Addendum: AOL Signs 7-year Deal to Continue Using IE
One huge aspect of the AOL-MS deal I forgot to mention yesterday was that AOL also signed a seven-year agreement to continue using IE as the engine running AOL's browser. This is huge news. Why? Because AOL owns Netscape (currently in version 7.2).
Why is that important? Well, I'd wager that 95% of you out there would guess that this is probably the end of Netscape. Yes, sadly, it seems the end of a venerable Internet icon is at hand.
What a shame, but what an inevitability at the same time. When AOL acquired Netscape in 1998, many observers -- me included -- hoped it would mean a renaissance for the decaying browser. But, that never happened. AOL continued to use IE's browser engine, and AOL got a new version, 7.0, with lots of promise but weak promotion by A-O-Hell. If it's own parent company wouldn't use Netscape, why should anyone else?
Frankly, as a web developer worn out by the browser wars and all its incompatibilities that hindered progressive web development, I'm relieved that Netscape's end is near. I said my goodbyes to it in 1998, and once it's pulled off life support, I'm ready to let go for good.
Posted by Cory Kleinschmidt
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