Let's have a look at the IE non-security update 912945
What does it actually do?
Basically, interactive content such as java applets, Shockwave, Quicktime, RealPlayer etc will not be immediately accessible under some circumstances.
For example, let's have a look at www.apple.com. When we try to navigate to the QuickTime tab we see this dialogue box.
Once I click OK, the page loads, and I am immediately prompted to download the QuickTime ActiveX control. I don't like QuickTime, don't want QuickTime, so didn't take things any further here... same goes for RealPlayer.
Back in 2003/2004 Microsoft releases a preview of their proposed changes to address the EOLAS patent suit. I tested that change at www.javaboutique.com so its appropriate that we use that site, again, to test 912945.
912945 is infinitely better than the original idea. For example, back in 2003/04 www.javaboutique.com triggered a blizzard of pop-up dialogue boxes, all of which needed to be acknowledged by clicking ok, while the page was loading. This is because the original changes proposed to address the EOLAS patent meant that every single element on a page that was invoked by an EMBED, OBJECT or APPLET tag would trigger a popup window.
This time, interactive content will exhibit the behaviour you can see in the graphic below:
I'll admit to having been concerned that uses would be confused by the changes forced by the EOLAS patent - that they would think that sites were broken. The textual overlay is a lot better than what was proposed back in 2003/04.
The update is buggy. Check out this screenshot, taken from my old IE support site:
The screenshot was taken at http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/archive/index.htm. As you can see, the java applet is close to the right edge of the page, and the textual overlay does not repostion to ensure that it remains within the confines of the page - end result, the text is cut off.
What can Web developers do to address the changes made by 912945?
Ok, so all is not lost. We can adjust our pages to work within the restrictions introduced by 912945. Here's the MSDN article:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/author/dhtml/overview/activating_activex.asp