I agree that this accusation is just plain stupid. This whole thing about Apple stealing people's ideas/applications and not giving them credit or payment is getting tiresome.

Has anyone ever "won" one of these arguments? Has Apple ever said "You're right, we stole it. Here's a little credit blurb in the About box. Happy?"

Umm, Yeah. "Apple" music/recording label has won three times.
     
k2director
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Oct 27, 2003, 08:58 PM
 
I was using a near-exact copy of this app-switcher on OS 9 from the Action Utilities guys. This was 3-4 years ago.
     
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Oct 27, 2003, 09:33 PM
 
Originally posted by k2director:
I was using a near-exact copy of this app-switcher on OS 9 from the Action Utilities guys. This was 3-4 years ago.
I think Proteron bought Action Softwares some time ago.
     
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Oct 27, 2003, 10:00 PM
 
Originally posted by BZ:
Watson on the other hand, got screwed. They did make a full application, with tons of use and Apple built it all in to sherlock. I paid for Watson, use it every day and love it. I never open Sherlock.
Agreed. Actually, I bought Watson after Sherlock 3 came out. Watson has a place on my Dock... Sherlock does not.

While Apple's Sherlock has 80% of the functionality of Watson, Watson is a superior program. More features, faster, and updated quite frequently. If you use Sherlock on a regular basis, please give Watson a look.
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Oct 27, 2003, 10:35 PM
 
For years I manually dragged windows to the side of my desktop to see what's under them. Now Apple comes out with this new fangled �xpose thingy. It does what I've been doing for years, I really think Apple owes me credit for stealing my idea!

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Oct 28, 2003, 04:10 AM
 
Originally posted by moki:
Many of you seem very quick to dismiss Proteron's claims... but it is very possible that where there is smoke, there is fire. This is interesting, for instance:

from: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...30928140534224

.....

"FWIW, the guy who wrote Lite Switch X for Proteron was a student at BYU. He was hired after graduation this past year by Apple. He would never say exactly what he has been working on there, but I'm sure that this was his contribution"
Wow. That does make you go "hmm." I still find it hard to believe, though, that they actually went into this intending to absorb LiteSwitch X. I wouldn't put it past Apple after the whole Watson thing, but it just seems so unnecessary in this case....
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Oct 28, 2003, 08:12 AM
 
Well I say Proteron had what was coming... After checking my mail about 9 months ago only to be accused of PIRATING MaxMenu's when I've never even downloaded the stupid thing, and then get rude when I email back saying I've never done such a thing. You lose.

Sorry
     
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Oct 28, 2003, 08:19 AM
 
Originally posted by philzilla:
useless feature?
yeh what new feature is there compared to 10.2?
     
starman
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Oct 28, 2003, 10:00 AM
 
Originally posted by Mac Guru:
Well I say Proteron had what was coming... After checking my mail about 9 months ago only to be accused of PIRATING MaxMenu's when I've never even downloaded the stupid thing, and then get rude when I email back saying I've never done such a thing. You lose.

Sorry
How the heck did THAT happen?

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Oct 28, 2003, 11:56 AM
 
Originally posted by BuonRotto:
And LiteSwitch ripped off Windows, ergo, Apple ripped off Windows.
Pretty much.

John Gruder sums it up nicelyhere.
     
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Oct 28, 2003, 01:22 PM
 
Originally posted by starman:
How the heck did THAT happen?

Mike
Somehow Proteron finds your registration file thats made when you first setup up your mac (IE, everything you typed in if you followed the setup screens). So basically Proteron was illegally spying on your computer and if you used any of their products and put in a fake serial #, it would send that # to them and they would contact you by email or regular mail saying that you were using illegal software.
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Oct 28, 2003, 01:23 PM
 
I'll sum it up here:

WHO CARES???
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Oct 28, 2003, 01:47 PM
 
Somehow Proteron finds your registration file thats made when you first setup up your mac (IE, everything you typed in if you followed the setup screens). So basically Proteron was illegally spying on your computer and if you used any of their products and put in a fake serial #, it would send that # to them and they would contact you by email or regular mail saying that you were using illegal software.
Well that would all fine and dandy HAD I ever downloaded or USED any of their software. Being that they somehow got my email address with me having NEVER sent it to them or having NEVER used the aformentioned software is the shaky part and to this day I'm still a bit pissed.

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Oct 28, 2003, 06:38 PM
 
Originally posted by JLL:
The functionality of Panther's app switcher is identical to Jaguar's.
Actually the functionality is different, and better, in Panther. In Panther it preserves the most-recently-used order all the way down the list. In Jaguar you only get the most-recently-used on the first TAB press, and then it starts going around in Dock order. In Panther it's much easier to switch among 3 or more apps. Windows has had this right for ages; it's nice that OS X finally got it right.

The most-recently-used ordering is the whole reason for having the floating UI and not just using the Dock. If it really kept going to next-most-recently-used as you hit TAB using the Dock, it would be jumping around all over the place in the Dock, which would be confusing.
     
   
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