[Am-info] Internet Explorer consigned to the Trash

[John Bryan]

On Wednesday, June 18, 2003, at 10:28 PM, Paul Rickard wrote:

> ========== On 06/18/2003 11:21 PM, John Bryan typed: ============
>
>>
>> I wondered if MS had done this to get back at Apple for Safari -- but
>> maybe Apple did Safari because they knew IE was going away, or at 
>> least
>> was on the table to be dropped.  Maybe there was a threat to drop IE 
>> if
>> Apple announced iTunes Music Store for Windows.   MS doesn't take
>> lightly interlopers on their turf.   Maybe Apple did (and is doing)
>> Safari because they were not satisfied with the state of the web
>> browser on OS X ?  Will probably never know.
>
> Microsoft only produced IE for Mac OS because they agreed to do it as
> part of the Apple "investment" settlement agreement.

Ah, yes.  I remember that was part of the deal, now, er, then, whatever.

> They needed to kill
> Netscape,

right.  they couldn't leave a patch of grass for NS to flourish, even 
the small patch of the market that is the Mac platform.  they had to 
crush it absolutely wherever it was.  Except I guess for the various 
UNIX and UNIX-like platforms.  Used Solaris at another job, and IE was 
woefully lame there -- a joke.  I guess they figured it was better to 
NOT give credence to that platform.

> which was still strong on the Mac,

And rightly so.   Afer Mosaic on Sun OS, then on Apple's System 7.5.x, 
then the Netscapes, I used NS exclusively then.  IE was a product born 
in part out of fear and panic, licensed code from Spyglass who figured 
they'd make some bucks on it until they found out that MS was going to 
give it away I guess.   Eventually I couldn't handle NS on the Mac 
anymore. So MS bought their place in the game and then actually worked 
to create a good or better product until they didn't need to anymore.   
Benefits of a monopoly -- you only have to be troubled to compete on 
the merits when there are actually competitors.

> and Apple needed a credible
> compatible Web browser.

True -- and one backed by the Behemoth lent them cred.

> Now the agreement is over and Netscape is dead,
> Microsoft gets no benefit from IE Mac and neither does Apple. I'd say
> it's a mutual conclusion here.
>

Agreed.

> (this won't make it to the list, I'm still having technical problems.)
>
> ======== Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign =======
> --------------------------------[ Http://www.msboycott.com ]-----------
>
>   "As Internet technology itself vaults into new areas, so too does the
>    Microsoft monopoly and its tried-and-true bag of tricks."
>        -US Senator Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah

I don't know if I will live to see a day when this is not true.

JB