Hello Peter, I think the treat from Netscape was more than than just a browser. Netscape was a platform, they invented plugins and there was a potential for a cross platform computing environment with netscape as its base and cross platform plugins that made the underlying OS irrelevant.
It was a real threat to the dominance of Windows, and they worked that out and killed it. The browser as a platform is only becoming obvious of late but Netscape had the vision. Microsoft did the usual embrace, extend (non standard of course) and destroy that they are so good at. Sun also saw it, but the bandwidth and hardware of the day was a little to slow to make Java in a browser a pleasant experience. Microsoft then stole the Brilliant Architect of Borland Delphi to write a Delphi like OS (.Net) and Language (C#) to combat Java. I suspect without the investment they made we could be running a whole series of plugins inside Netscape desktop and the underlying OS would be as important as the Brand of the PC. Might have be better off, who knows? Mono is pretty good so cross platform applications with same source code base may yet become viable. Andrew Saturday, May 13, 2006, 9:27:19 AM, you wrote: PM> On 13/05/2006, at 7:23 AM, Ian Cheong wrote: >> Sorry not really. From the article above: >> >> I think it's actually critically important that the reasons for >> supporting standards in our products - particularly IE - be >> business ones. >> As in other thread (IHE/XDS) talking about telecoms standards, >> businesses will only comply with voluntary standards if it makes >> them money. The minute they think they can assist their own >> business by not supporting standards, they will fudge them. eg SQL >> non-standards in the marketplace. >> >> The reason M$ has changed is only because it has hurt them in the >> market - losing share to Firefox. PM> Whatever the reasons, it's a step in the right direction, and means PM> that for the first time there is light at the end of the tunnel for PM> web developers, who should be able in the not to distant future to PM> only need to code a web site once. >> Browser "lack of standards" still makes some web sites fall over on >> anything but M$ browsers. Government should regulate in the >> interests of consumers. PM> Well developers that only test on IE should no longer exist. Even the PM> biggest companies - banks, MS themselves are now writing code that PM> works in IE and better browsers. PM> This is a win for the people - MS gave up on development of IE 5 PM> years ago, and there has not been a single functional update since. PM> They assumed that they had achieved their original goal (the PM> destruction of Netscape as a company) and that standards would have PM> to bend to their ways of doing things. Open sourcing Netscape the PM> browser was the stroke of genius they couldn't predict (because they PM> just don't get it (yet)) and ironically it's this browser that has PM> now become the IE killer. PM> What I don't understand is their rekindled obsession with the browser PM> market. MS wouldn't lose a single sale if they removed IE from PM> Windows. They have never made a cent from IE in isolation but it has PM> cost them billions. If they were very clever they would either open PM> source IE or just remove it and bundle Firefox or another more PM> standards compliant browser with Windows. PM> Peter. PM> _______________________________________________ PM> Gpcg_talk mailing list PM> [email protected] PM> http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk PM> __________ NOD32 1.1536 (20060513) Information __________ PM> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. PM> http://www.eset.com -- Best regards, Andrew mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Andrew McIntyre Buderim Gastroenterology Centre www.buderimgastro.com.au PH: 07 54455055 FAX: 54455047 _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
