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Hi, Did anybody see the news about Microsoft? For those who don't know this, I am an admitted news-aholic. I have quoted the following from: http://www.cnn.com/ There's more if you go to this page, however caution, the page literally changes hourly. Al Here's the text (pardon the formatting): > Microsoft rivals say > browser war is really > about Windows > > October 20, 1997 > Web posted at: 11:18 p.m. EDT (0318 > GMT) > > NEW YORK (CNN) -- > To the average computer > user, the browser war is > about freedom of choice. > Microsoft's rivals say the > battle with the U.S. Justice Department over software > used to surf the Internet is, in the end, about the > survival of the company's Windows operating system. > > By using its Internet Explorer to try to gain control of > the World Wide Web browser market -- a market > currently dominated by Netscape Communications Inc. > -- Microsoft is trying to protect its operating system, > which currently runs more than 80 percent of personal > computers in the United States. > > "This is not about the Internet," said Roberta Katz, > general counsel at Netscape. "It's about doing away > with competition in the browser market because the > browser threatens the operating system." > > The Justice Department on > Monday asked a federal > court in Washington to hold > Microsoft in contempt of a > 1995 court order barring the > Redmond, Washington, firm > from anti-competitive licensing, an action a Microsoft > spokesman says is "unfortunate and misguided." > > Justice accused Microsoft of using its Windows > "monopoly" to force computer makers to include the > Microsoft Internet browser in pre-loaded software, > putting competitors such as Netscape at a competitive > disadvantage. > > Competitor: Microsoft designers have > advantage > > Control of the operating system market allows > Microsoft to set standards that software designers have > to use, whether they want to or not, said Mike Morris, > general counsel for Sun Microsystems, another > Microsoft competitor. > > "When they control the > standards it means they > know first what's coming > down the pipe," he said. > "Their developers will > get a leg up." > > Cliff Stoll, who writes > about high technology > and culture, explains > Microsoft's omnipresence in the world of computers. > > "Every time most people turn their computers on, the > first word that appears on their screen is Microsoft. > When they log on to the Internet, the first ... (thing) > they see is welcome to Microsoft's home. > > "Result: They don't just have a monopoly on what's in > your machine. They also have high pressure on what > we get on your screen later," Stoll said. > > But the Internet, said Netscape's Katz, makes operating > systems such as Windows 95 less relevant. As use of > the Internet becomes common, and software for using > it more sophisticated, it won't matter if computers run > Windows 95 or not. > > And if Windows is irrelevant, Microsoft's dominance of > word processors, spreadsheets and programming tools > could come crashing down. > > Microsoft spokesman Mark Murray said, "The facts > will show that Microsoft is in full compliance with the > consent decree." > > Murray said the decree "specifically allows Microsoft to > integrate new features into the operating system. That's > what consumers want, and that's how the software > industry has operated for years." > > The spokesman also said that "we have never tried to > stop any computer manufacturer from shipping any > other browser." > > Blurring the lines between computer, > network? > > Crude spreadsheets and word processors already have > been written to run on any computer and can be used > directly from the Web. Such programs are a direct > threat to Microsoft, which reaps large revenues from its > own word processing and spreadsheet programs that > are tightly integrated into Windows 95. > > And Netscape produces > Communicator, an > all-in-one program that > handles e-mail and the > World Wide Web and > allows users to collaborate > on projects over a > network. As more data > resides on such networks > and not on individual > machines, the software > used to get that data -- whether Communicator, > Explorer or Windows 95 -- becomes more important. > > Explorer is the default browser for Windows 95. To > use Netscape's browser, which currently has about 70 > percent of the market, users often must download the > program and install it separately. > > Microsoft's next version of its operating system, > Windows 98, promises to completely integrate Explorer > into the operating system, blurring the line between > computer and network and forcing Netscape off the > desktop of millions of personal computers. > > Reaction to the browser battle is mixed. > > One woman in San Francisco said, "I feel > uncomfortable being forced to use any product, > regardless of the brand name." > > Others aren't fazed. One man, who observed that there > are many online providers that give access to the > Internet, said, "I think we still have a choice." > > Consumer activist Ralph Nader praised the Justice > Department's move as a "a welcome first step for > consumers." > > James Love, director of the Consumer Project on > Technology in Washington, D.C., a group founded by > Nader in 1995, asked whether the Justice Department > would force Microsoft "to put some daylight between > the browser and the operating system." > > "That could be highly significant," Love said. "The > browser is the operating system of the Internet." Al Barsa, Jr. - Account for Midrange-L Barsa Consulting, LLC. 400 > 390 Phone: 914-251-9400 Fax: 914-251-9406 Private mail should be sent to barsa@ibm.net +--- | This is the Midrange System Mailing List! | To submit a new message, send your mail to "MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com". | To unsubscribe from this list send email to MAJORDOMO@midrange.com | and specify 'unsubscribe MIDRANGE-L' in the body of your message. | Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com +---
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