[Last Visible Dog]

The amount of effort, time and expense Microsoft went through to create, debug and embed Internet explorer into Windows, suggest that there was a reason why it was created.

And that reason is CONTENT. CONTENT - CONTENT - CONTENT.

Microsoft did not clean Netscape's clock just for the fun of it. Microsoft saw the big picture. The browser needed to be expanded so it could provide more CONTENT! Microsoft makes it money off the tools to create and provide content. For FireFox to make a real dent in the browsers "market" - it will have to support all the Content. Microsoft makes its money off of the tools to create and provide content. Microsoft will make the same amount of money if everybody used FireFox.

You are not employed by Microsoft are you?

Nope. I have just been in the soft engineering industry for over 25 years. I have learned to tell the difference between reality and foo foo dust.

If it makes no sense for a student to go to all that trouble for zero profit, why would a publicly held company do it?

CONTENT - CONTENT - CONTENT!!!!!!!

Microsoft makes its money off of tools to create and deliver content. They make no money off of the device that displays the content.

[Arkinsaw]

Microsoft makes its money off of tools to create and deliver content. They make no money off of the device that displays the content.

We got it. Having IE remain the dominant browser is worth nothing to Microsoft and they would be just as happy if Firefox/Mozilla took an 80% share. They would be very pleased if Firefox/Mozilla expanded its content delivery to an astounding level that left IE in the dust. Because the expanded content delivery is all Microsoft had IE for in the first place. They could just drop all browser efforts and let Mozilla handle it and be ecstatic.

Okay, whatever.

[antiRepublicrat]

Microsoft saw the big picture. The browser needed to be expanded so it could provide more CONTENT!

Actually, Microsoft's fear back then was the prospect of Netscape becoming an application delivery platform in itself that could become competition to Windows. It wasn't about the browser or content, it was about protecting the Windows monopoly.