The First Internet Browser Wars

I'm glad that the "The True Story of the Internet Browser Wars" was available in Youtube. The video was cut down into 5 because it was quite long. The documentary is about the first Internet browser war, Microsoft's Internet Explorer versus Netscape's Navigator.

Reminiscing... When I was still studying high school in OB Montessori Center in Greenhills, me and my classmates used to hang-out in Virra Mall. After class we went straight there to kill time while waiting for our sundo or school bus. The mall was a haven for kids because there were plenty of computer game shops and internet cafes. I always used Netscape Navigator whenever I searched the web because it was the only browser available in the PCs at that time. Though I am a user of Internet Explorer, I don't have negative comment against the Navigator.

Going back, the competition was similar to David versus Goliath, but with a different ending. Netscape, a small corporation, had a good start when they introduced the Navigator in the market. Success came when there usage share increased, but that success threatened Bill Gates' Microsoft. It was a pitty moment for Andreessen, Clark and their engineers because Microsoft introduced their Internet Explorer, bundled it with its Windows OS, and successfully knocked them down. Obviously there wasn't a healthy competition during those times because any company who may want to compete against the monopoly giant will really go down.

Bill Gates succeeded, but there were more problems ahead of them. The US Department of Justice filed an anti-trust lawsuit against them for monopolization. Microsoft lost this round. It's karma for them. For me, this lawsuit didn't have any negative effect to Microsoft because until now a lot of commercial businesses and individuals use their Internet Explorer. Plus... Bill Gates is still one or the richest man in the world!

Another pitty moment for Netscape when it was bought by America Online (AOL). I think that AOL tried its best to revive it but to no avail. Early 2008, AOL announced it will no longer give support to the brand, hence, brought Netscape to its death. RIP....

The anti-trust lawsuit benefited others because new browsers entered the market like Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome, etc. And this opened the way for the second browser wars.

For me, all browsers are just same regardless of their features. As long as it helps me explore the World Wide Web, its OK.