Re: Does MS Still control The Connection?

[Christopher Pall <x97pall@wmich.edu>]

john, Alpha, hudson, ma, usa 225-4811 wrote:

> This is a big win, because now Compaq et al can pre-install Netscape
> if they want.  It means that MS wont get 90% of the browser
> APPLICATION market by leveraging their 90% of the OS market.  I would
> expect browser stats to increase for Netscape (and others) because of
> this result.
>
> But the more sinister and subtle goal of MS to leverage their OS
> market to make the internet proprietary seems still afoot.
>

See, I don't really have problems with them implementing "Internet"
protocols into their OS, I just don't think they should have sole control
over what is integrated into the OS and what is not. Why can't third party
developers compete with Microsoft to say what goes into their product?
Anyway...

> What i mean is that MS still controls all layers from the browser to
> the modem.  Someone's going to have to help me w/ my network layers,
> but it's my understanding that the "TCP/IP stack" is provided by MS.
> MS could still use the tactic of substituting MS-TCP/IP which has
> "enhanced communication features" which allow it alone to transport
> content from "MS-Enhanced content" sites.  In this way, they could
> transform the industry from TCP/IP to MS-TCP/IP and then erect their
> Toll Gates on the Information SuperHighway.
>
> It's my understanding that the HTTP protocol implementation resides in
> the browser, so that'll be Netscape's.  Am i right?  Until Netscape
> starts trying to abuse its own monopoly power, we're safe there.

Well, there I think that is being changed by the IE SDK, you may want to
check out the references I have in my "active desktop" definitions (look
at the bottom of the page)

http://www.ili.net/~pallc/Essay/Microsoft/index.html

>
>
> The other thing that bothers me is the built-in HTTP protocols in
> every MS product.  I think MS calls them "web-enabled DLLs."  Is this
> another opportunity for them to leverage their 90% OS share to control
> the protocol thru "enhancement."  They can provide a Windows OS in
> which every DLL is web-enabled (runs the HTTP protocol which allows
> the DLL to connect to the internet).  I can see Internet Apps written
> for Windows which rely on these DLLs, thereby handing control of the
> internet connection over to MS.  In this scenario, the Apps provide
> the value over and above a mere internet connection, which would seem
> to be a good business model for a forward-looking internet startup.
> By handing over control of the internet connection, it seems MS still
> retains control of that connection, and can "enhance" it (make it
> proprietary) and leverage their monopoly.

 Leverage, steal, and buy out, just another day in the economic world of
Microsoft.

+==============================================================+
                       Christopher Pall
        Delphi Programmer & Western Michigan Student (CS)
                          ThinkBiz
                       Kalamazoo MI USA
email:X97PALL@WMICH.EDU               Website:WWW.ILI.NET/~pallc
                         ICQ#:4287896
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