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

To: Keith Hankin who wrote (19197)	5/17/1998 6:59:00 PM
From: Dwight E. Karlsen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

re Netscape's vision statement True it doesn't mention browsers by name, but it does say the goal was/is "to be the premier provider of open software." Seems like they've mainly worked on the client and server ends, Navigator being the client end, SuiteSpot being the server end. I remember reading reviews of the server products of both Netscape and Microsoft. That's where the real money is, it's not in the browsers (client). The truth is, both MSFT and NSCP competed ferociously for the server end; the internet site server software. But they both understood you had to get the client base at the same time. MSFT had deep pockets, and so cut deals like with the WSJ. Early on the WSJIE let IE users have 1-year free, obviously because MSFT paid the WSJ probably a hefty fee. That, combined with the fact that at the time Netscape was charging for their browser whereas MSFT gave their's for free, was what got me to use IE. Can't blame me for taking advantage of a good deal. In any industry it's really really tough for a startup to make inroads into an area where there's a large established rival or rivals. Just try becoming a world-wide producer/seller/marketer of a soft drink. Tough to compete with the likes of Coke and Pepsi. That's the nature of this beast we call capitalism. Now I know that Netscape had the browser before MSFT did, but MSFT was still a large established player in the software design/manufacturing/selling/marketing arena. The deck was tilted in MSFT's favor, but not necessarily unfairly so, except they were big. But that's not against the law, to be big.