[CNET] IE's Future Uncertain with New Windows

From: Adam Rifkin (adam@KnowNow.com)
Date: Sat Jan 13 2001 - 17:17:53 PST


The embrace and extend continues... but who's left to embrace?

   http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-202-4448595-0.html

> IE's future uncertain with new Windows
> By Mary Jo Foley
> Special to CNET News.com
> January 11, 2001, 1:05 p.m. PT
>
> URL: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4448595-0.html
>
> "Where do you want to go today?" may be a Microsoft theme, but the
> company seems unsure about where it wants to go with its Internet
> Explorer Web browser.
>
> Not so long ago, Microsoft viewed its browser as being so key to its
> success that it went to court with the Department of Justice over the
> company's rights to bundle it with the Windows operating system. With
> Microsoft's marketing might behind it, and a price tag of free, IE
> quickly grew to eclipse Netscape's Navigator as the No. 1 browser in
> market share.
>
> Now, while Microsoft is continuing to add new features and functions to
> IE, there is much rethinking internally at the company about how and
> where to position the product, according to a variety of industry
> sources close to Microsoft.
>
> That's in part because IE isn't Microsoft's only browser. There's also
> the more consumer-oriented MSN Explorer, launched last October. And on
> the drawing books is the more "knowledge worker"-type interface that
> Microsoft is designing into its stealth Netdocs product.
>
> "MSN Explorer is being positioned as the premier platform for the
> consumer. Netdocs is being positioned as the business platform with a
> business browser. So there's no room left for IE," said a source close
> to Microsoft. "It's being squeezed."
>
> No stand-alone IE 6.0?
>
> IE 6.0, the newest version of Microsoft's browser, still has yet to be
> released officially in a "beta" test form. A technical preview of IE 6.0
> went to a subset of testers who signed nondisclosure agreements last
> fall. And beta testers of Microsoft's next version of Windows,
> code-named Whistler, also are dabbling with a technical preview of IE
> 6.0 integrated into Whistler.
>
> The first widespread beta of IE 6.0 will occur simultaneously with the
> release of Whistler beta 2, expected in February, according to sources
> close to the company.
>
> But as it looks right now, Microsoft isn't planning to release a
> stand-alone beta of IE 6.0. And it is uncertain whether or not Microsoft
> will make even the final IE 6.0 code available as a separate,
> downloadable or CD-installable product.
>
> Instead, sources said, Microsoft is strongly considering making IE 6.0
> only available as part of Whistler.
>
> A Microsoft representative declined to talk about IE 6.0, saying it was
> "too early to talk about features or deliverables."
>
> A Microsoft representative said later that the company has no plans to
> make IE 6.0 available only as part of Whistler. "It's business as
> usual," she said, adding that Microsoft also will make IE 6.0 Beta 1
> available for download separately.
>
> But some at Microsoft are arguing IE should not be the default interface
> for all the flavors of Whistler Microsoft is developing, according to sources.
>
> Microsoft is thought to be developing 32-bit Personal, Professional,
> Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter versions of Whistler, plus 64-bit
> versions of Advanced Server and Datacenter. The Personal and
> Professional versions of Whistler are expected to ship before the end of
> 2001, with the others to follow in 2001 to 2002.
>
> Some involved with Windows development are said to be advocating that
> MSN Explorer, instead of IE, be included as the integrated browser for
> the Personal release of Whistler, which is aimed at consumers. There is
> also a push by some to make the Netdocs interface the default on the
> business-oriented Professional Whistler.
>
> Netdocs, which is shaping up to be a competitor to Microsoft Office, is
> expected to be a single, integrated application that will include a full
> suite of functions, including e-mail, personal information management,
> document-authoring tools, digital media management, and instant
> messaging. Microsoft is expected to make Netdocs available in the next
> year or two, only as a hosted service over the Internet, not as a
> shrink-wrapped application or software preloaded on the PC. The Netdocs
> interface is based on a piece of Microsoft's .Net technology known as
> the "Universal Canvas."
>
> But there could be resistance to these plans--at least the MSN Explorer
> idea--by some of the more technical consumers. A number of these techies
> believe Microsoft has gone too far to make Windows palatable to new
> consumers.
>
> "In some ways, Whistler Personal is the OS (operating system) they
> should have come out with in 1995," said one Whistler tester, who
> requested anonymity. "In this day and age, enough people are comfortable
> with their PC that these performance and productivity-sapping
> 'improvements' are going to be seen as offensive. It's like the Office
> Paperclip team took over the Whistler Personal project!" The so-called
> Clippy feature was an animated help system reviled by many consumers.
>
> Another Whistler tester, who also requested anonymity, said that with
> Whistler Personal beta build 2410, Microsoft added the MSN Explorer icon
> to the desktop but left IE 6.0 as the default interface.
>
> "Advanced users like me will just go to IE 6.0 because we can't stand
> the MSN Explorer interface," said the tester. "It's clear that Personal
> is being aimed at consumers like my mom who don't have a clue about
> computers and just want to get e-mail and do some simple tasks."
>
> Browsers for all seasons
>
> Microsoft markets IE as the browser for more computer-savvy consumers
> and MSN Explorer as the interface for newer customers. Microsoft offers
> IE as both an integrated element of its Windows Millennium Edition and
> Windows 2000 products and as a stand-alone product. MSN Explorer is the
> front-end for Microsoft's MSN Internet service.
>
> IE 6.0, according to the Windows enthusiast Web site ActiveWin, will
> include a number of user-interface enhancements as well as compliance
> with several critical Worldwide Web Consortium standards.
>
> ActiveWin has cited technical beta testers as saying the next-generation
> browser will include built-in Explorer bars such as the Media Bar, which
> will provide access to Windows Media Player as an integrated part of the
> browsing experience. It also will include a "My Pictures" area for
> viewing, saving and mailing photos over the Internet. Microsoft also is
> integrating new dynamic HTML features for content developers as well as
> support for the Cascading Style Sheets 1 (CSS1) and Document Object
> Model (DOM) Level 1 standards.
>
> MSN Explorer, the most recent version of which Microsoft launched last
> fall, looks like a combination browser and portal. MSN Explorer
> integrates Hotmail, MSN Messenger, MSN Calendar, MSN eShop Windows Media
> Player and MoneyCentral into a single interface. MSN Explorer competes
> with America Online's AOL 6.0.

