From: frantz@netcom.com (Bill Frantz)
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 17:41:31 +0800
To: Deranged Mutant <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: NETSCAPE IS "IN MERGER TALKS WITH AMERICA ONLINE"
Message-ID: <199602152214.OAA27564@netcom7.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Bill Frantz wrote:
>... He noted that new data showed that 40% of US
>Internet traffic was flowing through America OnLine's network and that
>together with Netscape the two companies would effectively  control the
>technology now shaping the global network - "And then Microsoft would be
>left without an Internet standard,".

Perry sent me a polite note asking why I had posted the original post, and
I replied:

>(1) I thought it was of interest to people on the list, and not yet generally
>available information.
...
>(3) It speaks to the issue of whether there is a danger of oligopolistic
>control of the net.  Cypherpunks will, of course, work on technical solutions
>to that danger.

He suggested that in the future I make it clear why I think my posts are
relevent to the subject of the list.


At  7:44 PM 2/13/96 -0500, Deranged Mutant wrote:
>I dunno. The World Wide Web Consortium supposedly exists to prevent 
>corporations from controlling the technology and standards.

I agree that keeping the cost of market entry low, by having the technical
standards freely available at no cost is an excellent way of furthering
this goal.  (The IETF has a similar policy.)  In addition, free software
(in the sense of the Free Software Foundation) will help.

BTW - I do not consider oligopolistic control of the net of the net to be a
serious danger in the five year time frame.  I am less sanguine about the
30 year time frame.

Bill