SillyDog701

[wozzar]

Will AOL ever replace their IE browsers for people on AOL online with Netscape. I reackon if they did this they would kill IE and get back the browser market.

[W.R.]

look for that change soon.

[James]

Kill IE? Surely you jest. Look... I understand the frustration many Netscape supporters feel towards Microsoft and their integrated browser, but let's be realistic... money makes the world go round and IE is firmly established now on most desktops. Even "if" AOL decides to make the switch it most definitely will NOT spell the death knell of Internet Explorer. That's wishful thinking... based more on emotions than cold, hard facts.

[Antony]

If AOL is going to use Netscape or Mozilla based browser, how many current AOL users are willing to change their browser just because the company's new boundle browser?

[Fulvio]

If AOL is going to use Netscape or Mozilla based browser, how many current AOL users are willing to change their browser just because the company's new boundle browser?

Antony,
it is hard to tell, because there will be vociferous ones in every bunch.
If AOL tells people what they are getting, probably no more than there Netscape users now. Everything was calm until someone said that Gecko is the same as Netscape. Then,all hell broke loose. But the fact that Gecko could not render some pages dear to the heart of some, was enough to turn away some. In theory, beta testers should know what is going on, but there are some pretty clueless persons..

[Wade]

The funny thing is that most aol users are fairly new to the net and don't know/care what browser they are actually using.

[Fulvio]

The funny thing is that most aol users are fairly new to the net and don't know/care what browser they are actually using.

Very true. But all you need to say that something is changed, and some people worry.

[Al]

AOL never will kill I.E.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:0.9.4.1) Gecko/20020508 Netscape6/6.2.3

[DJGM]

. . . and IE is firmly established now on most desktops . . .

There's an interesting article on ExtremeTech about how having one such
dominant browser, like IE, is dangerously bad for the internet in general.

I have quoted the entire article in the, "General Area", in the
thread "Browser Monoculture Sets Stage For Mass Infections"

The original article can be found here . . .

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:1.3a) Gecko/20021207 Phoenix/0.5

[Kucing]

I've read an article on the opinion section from the magazine "New Scientist" that in april AOL did announced that it will stop distributing IE on its free CDs, preferring instead the browser technology developed by opensource community The Mozilla Organization.

I wonder how it's been doing?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 (CK-SillyDog)

[James]

Oh... I don't know. I find this a bit "alarmist" sort of in the nature of Y2K. You remember Y2K, eh? The computers are going to go down... the internet is going to freeze solid... etc. There were dire predictions and a lot of men and women made a lot of money over all the hype and scare tactics.

Similarly I seriously doubt these alarmist predictions regarding the dangers of a predominantly one-browser group. And to make the comparison to a disease is a questionable analogy at best. Besides, we know there will always be "other" browsers and we know (even if our hearts tell us it ain't so) that IE will likely remain by far the predominant browser. And surely we know that Microsoft is not sitting on its laurels. What the next IE browser will look like, I think, is an exciting guess.

And yes... even though I've whined about Netscape and threatened to dump it once and for all, I'll likely always come back to it. But I have to tell you... I"ll never dump IE. It simply works too well (opening most sites, most of the time.... friendly to most software and programs [i.e. Incredimail].... friendly to most mice with five buttons).

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 (CK-SillyDog)

[DJGM]

Yes, WE know there are other browsers than IE, but think of those that
go out and buy a new computer, and venture forth onto the internet,
for the first time. Those people will more than likely think that the
inconspicuous looking little blue "e" icon on their desktop, IS the
internet, and not know of, and/or probably will never know of
any of the superior alternatives to the rubbish that comes
irrevocably bundled with the operating system.

The "Browser Monoculture..." article makes a lot of sense, when all is
said and done, 90+% of internet users worldwide, are using a browser
that supports technologies that can cause a PC to be compromised, or
even taken over from a remote source. Goodness knows how many of
these people are blissfully unaware of this, and the software available,
that can help combat these dangers.

