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Technology Stocks : MSFT Internet Explorer vs. NSCP Navigator -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nommedeguerre who wrote (23498)	11/9/1999 2:29:00 PM
From: Thure Meyer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

Norm, "cost-effective counterfeit parts in airliners so that children can fly for free" Although that's a very clever analogy, I don't quite get the point. Who are the children that are flying for free and what is free about Microsofts products? Thure

To: nommedeguerre who wrote (23498)	11/9/1999 3:18:00 PM
From: Daniel Schuh	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 24154

Zona says MS browser war victor: Oops! Another monopoly... theregister.co.uk Hi Norm, or as they used to say on Cheers, NORM! On the subject of that other software company, RIP, this little bit just came across on The Register, a source I hope everyone here has found sustenance in in my absence. Cheeky Brits, them. Today, Zona says: "We are witnessing a shift away from the importance of the browser technology to the content on the Internet. It is not surprising that the two dominant browser vendors now play a significant role in the burgeoning content marketplace. The question is how will the content war play itself out?" That is, the browser has become irrelevant, it's merging into the background. But how it got merged into the background is a matter for the judge. Here's what Zona said a year ago: "We see from this study that 84 per cent of IE in use as the primary browser is policy-driven. We believe this significant increase [in IE's share] is largely due to the fact that IE 4.0 is an integral part of Windows 98, that Microsoft has continued to make inroads in the corporate marketplace, and numerous distribution agreements with service providers and other software vendors." That is, Microsoft has succeeded by integrating the browser, thus making IE a no-brainer choice for customers, and by sewing up the other distribution channels via contra deals. Which we believe is what the judge said. Oh dear. © The official Microsoft line is, as near as I can recall, that the AOL buyout proves they didn't really pull off the air supply operation, in fact Netscape's browser was worth $4billion, or is it $10 billion?, despite the fact that AOL says the browser business is dead, and it didn't buy NSCP for that. Or something like that, as with all Microsoft lines it's quite context sensitive. Elsewhere on the Web, this little bit showed up today: Netscape 5.0 Too Little Too Late? betanews.com Showing again how successful the AOL takeover has gone on this front. That's OK, though, Netscape does work on a bunch of other OS's that, in the antitrust context at least, are significant threats to Microsoft, although in every other context the Microphiles laugh at them all. Something to do with the duality of man, I think, the Jungian thing. Cheers, Dan, bemused as ever.