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

To: John F. Dowd who wrote (16685)	1/23/1998 11:04:00 PM
From: Charles Hughes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

My 2 cents worth on the netscape source code publication: 1. Hopefully, somebody will totally performance profile and debug it, soon. 2. I can see 5000 specialized versions of the browser, all adhering to the same standards, more or less, set by Netscape. Every vendor with their own branded browser: Compaq, Dell... Why would they do otherwise. With Netscape free to cherry pick some of the best results and make deals for incorporation, which many will be willing to do, in the spirit of the thing. Hey, I bet I could replace the splash screen with my dog's picture and the home page default with my own in a day... While I'm at it, maybe I'll have it break into bluegrass harmonica solos at random moments. Or... 3. Every one of these can play a little bit of the media game that MSFT, Yahoo, et al were trying to play: Where do you want to go today? Our place, of course! Our news source, our ads on our home page, our search engine. Every cable company can have it's own browser delivered with those cable modems. A thousand little Dai-Bans instead of one Shogun. 4. This means real competition in content, browser programming, interface design, with new players that haven't been involved before. 5. This means hundreds of small & large outfits all supporting the stuff Netscape has on their servers. Which will match those pervasive browsers (97%). 6. People are worried about viruses? If you get software from computer or software company, somebody wrote it. This is no different. As far as having the source goes, real crackers don't really need this. Hell, if you're on any developer programs and get the debug versions of the MSFT, NSCP or other DLLs, you can just read the source in the debugger much of the time. Very few viruses have been written with the aid of source code, if any. Chaz P.S. I think it's very game of Reggie to talk geek with us. Even if it sounds a bit like Peter Sellers speaking 'French' as Inspector Clouseau. ("Boef." "What did you say?" "I said Boef!") This is by far the most irritating way to teach someone computerese, but there is no question he has acquired a number of energetic teachers with excellent response time. (I'm having so much fun painting this fence, Huck...)

To: John F. Dowd who wrote (16685)	1/24/1998 4:37:00 PM
From: nommedeguerre	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

John, >>Can you run a browser at an acceptable speed under Windows emulation? There are programs that write some excellent web ware that are only available to the windows environment. The Windows environment does attract all the leading edge stuff especially in the area of finance. Streaming quotes etc. I have not tried running a browser under the Virtual PC Windows but if the network support is there I will try to load Netscape 3.01 and run it for you. As far as performance goes, 166MHZ is probably in the ballpark. Last night I installed "Steel Panthers" which runs on top of DOS and it was running normally. Big advantage is the use of the ATI graphics chip used on popular PC video cards. This means the graphics portion of Windows should not suffer significantly for almost all PC-based software you run! Virtual PC also has Soundblaster Pro compatibility so you would not lose your sound on most software. Probably the best thing for you would be to find a PC title that interests you and see it run on one of the G3's at your local Apple retailer (if they do not have VirtualPC running then you might suggest they do so if they want to move the merchandise faster). Flight Simulators are notorious for wanting every clock-cycle they can find, so I will attempt to load and run my old Flight Simulator tonight and see how it holds up. >>It looks like you and I have found a point to agree on. We probably agree on 97% of most things but its the 3% that add colour to this thread. >>Actually I would love to see a java world. I still will bet on the leadership of Gates no matter what the environment as long as it is in software. As consumers we can only benefit from a cross-platform API standard for applications. Processor performance and the high-price of decent color graphics capability were the only real obstacles to developing this in the past. In the next few years both those problems will be irrelevant. How many apps need graphics higher than say, 1600x1200 32-bit color and 300 MHz worth of processor power? Both are within the means of a user right now and the price just keeps dropping. Microsoft and Bill are not heading toward the bread-line anytime soon but, I think they will just have to learn that the rules of doing business change once you reach a certain prominence. IBM could squash Microsoft tomorrow in the same way Bill is doing-in Netscape. IBM's investors would go for it in a second but the brass know that there would soon be three new ticker symbols: I, B, and M! We do live in interesting times. >>If NSCP is to survive they have to get together with Mac and/or ORCL. It sure would not hurt them to start forming solid alliances. Hopefully you do not think I am being facetious when I say "Own a Mac, invest in PC's". This G3 is the best machine I have ever owned, but right now the masses are throwing loads of greenbacks at PC products. If Apple ever comes up with a strong, driving marketing strategy things could start to shift very quickly. Cheers, Norm

To: John F. Dowd who wrote (16685)	1/24/1998 8:11:00 PM
From: nommedeguerre	Respond to of 24154

John, Loaded Netscape 3.0 onto VirtualPC and it is not any slower than running it on the Mac side. I'm using a 56.6K modem and it keeps up just fine. The website server is the only think slowing it down! One thing to keep in mind is that the 266MHz G3 PowerPC will leave a 300MHz Pentium II eating its dust to begin with. It would be my guess that this machine would compare more to a 400-500MHz Pentium II system in overall performance. A real screamer. Take it easy, Norm

To: John F. Dowd who wrote (16685)	1/26/1998 10:29:00 AM
From: John F. Dowd	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24154

TO ALL: I think this article sums up the pitiful DOJ here come the judge matter: Technical Hearing Led To DOJ Settlement (01/23/98; 5:02 p.m. EST) By Stuart Glascock, Computer Reseller News The seeds for Microsoft's preliminary injunction settlement with the Department of Justice were planted during a contentious hearing on technical issues last week, Microsoft's top channel executive said. In an interview with CRN, Sam Jadallah, Microsoft vice president of the Organization Customer Unit, said the Redmond, Wash.-based company had closely followed U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's instructions. "Then, last Thursday, at the hearing to talk about the technical arguments, we were amazed to hear the both the DOJ and the judge were leaning toward removing the icon as an acceptable interpretation," Jadallah said. "So, we said, 'hey, if that is what you want,' [fine, but] it isn't what the judge asked for initially." Although some key issues remain unresolved in the landmark case, the agreement lets VARs and OEMs license different versions of Windows 95 without Internet Explorer. Plans to release Win 98 in the fourth fiscal quarter have not changed, Jadallah said. "Windows 98 plans are on track," he said, adding. "We'll see how thing go through the appeals for the appeal process." The company is glad to "put the issue of compliance behind us and get back to innovating and improving products according to customer needs," he said. "Our core business is unchanged." To VARs and OEMs, Jadallah's message is also unchanged. "I still believe not much has changed for VARs," he said. "They should still continue to supply the products customers want. Our best products are available, which are Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation, with IE 4.0 giving them all the latest technologies. The judge has asked us to supply additional options to OEMs, which we have, but frankly we don't see that going out in high volume."