Subject: Re: M$ Payola? From: crobato@kuentos.guam.net (Christopher Robato) Date: Thu, 03 Oct 96 16:46:58 EDT

Status: RO
X-Status: 

On Thu, 3 Oct 1996 02:09:54 -0400 (EDT) you wrote:

>
>
>	Rex Ballard - Director of Electronic Distribution
>	http://cnj.digex.net/~rballard
>
>
>On 22 Sep 1996, Christopher Robato wrote:
>
>> In article <01bba739$738bb210$457985cd@falcon>, "Gabe Schaffer"
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> [snip]
>> 
>> > Are you kidding?  So-called ActiveX containers have been around 
>> > for years.  IE is just the first to make a web browser into one.  
>> > Netscape has been embedding OLE objects since before IE even 
>> 
>> What do you mean?  Are you refering to Netscape plugins?  Sorry, you must
>> have a case of mistaken identity.  Netscape plugins are not OLE
>> components.
>> 
>> > *existed*.  Netscape could easily support ActiveX, but they don't 
>> > because it would support MS.
>
>More significantly, Netscape has the integrity to honor the contributions
>of the 75,000 engineers who have contributed thousands of hours of
>research, development, market research, promotion, quality control, and
>support worth 75 billion dollars.  This pool of software was freely
>contributed with two restrictions - first, you can make copies, but you
>must make the source code available at nominal cost.  Second, you must
>give all enhancements back to the original author so that he can integrate
>these enhancements into future products.  It is known as the General
>Public License.  This is the cornerstone of the internet.  As it is,
>Netscape often trades patented software to projects like Arena in exchange
>for features such as secure HTTP.
>
>Microsoft gets much of it's engineering from applicants who steal company
>information from their employers and submit it as part of their
>"qualification" in hopes of getting a job at Microsoft.  I personally
>applied back in 1982.  I submitted designs, specifications, and sample
>code for a personal project I had been working on for about 6 months (in
>my spare time).  Microsoft decided they could not use me as an employee,
>but incorporated most of my suggestions into it's OS/2 product.  I didn't
>even get a thank you note.
>
>Microsoft may be opening itself up for a massive class action suit.  The
>entire technology of the Web Browser was the product of at least 30
>companies who had been working on various componants for over 20 years.
>If Microsoft adds proprietary enhancements, many of the original
>developers of Andrew, Linx, Viola, Cello, Mosaic, Arena, and Netscape, who
>have very strong ties to the UNIX operating system, may be able to prove
>that Microsoft has violated, in principle, their copyrights, license
>agreements, and general research principles.  One might have to go through
>some of the 500 megabytes of e-mail and news archives that people like me
>have saved up over the last 20 years, but the information is there.

With Dejanews I presume.

>
>Which is the jury most likely to sympathize with.  The 75,000 who gave
>freely so that the economic opportunity would be available to all, or the
>Meglamaniac who stated in 1986 that his true ambition was world
>domination through monopolistic control of the world's information
>infrastructure.
>
>If Jim Barksdale is Smart (which he usually is - I used to work for him),
>he will start including a "complimentary copy" of LINUX along with the
>Netscape Distribution CD-Rom.  A bundle including Navigator Gold, Red Hat
>Linux, WABI (we still want to run some Office apps), X11, and a full
>suite of Linux Apps, could easily overtake Windows 95/NT4.0 in less than 9
>months.
>
>	Rex.

Thank you very much Rex.  I will treasure this email.  It has given me
some insights on how the Internet industry should work, and how it
should not work.

I had once proposed the idea that Netscape should bundle their server
software with Linux or Caldera.  That would challenge Microsoft's web
server bundle on NT 4.0 server.  Your above idea is also quite
attractive as well.  Netscape did a few errors on the way, by riding
the tiger's back (Windows platform) and is paying for it.  Good thing
they turned early, brought support to OS/2 and to OpenDOC, and made
the plea about the Internet battle open to the public and the
goverment eye.  

My feelings are with you.  

Rgds,

Chris 

Running on Warp Connect, IBM TCP/IP and
Internet Access Kit through PPP.  
*** crobato@kuentos.guam.net ***

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