Internet Browsers

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Netscape Navigator 2.0, the original browser, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 were both provided as free downloads; both companies expected to make money through sales and advertising to companies using their browsers to drive customers to their websites, but this was a far more significant source of income for Netscape because Microsoft's primary business was not web browsers. The author points out that Netscape's extra features made it larger and slower than Explorer, while providing little actual benefit to users who were seeking information rather than animated butterflies chasing their mouse pointers. The paper relates that both browsers were badly designed, hurried products without testing, but the browser market in 1995 did not allow it. Comparison table.

From the Paper:

"During the Browser Wars, standards, where they existed, were usually ignored in favor of adding new, incompatible features as fast as possible. Netscape has support for Java, Javascript and frames, none of which were standard, or supported by Internet Explorer. Netscape strongly encouraged the use of these features in order to make their product relevant. Legitimate uses for these features did and still do exist, but the primary effect was to encourage a huge number of poorly designed websites. Former Open Source Initiative president Eric Raymond accuses authors of pages with an order of magnitude more Javascript that content of "masturbation with Javascript". Netscape fails to support some less flashy, but more useful features found in Explorer, such as individual colors for table cells."

More papers on Internet Browsers:

• Comparison Essay # 27198 : "Netscape "Navigator" vs. Microsoft "Internet Explorer"
• Research Paper # 9475 : "The Internet"
• Essay # 5935 : "Internet Security"

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