
1998 post about Netscape quoting Marca saying the browser would become an OS. - zeedotme
http://www.scripting.com/davenet/1998/05/22/netscapesInternetOS.html
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hernan7
See also: <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marc_Andreessen>

"Netscape will soon reduce Windows to a poorly debugged set of device drivers"

That was the time when Java was the new thing; when the "network computer"
(running a Java VM+ Netscape browser) was going to replace the Windows PC any
day now. Oh well...

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Computer>

~~~
bitwize
And now we have "cloud computing" and netbooks!

~~~
rjurney
And broadband ;)

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sfphotoarts
Google Chrome is a browser, not an operating system. Linux is the operating
system. No matter how much people want to think the browser is one, it doesn't
change the facts. It is as much an operating system as wifi is. The browser
hosts remote apps and provides a runtime environment, which to the non
computer science trained out there might appear to be an operating system, but
its still not. Chrome does not, for example, implement create_process (fork).
Linux does. Chrome, uses fork, its an , or maybe another way to think of the
browser is as a UI VM, much like the JVM run s bytecode, the browser runs
'WebCode'.

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rjurney
The failure of the DOJ to enforce anti-trust laws during the era of 'private
enterprise can do no wrong' held the internet back 10 years.

~~~
supahfly_remix
According to JWZ, Netscape's injuries were partly self-inflicted:
<http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/nomo.html>

To its credit, Google has amassed some impressive brainpower, much better than
Netscape ever did in its heyday. It will be interesting to see how their OS
works out.

~~~
josefresco
The fact that they stumbled to the mat after being KO'd by MS does not mean
they failed _because_ of their failure to withstand the punch.

I think the blow was big enough that Netscape/Mozilla would never have been as
important as their 'network pc' model ideals. They would have had to exist in
a much smaller market even if they were to 'succeed'.

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mostly_harmless
They got part of it right. Google is making an operating system, but from my
understanding, it is no longer solely a browser.

