

What the future of browsers looked like when IE6 was released - jeffwidman
http://www.t3.org/tangledwebs/06/tw0605.html

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JacobAldridge
2001 (in case you missed the date): _"The browser war is over, and Microsoft
has won. Now comes the occupation."_

2004-2011: Viva la resistance!

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MatthewPhillips
2004-2008 = the resistance 2008 - present = the second great browser wars

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erez
I simply can't think of the situation today as a browser war. In the late 90
there was the .com boom, making it feel like whoever wins the war will
dominate the world, it was a more fuzzy world in terms of standards, so a lot
of sites had to choose whether to make their site Netscape-friendly or IE-
friendly, since it was almost impossible to do both. Add to that Microsoft
strong-arm tactics and the existence of Netscape as a single-product
commercial entity and you got a much messier, much dirtier war with higher
stakes.

Today, the stakes are not that high. Most of the dirty fights are at the
search and user details area. The standards are more strict and developers are
fast to call on either side deviations. Lock-in is harder, and, to be honest,
it's pretty obvious that whomever the "winner" will be, it won't give them the
99% dominance that IE had at about 2001.

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cooldeal
>Add to that Microsoft strong-arm tactics

What strong arm tactics?

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erez
Integration of the browser with the OS, down to the API level. Forcing OEMs
not to pre-install Netscape on Windows machines they sell. Releasing their own
Java VM on IE (for which they were sued by Sun). Creating JScript, a
JavaScript implementation not compatible with Netscape's. Just search for
"microsoft antitrust case" for more details.

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kenjackson
But these are only dirty tricks in the context of a monopoly. If they weren't
a monopoly (which they were), it's just smart business. See Apple and Android
today (Apple won't let AT&T put random AT&T software on the device. Android
has blooked 3rd party competitive apps, like Skyhook, from being packaged with
Android phones).

The toughest part about being a monopoly is that the regulatory agencies won't
give you any guidance on what is "over the line" (Microsoft at one point went
to the EU to ask if they did X, would that be legal. The EU said that they
won't tell them. Try it and you'll find out.) You just have to do stuff and
see if you get sued or not.

~~~
erez
The whole system of a corporation owing only to its shareholders demands this
"do stuff and see if you get sued" mentality. The Mozilla foundation, being a
non-profit doesn't need to bully anyone into submission. But that's besides
the point, as I think today whatever race there is to browser dominance is not
driven by the notion that "win the war, win the market", but by a more
sensible notion, and therefore I hesitate before I call the situation today a
"Browser War".

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lewispb
How different a place the web would be today if Microsoft had truly embraced
innovation back then, instead of focusing solely on peripheral income streams.
I think we can truly be grateful to the hard work of so many involved in the
Mozilla Project as well as Webkit, but it's a shame it took those projects,
and 10 long years for Microsoft to start really even talking web standards.

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random42
A big reason of Mozilla/Firefox surviving is, Microsoft taking a 5 year long
vacation from releasing web browser. (between IE6 (2001) - IE7(2007)).

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sjmulder
Or it’s the other way around. Complacent Microsoft not working on a new,
improved version because there is no perceived threat.

~~~
random42
This is what I meant. What other way did you infer?

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obeattie
Oh, I love this: "Smart Tags caused immediate and vocal backlash among
webmasters and content creators who sill harbor _quaint notions_ that they,
not Microsoft, should be in control the content and advertising at the sites
they create."

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mattdeboard
I am going to assume he was being a bit sarcastic there.

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danvoell
"The browser war is over, and Microsoft has won. Now comes the occupation."
What a great line, thank goodness for competition! I will think of it every
someone says "but somebody is already doing that"

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Indyan
"Smart Tags caused immediate and vocal backlash among webmasters and content
creators who sill harbor quaint notions that they, not Microsoft, should be in
control the content and advertising at the sites they create."

A quaint notion indeed. It really was a different world back then.

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yuhong
After IE6 was released, WaSP took a gentle leave of absence, claiming that
"Browser makers are no longer the problem": <http://archive.webstandards.org/>

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devicenull
Is it just me or does this site waste 80% of the browser with whitespace? I've
never seen such big margins.

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swah
Thanks, Mozilla.

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abhishekpathak
Kind of sad to see the champion of the revolution in those old
days,Firefox,going down steadily to Chrome,the new,talented kid on the block.

