News and commentary from the cross-platform scripting community.
	Mail Starting 5/22/97

---

From: mark@mtlake.com (Mark Richer);
Sent at 5/22/97; 8:18:11 PM;
Re:A change would do you good

This is really marketing 101. There's one Hertz and one Coke. Avis and Pepsi succeeded by zagging when the market leader was zigging. What was Avis' message? "We try harder." But you're right with developers, it's the actions not the words that will determine who is the successful underdog against Microsoft.

---

From: wade@zeta.org.au (Bowmer, Wade);
Sent at 5/23/97; 11:02:56 AM;
Re:""A change would do you good""

A tangible example of Netscape making an IBM mistake (and trying to be a little Microsoft? not sure) is their continual refusal to support PNG as a valid graphics format. I don't know why they won't; it doesn't make sense.

PNG is Portable Network Graphics. It was developed as a replacement to GIF because of the legal problems with the LZW compression used in GIF, but it has a number of other features.

More info: http://www.wco.com/~png/ and

http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/Graphics/PNG/Overview.html

---

From: phood@aimnet.com (Phil Hood);
Sent at 5/22/97; 4:21:49 PM;
Re:A change would do you good

In any industry or market segment there is usually a leader. In software it is Microsoft.

Companies are usually loathe to change leaders, which is why nearly every software company I've ever interviewed says "We have a great relationship with Microsoft" or "We're really close to Intel." They actually believe this when they say it, and occasionally it is true.

Before a large number of companies dump one leader for another they ask themselves questions like:

• If I follow the new leader will I have enough customers?

• Can the new leader protect me if the old leader retaliates?

• Is the new leader capable of inspiring and providing thought leadership--being a bell cow when needed?

• Will we be significantly better off with a new leader--is it worth the risk?

• Is the new leader fair?

• Will the new leader take care of faithful followers?

Interestingly, these are the same questions humans ask in other settings, like when choosing a new president.

When you ask these kinds of questions you see how hard Microsoft is to dethrone. They have a large market to deliver to allied companies. And, many companies fear upsetting them.

Probably the one strike against Microsoft is that their partners know they aren't fair and if they need to they will destroy you. If Sun and Netscape figure out how to address the questions above, they can win. They have to offer software developers a large market, loyalty, protection from Microsoft and inspiring courageous thought leadership.