Related Story: "User Groups Comment" #101 _What do you think? AOL and Netscape America Online and Netscape Communications are now presenting the world with news that rivals even the Clinton/Lewinsky soap opera... but is actually much more interesting! This new takeover now ups the ante in the heated competition between rival Internet browsers -- is it good news or bad news? Remembering back to a cool summer evening in 1991, Don Rittner (Mug News Service), Kathy Ryan (then Product Development Manager for the newly named "America Online") and myself were chatting about how to help spread the word about AOL throughout the ranks of the User Group Community. Kathy related many ideals and strategies we all shared with young and reckless Steve Case -- the driving force behind this new upstart service. We laughed about how AOL was far superior to the [then] leading Compuserve online service, and how we would some day take over the world of online computing. Little did we know what the future would hold. A lot of water under the bridge -- now, this 5-million-pound bully in the world of online telecomputing will rule not only the largest single internet provider on the planet, but also the software that accesses this electronic world. The $4 billion stock-swap with Netscape will put the 'other' browser on the hundreds of thousands of bright new CD-Roms hitting the mailboxes of America sometime in late 1999. If AOL leaves Netscape Navigator alone, and allows it to develop along its current path, they'll have a home run. If they don't, and let the folks in Dulles get their fingers into the pie, we may not be so happy. AOL really needs to be in the online service business and NOT software programming as evidenced by their ragged track record in software implementation. AOL with a Netscape front end will be a killer... Netscape with an AOL front end will not. What scares many people most is the prospect that Case has understudied Gates a little too much, and the ivory tower plan is to take Netscape out... thus allowing AOL to become the big guy on the block in the browser wars. Now, this is great news for Netscape. Microsoft and its Internet Explorer browser will now have to move over as the deep pockets of AOL delivers Netscape to the doorsteps of the masses. Since AOL provides access to a huge community of Internet newbies, I have first hand experience in understanding how important it will be for AOL to make the right moves. Several of our email accounts, as well as the Apple User Group Listing generates hundreds of inquiries from AOL users. Our hot-link on AOL directs many stumped users to our help line and I cannot remember how many times I've advised these folks to use Netscape rather than Explorer as their AOL/Web browser. Although Microsoft's Internet Explorer ships free on thousands (maybe millions) of new computers, I somehow have the suspicion that AOL with Netscape will ALSO be installed on those machines. The difference will be the almost-free AOL dial-up account which will be wired and ready to go. Guess who will go out and buy an ISP service when AOL is just a local click away with service as low as $4.95 per month? On the dark side, we do not know how this new relationship will manifest itself on the masses. If AOL continues to bully their online community with canned content, and make it extra tough to utilize web-only access, the story won't have a good ending. Content providers will continue to pay through the nose for positioning on AOL. We experienced the AOL executioner's ax in 1995 when the powers decided that a 'nonprofit' user group forum was not a revenue stream for AOL and had to go. Many other smaller companies, like Microfrontier, didn't exactly get the ax, but were forced off just the same. Who can afford to pay AOL thousands of dollars a week to provide free support for their end users? As we step over the line into 1999, and hurl toward the end of the century this drama could become the computer users' most important story to follow. We'd like to hear from you and your members. Send your comments to: UGNetNews@AOL.com with NETSCAPE in the Subject line! Fred Showker Related Stories: #102 Gates Under Fire, and User Groups Respond Fred Showker is a designer, consultant, writer and speaker. He has published 60-Second Window and DT&G Magazine online since 1990, and is director of The Graphic Design Network which includes The Design & Publishing Center at www.Graphic-Design.com. (1994) He was a co-founder of both The User Group Forum on America Online (1987), The User Group Network at www.User-Groups.net, (1994) and the Designers' Bookshelf (1996) He originally founded Showker Graphic Arts & Design in 1972, has been an avid computer activist and supporter since 1984. Got Comments??? back to the 60-Second Window Index, 60-Second Lobby . . . or: The Design & Publishing Center. / . The User Group Network. / . Design University. / . The Designers' Bookshelf. / Would you like to carry the 60-Second Windows column in your newsletter or web site? Ask us about our syndication program... join hundreds of others who now publish 60-Second Windows! 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