----
Adam@KnowNow.Com

Dear Sirs,

This is a letter of recommendation for Mr. Adam Rifkin. I have known Adam for over 8 years. During this period of time, I have learned much about Mr. Rifkin.

I can say with all certainty that Adam left the same way he came, fired with enthusiasm. A worker like Adam is hard to find. We are deeply indebted for the services he has given our firm over the years. Adam will do nothing which will lower your high regard for him. He is a difficult person to replace. He is definitely a person to watch. Adam is nobody's fool. Adam is only 31, but he has the mental faculties of a person three times his age. His job requires few skills which he lacks. His research is on the cutting edge. I am pleased to say Adam is a former colleague of mine. Our company cannot recommend Mr. Rifkin highly enough. I honestly don't think he could have done a better job for us if he had tried. I most enthusiastically recommend Adam Rifkin with no qualifications whatsoever. It will not take Adam long to get up to speed. No amount of praise would suffice for the amount of work he has done for us. No salary would be too much for him. One usually comes away from him with a good feeling. He just may be the best accountant your company will ever hire. Adam was always high in my opinion. There's no mistaking this person's potential. There's nothing you can teach a person like him. We always knew Adam would forge a name for himself. We wish we had ten employees like him. We would love to have a portrait of him hanging in the office. You won't find many people like Adam.

In my opinion, you will be very fortunate to get this person to work for you. I can assure you that no person would be better for the job. I would urge you to waste no time in making Mr. Rifkin an offer of employment. All in all, I cannot say enough good things about this candidate or recommend him too highly. I most enthusiastically recommend Adam Rifkin with no qualifications whatsoever.

Sincerely, Rohit Khare

WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING COMMUNICATED

Dear Suckers,

This is a letter of recommendation for Mr. Adam Rifkin. I have known him for over 8 years. During this period of time, I have learned much about this cheesehead.

I can say with all certainty that Adam left this company because he was fired. A worker like Adam is hard to find because he is always hiding. We are deeply indebted for the services he has given our firm over the years, in other words, Adam put our company deep into debt. Adam will do nothing for your company and will quickly result in lowering any high regard you might have for him . He is a difficult person and finding someone as difficult as Adam is nearly impossible. He is definitely a person to watch because Adam cannot be trusted to work on his own. Adam is nobody's fool, instead, he is just a fool all by himself. Adam is only 31, but he has the failing memory of a person three times his age. His job required few skills and even these Adam could not master. His work was nothing more than fodder for the office shredder. I am pleased to say Adam no longer works with me. Our company cannot recommend Mr. Rifkin and we cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Adam never did do any meaningful work for our company and I honestly don't think he had any abilities to do any meaningful work. I most enthusiastically recommend Adam Rifkin as having no qualifications whatsoever. He works so slow that it will not take Adam long to get up to speed. I cannot offer any praise for the amount of work he has done for us because he never did any work. Even if Adam received no salary, it would still be too much for him. One usually comes away from him with a good feeling because one cannot wait to get away from him . He just may be the best accountant your company will ever hire because Adam can account for all office rumors and gossip. Adam was always high on drugs in my opinion. There's no mistaking this person's potential; it is as bad as it looks. There's nothing you can teach a person like him because he is unteachable. We always knew Adam would forge a name for himself because he always copies other peoples work. We wish we had our ten other troublemaking employees like Adam quit our company as well. We would love to have a portrait of him shown hanging out in the office to remind us of his constant loitering abilities. You won't find many people like Adam because most people are better workers than him.

In my opinion, you will be very fortunate to get this person to do any work. I can assure you that having nobody to do the work would be better than Adam doing the work. I would urge you to not waste any of your precious time by making Mr. Rifkin an offer of employment. All in all, I cannot say enough good things about this candidate or recommend him too highly because there is nothing good to say about him. I most enthusiastically recommend Adam Rifkin who has no qualifications whatsoever.

Sincerely, Rohit Khare

-- http://www.wildcowpublishing.com/other/letter.html



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Apr 27 2001 - 23:18:39 PDT