I think that AOL should ditch Microsoft completely when their contract is up for renewal. Netscape will definitely have the superior product by then.

I was wrong about when the contract ends. It does not end in 2000. It ends this January 1, in just a month and a half.

Joel Caris

AOL is the only reason why Netscape was hurting in the "browser war". This is big news. Need followups please! "You've got Mozilla!"

If an equity stake is taken by AOL, you can be sure that the browser and online software will be intergrated together.

Otherwise, AOL might not risk losing its prominent position on the windows desktop. Only time will tell.

YES, YES, YES!!

I own both companies! ;)

ok...I think Communicator5.0 will probably get Netscape 40% more market share!

AOL will give Netscape like 23-29% market share, and i would think about 5 to 10% of people will switch from IE to Netscape.

Microsoft was stupid for not KILLING netscape. I knew if Netscape stayed alive, they would be a much stronger company! Microsoft better watch it's back!

Hmmm. While this is good for the proliferation of Mozilla, as well as possibly increasing the rate of development, this leaves me with a question:

Would AOL's possible voice on the board hinder the open source development procedure? After all, AOL has not historically been known for openness, though this has changed somewhat with their release of the AIM protocol spec.

Just a thought...

ummm....i think Netscape will get lots of shit if they start to try to make Mozilla proprietary in some way.

Plus, now they Netscape is even trying to get people around the world to run their portal site, i think Netscape likes the idea of Open Source.

note: Netscape bought Newhoo, which is run by about 4500 people around the world.

If AOL does become a member of Netscape's board, I don't believe the direction of Mozilla or any open source projects will be affected since the Net will eventually overtake the building of these applications. Give it time - besides, it's not like it would benefit any company to make the browser proprietary anyway. One goal of this open source direction is to gain market share and recognition in order to allow your other products to enter into that particular market, i.e. Message Server which works seamlessly with Communicator.

I'm an AOL member... And using other browsers within AOL NEVER worked. I ditched IE because it was glued inside AOL, and now if Netscape does that... God have mercy. The newest AOL4 client is already EXTREMELY slow and very sluggy, and with the "IE4 Included!" features, it's huge.

I rather just AOL just provide internet access and their special online content. Open a new browser instance or something.

But for a realistic point-of-view... With AOL upgrading their systems to be non-proprietory to web-based systems, they'll NEED good browser to help explore it all. It definetely will boost Netscape's market share.

One possiblity for AOL is to integrate the NGL engine into the AOL software, making the code smaller and much faster.

I think it's a great news for both AOL and Netscape. I have been trying to convince people around me that the 'Everything Microsoft' idea will get you nowhere but trouble, and intentionally laughed at AOL users just because AOL bundles IE.

AOL will buy Netscape...

The purchase of Netscape by AOL makes strategic sense. Combining their portals, better prepares them to compete with the breath of Microsoft's online offerings. Also, AOL's bundling of Navigator with their software would surely restore Netscape's market share. However, the browser has become more than just an interface to the web. It is the client to the new world of enterprise web based applications like Ariba's, Extensity's, and many more to come. This new paradigm of application development leaves behind the complexities of client/server in favor of a fixed browser client no matter what program you use. The deployment cost savings alone justifies its appeal. However, when a company decides to spend upwards of a million dollars to install an enterprise web based application, you can understand the resistance they would have in using a consumer-oriented AOL Navigator as the client to their enterprise application. Although an AOL purchase would be good for consumers, it definitely would help Microsoft's case in the enterprise arena. I sure would hate to see my choice of browser options severely limited due to its association to its owner rather then its technical limitations. The ideal situation would be for Netscape to sell its portal (Netcenter) to AOL in exchange for AOL bundling Navigator with its software and for its browser, SuiteSpot, CommerceXpert software be sold to an Enterprise Software Provider like Oracle, Sun, IBM, or even Computer Associates. This would be a win win situation for all involved including consumers and businesses.