From: Vipul Ved Prakash <mail@vipul.net>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 09:50:16 +0800
To: adam@homeport.org
Subject: Re: Netscape 5 will be GPL'ed
In-Reply-To: <199801231938.OAA19072@homeport.org>
Message-ID: <199801240659.GAA03702@fountainhead.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Adam Shostack wrote:

> 	I'm not sure that this is the message they're sending at all.
> They're trying to work the Linux/GNU model of getting a horde of
> volunteer programmers to improve their product, and base other
> products on it, because of the ease of integration.  I don't know that
> security was even on their minds.

It doesn't matter. In fact this is the smartest thing they 
could have done.  Given their recent financial predicament 
and the level of competence and cluefulness they have shown 
in the past, I am amazed they didn't let inertia and their 
investment in the anti-civilization (and pointy haired 
managers) hold them back. 

I feel that Microsoft's extremely determined attempts to corner 
the browser market has forced them to stop evading reality 
for a while. They seem to have realized that the best model 
for their business is Caldera/Redhat/Stronghold model. To add
value to already existing free software that adheres to an open 
standard. Releasing Netscape 5 code will effectively ensure 
them a standard to capitalize on. 

Best, 
Vipul 

Links: 

x. http://www.openspace.org/ has setup up a forum for developing 
   free Netscape. 

x. http://slashdot.org/slashdot.cgi?mode=article&artnum=425 
   http://www.slashdot.org/slashdot.cgi?mode=article&artnum=499 
   this guy first suggested that netscape should go GPL (on january 12) 
   and predicted they'll do it right away. 

-- 
Powell lingered. "How's Earth?" 
It was a conventional enough question and Muller gave the 
conventional answer, "Still spinning."
				      -- "Reason", Asimov. 
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