whereas Vista is the devil I don't.

Apple is asserting its patent rights.

This is how the system works. Ask T. Edison.

FTA sounds like a default OR search, which gives you morehits with more search terms. Set the default to AND and much of the noise can be avoided.

I have never seen a case more in need of an expert witness than this one.

Use a simple mnemonic.

You type numbers on a computer with your fingers.

You type phone numbers with your thumb. Imagine you're doing that when you encounter phone numbers.

If you wanted efficiency, you'd get a Mac.

GIVE UP ON MANNED MISSIONS ALREADY!

You do great work with automated probes and observation of planets, moons, the sun, and beyond. Keep that up!

But, please, divest yourself of the 1960's "manned space-race" mentality. It wastes lives and $$$$$$. Your congressional charter gives you the mission "To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown." If a mission can be accomplished with probes, there is no reason to send humans. Only loft a human when it is necessary FOR THE MISSION.

Please, explore as you are intended to do, but quit insisting on sending a carcass along for the ride. It's holding you back.

The patent was filed in 1995, long before iTunes et al. existed, before most people even knew what an MP3 was.

The patent is truly innovative (for 1995).

The fact that it's only being enforced now doesn't necessarily mean they're patent trolls. It probably means that the patent sat forgotten in some large portfolio, unused for a long time, until these guys bought up a bundle for cheap and re-discovered this one.

We have them near the surface in the Americas, too.

Ultima IV was a great game, and for a kid great as it was turn-based. Endless exploration and discovery.

The Geneforge series is a very similar but modern one of the same type that is still around today. Try those.