In a potential blow to Microsoft, Netscape's Internet browser will be included inside every new Hewlett-Packard and Compaq computer sold starting early next year, Netscape said Monday. The arrangement allows for those buying new HP or Compaq personal computers to choose Netscape as their default Web browser and to start the Web browser using icons on the desktop or Start menu.
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Member since:
2005-07-18
congratulations to Netscape.
However I am a bit confused over the decision to choose Netscape
Netscape 8 is a good web browser no doubt
however joey users will be just confused by all the security terms like choosing rendering engine & stuff
IMO they should have chosen Firefox (Opera is also very good web browser no doubt)
However since they will be selling these PC's in 2006 they can give Firefox 1.5 (if not final then wait for it) mainly because of its AUTO UPDATE feature
the idea should be to strike balance between security & ease of use (IMO opera will be little difficult for new users, just my opinion)
people like when their things just work
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-07-07
Wouldn't they wait for AOL Explorer if that were the case?
http://beta.aol.com/projects/aolexplorer/
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Netscape made the deal is why they are useing netscape over mozilla/firefox.
Netscape may have even paid to be put on the desktop, as netscapes just one giant advertisement for AOL now. A lot of new computers comewith AOL preisntalled or a link to the installer on the desktop. Not becouse HP/Dell/whatver thinks AOLs such a good program that people would want it, but becouse AOL paid them to put an AOL icon on the desktop
Member since:2005-07-18
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2005-09-13
Member since:2005-07-06
Microsoft considers Netscape it's enemy because it was a rival company threatening to change the computing paradigm from an OS centered one to a browser centered one. As long as MS holds control of the browser market, MS holds control over the standards used.
Since MS fears Google transforming the computing paradigm to a webservices based one after all, having control of the browser market slip away is a blow to MS after all.
Member since:2005-06-29
That's quite true, but their browser has been key to the dominance of their platform for a long time. Remember 5 years ago when half the sites on the web didn't work right, or at all, in Mozilla? Microsoft has already lost the majority of that, and they're losing sight be getting it back.
Web services are also a real danger to Microsoft, a rich client company. The more the browser becomes what everyone uses, the less people care what OS they're using. And that's dangerous to Microsoft's second biggest money winner: Windows.
Then, as things like ajax improve; the ability for web services to replace a lot of the functionality of Microsofts biggest money maker come into play.
Trust me, web browsers other than IE are very dangerous for Microsoft. They lost that monopoly, and innovation has begun again in the browser world (it was dead for quite a while). And now, a major PC retailer is getting behind someone else's technology (although I believe Netscape includes the ability to use IE's engine, but defaults to gecko?) and offering consumers an easy choice.
That's why Microsoft has something to worry about.
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If/When firefox/mozilla or opera (or those combined)were to take back 10 to 15% of the weeeb it would force developes to change their Dumb ass ways. When Netscape 8 is able to render using IE engine this changes nothing - why would they change anything? Their website will work both ways!
This is a win for AOL - advertisement dollars by attracting people to their home page, and using their services.
This is not _much_ of a loss for MS - Netscape 8 renders with IE anyways. Allowing for web developers to stay on Microsoft's platform. Providing no insetive for them to change.
This is a loss for OSS!
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I have seen Netscape included in the OEM install on several machines made by HP and a few other notable manufactors in the post Netscape 6 era even supposedly after Microsoft stopped any major OEM from including Netscape. The real question though is will anybody really use Netscape since most people either have never used Netscape or haven't used it since the notoriously bad Netscape 6.0. As Firefox has demonstrated word of mouth is a pretty powerful means of getting non-Microsoft products into people's hands. Average people don't read PC mag or PC World so it isn't really going to help much if one of those magazines recommends a non-Microsoft product. What really has helped Firefox is friends telling friends about the product. Unless Netscape can garner that type of word of mouth it will continue to further irrelevance.
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Just because HP decided for whatever reason to load Netscape on these systems says nothing about how many will actually use it.
This whole HP/Netscape thing is a lot more about press coverage than the browser itself.
If HP was actually serious about loading a competitive browser, they would have taken a different approach.
