Re: Supply and Demand

[Christopher Pall <x97pall@wmich.edu>]

  Perhaps I should have been more wordy in my response. Clearly what I am trying to
  point out is this :
  
  In one of my messages I pointed out that the individual did NOT state that
  Netscape was being given away as a promotion. HE clearly stated that Netscape was
  an incomplete product in the first version, and not worthy of a price. The first
  version was also done with venture capital, which makes it karmically "public"
  domain. Whether you believe him is up to you.
  
  Obviously Netscape couldn't have integrated Netscape into an OS they didn't own.
  The point is that they were not using any ill-gotten monopoly on the OS market to
  leverage the sales of their browser. Netscape doesn't give away free copies of
  it's software, and every copy of Netscape that is on a desktop today is on a
  desktop because of a choice that a user has made to put it there, in essence, that
  user has made a choice. This to me suggests that Netscape has had to do what
  Microsoft has not - compete. Netscape will only be able to compete as long as the
  field of play is level, as long as customers have a choice, as long as Netscape's
  development isn't thwarted by MS's creative OS development, and so long as enough
  of third party developers don't play dead and pander to the Microsoft giant.
  
  Actually I will note here that Netscape is given away as an OEM deal with some
  desktops and laptops... but always with IE as well.
  
  
  > > In reply to Christopher Pall's message sent 11/26/97 12:47 PM:
  > >
  > > >But Netscape never tried to integrate itself into an existing OS monopoly
  > > >in order
  > > >to assimilate new customers.
  > >
  > > No, they never had that particular opportunity. Before Microsoft began
  > > the integration effort, though, they did give away the product.
  > >
  >
  > Netscape does not have the source code to any operating system, since Netscape
  > does not produce operating systems.  Therefore, it is impossible to integrate
  > it's browser into the operating system.
  >
  > Netscape did give away the browser a couple of years ago when Netscape was
  > still a venture capital based company, as part of the venture agreement.
  > Since then, Netscape has had to actually make a profit because, as I mentioned
  > above, Netscape doesn't have an existing monopoly to leverage it's products
  > with.
  
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                Christopher Pall
  Delphi Programmer & Western Michigan Student (CS)
                   ThinkBiz
                Kalamazoo MI USA
               X97PALL@WMICH.EDU
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