The new variant "Scenic Ribbon" is now part of the Windows API (the Office 2007 "Fluent Ribbon" was not).
Does anyone know if a program that uses the "Scenic Ribbon" needs to go through the licensing process like a program that uses the "Fluent" variant of the ribbons?
Waht is if the program does not use the original Windows API but a 3rd party toolkit that mimics the layout of the "Scenic Ribbon"? - Would that be a special case for licensing?
According to this, it does requires licensing.
The license let you use the CONCEPT of the ribbon and it is not restricted to any implementation or platform. This means that if you buy a third party ribbon control running on a MAC you should get the license, but also if you use Microsoft free implementation of the scenic ribbon.
Getting the license is not a major restriction provided that you are not competing with one of the office applications.
That article is about the Office Ribbon! (aka "Fluent Ribbon") I know that the "Fluent Ribbon" needs to be licensed.
The new ribbon system in Windows 7 is called "Scenic Ribbon". My Qustion was if that version of the ribbon needs the license process too because it is now part of the Windows API!
Microsoft require you to get a license to use the Ribbon concept in your application(either Fluent or Scenic variations). I presume this is an effort to prevent other platforms (Linux, Mac etc...) from using the same idea in their software.
But I have no idea if this requirement is legally valid or if they have any chance of enforcing it. I guess we will not know until it appears on the Mac as an Apple implementation and a court battle then ensues!