With this increasing number of people using only MS software to access
the internet, it is becoming more likely that it will be controlled by just
one greedy, monopolistic software company, therefore destroying the
true openness of the internet. Because of this, before too long, the
internet will effectively no longer exist. It will inevitably end up
becoming no more than just "MS.net", that'll be accessible only
on Microsoft Windows based PC's, running MS.net Explorer.
All other internet software will be rendered obsolete.

Anyone who thinks otherwise, is being VERY naive indeed . . . should
wake up and smell the coffee, before the internet is effectively killed.

Why should you care about this . . . ?

Mozilla, and other browsers based on it's technology (not just Netscape)
are the collaborative product of a community, which cares deeply about
keeping the internet open to people on different platforms, and people
with different browsers. Anyone that knows of other internet software,
but have no intention of ditching IE, and/or have no intention of using
any other internet software, are the sort of people with no interest in
keeping the internet, an open community, and obviously couldn't
really give a toss, if Microsoft swallows it whole.

I don't want that to happen . . . do you?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 (CK-DJGM-i.net)

[James]

I find your arguments unconvincing, alarmist, confrontational and generally sensationalist. You're entitled to your opinions as am I and that is where it all ends: opinions. I would venture to say that the vast majority of users will continue using IE and doing so quite happily. In all of my extended family (and there are many in this group), ALL use IE. I've shared the "good news" of Netscape 7 with my son who downloaded it, tried it and quickly reverted to IE. I believe that I also mentioned that my wife's son is one of the developers of the registry of Windows (he now works on the X-box) so I could be accused of a vested interest. That's not the case. As I've said many times in this forum, I started with Netscape (version 3.01) and found my greatest pleasure with Communicator 4.5. From that point on it was a downhill ride... ending with a jolt at Netscape 6, a complete abomination. I'm hanging in with 7.01 but I must admit, when I need to find information and find it fast, I revert to IE since I know it won't let me down. And I might add... in all the time I've been online, I've gotten no viruses through IE, alarmist predictions notwithstanding.

But ... hey... let's not get bent out of shape over this. It's software, eh? We're humans... imperfect as is the software we're using.

Best wishes to you.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 (CK-SillyDog)

[DJGM]

While the vast majority of net users are going online only with Microsoft
software, the internet will inevitably be owned by Microsoft, destroying
all the open principles that the internet was built upon. This is not being
alarmist. This is not being sensationalist. This is being realistic. The only
thing that is slowing the descent into an internet that ends up becoming
nothing more than MS.net, is the fact that most web servers are still
run with UNIX based operating systems.

Any naive people still thinking there's nothing wrong with Microsoft,
really should read this article . . . "What's So Bad About Microsoft",
and learn the FACTS about such things as Microsoft's p*ss poor
treatment of it's customers, predatory practises, bundling of
inferior, sub-standard software, backwards incompatibility,
closed standards, mutilation of exisiting standards . . . .

Anyone that thinks my arguments about Microsoft are unconvincing and
alarmist, even after reading the aforementioned article, are being very
naive, unrealistic and/or ignorant of the FACTS. Unfortunately, since
the DoJ trial against Microsoft had such a limp wristed and pathetic
outcome, it may already be too late, and the days of the internet
being such an open community may well be numbered . . .

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 (CK-DJGM-i.net)

[Fulvio]

I've read an article on the opinion section from the magazine "New Scientist" that in april AOL did announced that it will stop distributing IE on its free CDs, preferring instead the browser technology developed by opensource community The Mozilla Organization.

I wonder how it's been doing?

Gecko-based software is being used in AOL for Macs and, in the smaller AOL owned Compuserve. AOL does not distribute IE for the simple reason that everyone would have it anyway. It takes AOL long time to figure out some things.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:0.9.4) Gecko/20011022 Netscape6/6.2