Gates Releases When Browser Decision Was Made
As part of its defense in the federal and state anti-trust actions
against it, Microsoft has claimed it decided to incorporate
browser technology into its Windows operating system family
before Netscape Communications was even born. Microsoft
chairman Bill Gates set the record straight during an interview
with the Seattle Times over the weekend, saying the decision
was made to use browser technology in the company's flagship
software products during an executive retreat on April 5, 1994.
Netscape Communications was incorporated two days later, on
April 7. That's right: just two days later, Marc Andreesen and
his compatriots from the University of Illinois founded
Netscape and went on to change the Internet forever. Gates said
he did not even hear of the new company until the next January.
Nevertheless, the dates are important since Microsoft could then
argue that it decided to integrate browser technology into its
operating system before Netscape Communications was even
born -- hence, how could they make such a decision to crush a
competitor if the competitor did not even exist? Good question
-- and one Justice Department attorneys are sure to attack with
vigor. Microsoft and the Justice Department head to court
overseen by federal judge Thomas Jackson early next month,
although a debate over the level of access the media has to
testimony and depositions threatens to delay the trial. Who do
you side with in the Microsoft trials?
And this from http://www.ntk.net
MICROSOFT's "Cheeky Monkey" defence strategy against the DOJ
anti-trust charges continues to unfurl. Top of
this week's
"Strange... but Truish" claims was that they were
planning to snick an Internet browser into the
OS waaaaay
back in April 1994. "Netscape wasn't even on
anybody's
radar screen back then", said Microsoft's
legal team to the
New York Times - showing that Gates had
planned Net
integration with no intent of CRUSHING ALL
COMPETITION UNDER
THE HEEL OF HIS JACKBOOT, as some critics had
implied. Same
critics will not be silenced however: it's a
pretty
short-range radar that wasn't picking up
*some* noises of
Andreessen and Co back then. Was nobody at the
Microsoft's
April 5th Internet retreat (when the OS
integration was
allegedly first mooted) aware of the formation
of the
Netscape company *the day before*? And how
long did it take
Gates to put his masterplan into operation?
The HTML core
for Internet Explorer was licensed from
Spyglass on December
16th of that year - again, one day *after*
Netscape 1.0
shipped. Had the far-seeing Gates not managed
to persuade
his team to write *any* code before then?
Microsoft might be
able to pursuade a judge the Internet time is
fast - but
proving it runs backwards might be tougher
assignment...
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ofnote/nyt806.htm
- if you're going to
rewrite history...
http://www.msnbc.com/news/118315.asp
- start with your
own archives
Tim
--That's OK. He'll burn in hell. - Steve Jobs
<> tbyars@earthlink.net <>