Worse,
> Microsoft and Netscape should stop kidnapping Web standards.
When is anyone going to realize that PUSH is not a standard???
PUSH is the biggest scam going on today... It's not technically
difficult, and can be implemented using existing Web technology for
caching! Stop inventing the wheel, people...
-- Adam
http://www5.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_945.html
Bloody Microsoft-Netscape Push Battle Endangers the Audience
Jesse Berst, Editorial Director, ZDNet AnchorDesk
Friday, May 23, 1997
As we've warned in the past, Microsoft and Netscape are trying to
manipulate Internet standards to get a proprietary advantage. In this
case, they're battling over "push." Before you start cheering for your
favorite, remember: These big, brawny armored giants are getting paid to
fight. But we're the ones who end up getting hurt.
"Push" is the name given to technology that allows direct delivery of
Internet content to your desktop. It tells your browser what kind of
content (information) you want. Which files to fetch. And when to fetch
them. Netscape and Microsoft, makers of the two top Internet browsers,
have different plans for providing that information. Surprise! They
aren't compatible. Which forces content providers -- and you -- to
choose sides.
Worse, the two rivals are coercing you to choose their side. Both are
determined to own the standards for delivering content via the Internet.
Because whoever owns those Internet standards will corner the Internet
market. Which explains why the two are ready to fight to the death. Even
yours.
There's Microsoft, holding one of your arms. There's Netscape, holding
the other. Each plans to pull until the other loses its grip. Never mind
what happens to the wishbone in the middle. Who's to blame? Both. For
instance:
* Both are building non-standard push technology into
their browsers. Which they will try to force the world
to adopt. Microsoft's Channel Definition Format (CDF)
has been proposed as a possible standard, but is not
yet ratified. Netscape uses Marimba's proprietary
Castanet "channel tuner" technology, which hasn't even
been submitted.
* Netscape refuses to support CDF even though it could
easily do so. Thereby rescuing users from the
confusion.
* Microsoft is blackmailing content providers (as
reported by the Wall Street Journal and others) into
exclusive deals. If they want special marketing deals,
they must promise not to build anything for Netscape's
version. Microsoft hopes that will force you into
choosing its browser.
Microsoft and Netscape should stop kidnapping Web standards. They
should sit down and agree on a single push protocol. If they can't do
that, they should each support the other's, so users and content
providers aren't forced to make a choice. If they want to compete, they
should compete on better (faster, cheaper, more powerful, more
cross-platform) implementations of the standards.
If you agree, speak up now by joining 35,000 others who have signed our
Make-A-Difference petition, urging Microsoft and Netscape to cooperate
on Web standards. You can also discuss it in the Make-A-Difference
forum. Jump into the debate underway in our Jesse's Berst Alerts forum.
Or scroll to the bottom of this page and send me a Talk Back message
directly. (I'll post the best letters beneath this story.)
It's fine if Microsoft and Netscape want to fight. So long as they don't
drag the audience into the arena with them. [Jesse Berst, Editorial
Director, ZDNet AnchorDesk]
----
adam@cs.caltech.edu
Consider W3C's efforts in payments, content selection, scripting, font
support, executable content, and streaming real-time multimedia. JEPI
is a payment selection scheme, not a payment system. PICS is a labeling
mechanism, not a rating system. Scripting is an HTML and DOM hook, not
specifically catering to Netscape's LiveScript or Microsoft's VBScript.
W3C's font support in HTML is provided through cascading style sheets,
not through a font format standard. For executable content, W3C works
on the OBJECT embedding tag, not APIs. And, W3C works in streaming
real-time multimedia, not audio/video coders.
-- Rohit Khare