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List:       mozilla-general
Subject:    Re: AOL/Netscape employees..Read this one.
From:       jeet shahani <jeet_shahani () hotmail ! com>
Date:       2001-08-31 19:58:31
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Hi,

Not sure if the opposite would happen.  I can tell you why..... People 
who use AIM or ICQ will keep using them, because they communicate with 
the people
they have been chatting with over the years and compiled a list.  It is 
not easy getting it all together, getting everyone on one system, but if 
i have a list on AIM, i won't be able to move my list and the people 
using AIM to MSN with me.  :-)  

Why do you think, people don't leave AOL?  Because they want to keep 
their buddy lists, their email addresses, contact with their friends and 
family, etc.  Same with Hotmail.  I will share something i don't 
like.....Microsoft starts MSN Messanger everytime I check my emails at 
hotmail.  Yes, I don't like it, but that doesn't mean, i am going to 
change my account and move somewhere else..Before AOL is forced by the 
government to open the doors for instant messaging, it makes sense to 
leverage this big install base of AIM and ICQ.  I agree people might not 
like it, but then again if it was a small install of 5MB or so, it would 
be fine....Are the users going to stop using it because Netscape is 
bundled in the product?  Of course, not!!  For <5MB of netscape install, 
i am not so sure that people will change their tools, their buddy lists, 
and move their family and friends to another system.....and mainly their 
habits.  Not going to happen!!

If not this, AOL/Netscape can instead choose to have just an option to 
install Netscape when they install ICQ or AIM......you can always put a 
spin on it, but the bottom line is ..leverage what works for you and 
promote other tools..This is one thing that AOL and other industry 
leaders need to learn from M$..when Netscape
started bundling AIM in the browser did you stop using Netscape 4.7 or 
AIM, because it was bundled!!  I don't think so...:-).  Of course, all 
this defeats the prupose, if Netscape is not fast.....it back fires, 
because now you have a browser on the system, but it is unusable...

I am not sure if I agree with you on the fact that Netscapes numbers 
don't matter. I remember reading responses to the fact that Netscape was 
being used in Sony PlaySatation2 and how great it was for mozilla 
community.  Well, it isn't official mozilla-but it is the same code 
base.  Having 100 million additional users on Netscape as opposed to 40 
million only helps the Mozilla community, validates the process and 
gives mozilla.org more of a recoginition.. Right now, majority of users 
write code for IE platform.  Guess why?  The number of Internet 
Explorers out there.....you think, all of a sudden people are going to 
wake up and use Mozilla..specially at the huge size and the slow 
performance, and the lack of numbers??  Even worse, write code for the 
mozilla platform without having any significant numbers behind it?  I 
doubt it....Now, imagine 100+  million people using Netscape..and guess 
what people will write more XUL, Javascript, XML targetted towards IE 
and Netscape(Mozilla) as opposed to just IE.  (Someone can point out the 
exact numbers of users out there on each browser platform, but you see 
the point i am making..)

Mozilla's goals is to provide a platform for browsers which people can 
base their additional services/features on-whether it be Netscape, Sony 
or any other
company or developer....It is more important for mozilla have a bigger 
number of people using the same rendering mechanism and the same code base,
and not the fact that Mozilla has to be a default browser for everyone 
out there......

Have a  good labor day weekend.  Oops!!  don't be celebrating April 
fools already and without me..:-)

-Jeet


Risky wrote:

> Just the opposite would happen. As it is people don't have a positive 
> image of Netscape... not to mention what anti-trust people would have 
> to say about it...
> 
> What about Mozilla users, its not really netscape so mozilla users 
> would have to use Netscape... I think your a few months off for an 
> April fools  joke.
> 
> jeet shahani wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> In other words, bundle it, so that users can only download AIM with 
>> Netscape and not download AIM and ICQ
>> without it.. The numbers of users will quickly go up.  It is free 
>> anyway...
>> Imagine the numbers: 150 Million + 100 Million (or whatever the 
>> numbers are presently....)
>> 
>> Good day to all!!!  Hope Steve Case hears this...:-)
>> 
>> -Jeet Shahani
>> (Mozilla Contributor)
>> 
> 
> 

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