Frost & Sullivan: Dynamic U.S. Web Editor Software Market Provides Ample Opportunities for Companies Possessing Superior Market Intelligence
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Web pages are quickly becoming a window to the world marketplace for many American companies. Web editing software is essential for the creation of any Web page. This proliferation of Web page development has created tremendous growth not only in revenues, but in future opportunities for companies participating in the Web editing tools market.
... While the HTML Web editing software market increased an astounding 151 percent between 1996 and 1997, the WYSIWYG Web editing software market ballooned by 227 percent during the same period.
...Companies participating in this market include: Acadia Software, Inc., Adobe Systems Inc. [Nasdaq:ADBE - news], Allaire Corporation, Applix, Inc., Asymetrix Learning Systems, Inc., Bare Bones Software, Inc., Big Picture Multimedia Corp., BMT Micro, Inc., Brooklyn North Software Works, Inc., Claris Corp., Corel Corp. [Nasdaq:COSFF - news], Elemental Software......
biz.yahoo.com
Web Authoring Revisited: Pie in the Sky
By Stephen Woo
This article provides a general overview of the industry challenges that must be addressed by participants in the Web authoring market. The methods by which a company meets these challenges will play a significant role in determining its future competitive position in the market. Frost & Sullivan has identified six issues that challenge today's market participants:
Rapid technological process threatens to make products obsolete within nine months of release. The Web authoring market is experiencing rapid technological advancements, from simple text-based Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) editors to full site-management products with database integration capability. Competitors must strive to update their products or face obsolescence in six to nine months.
Growth in the number of Web pages creates a golden market opportunity for software companies. The Web authoring market is one of the fastest-growing segments of the entire software industry, spurred by the growth of the World Wide Web. This growth has created significant opportunities for software companies with the development staff and financial resources to compete in the market.
Glut of titles requires companies to have efficient marketing dollars or lose market share. Currently, well over 100 commercial HTML and "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) authoring tools are available, far more than is required to offer consumers adequate variety. This glut of titles is harmful to the industry, as competitors must devote a significant portion of resources to marketing their products if they expect to gain mind share among consumers. Even established competitors that have superior products face extinction if their marketing efforts are inefficient.
Incompatibility with new protocols can drive unwary competitors from the market. Existing Internet protocols are frequently upgraded, and new protocols, such as Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) and Extensible Markup Language (XML), are often introduced into the Web authoring environment. Competitors that fail to follow the development of protocols will likely be left behind, while more attentive companies will be better prepared to incorporate protocol compatibility into their products.
Companies offering HTML source access plus WYSIWYG functions threaten to dominate niche players. In 1998, the distinction between HTML editors and WYSIWYG editors has become blurred as new products offer both WYSIWYG functions and the ability to write directly in HTML. Although some demand should continue to exist for products with single functionality, new editing products with both HTML and WYSIWYG functionality threaten those single-functionality products with near obsolescence.
Microsoft-Netscape conflict over DHTML standard creates uncertainty in market's future course. Microsoft and Netscape are separately developing the DHTML protocol. This situation, which can lead to two separate DHTML protocols, creates confusion in the industry and clouds the future use of this important protocol.
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