AOL embraces Linux and Mozilla, plans to drop MS Explorer

NewsForge ^ | Robin 'Roblimo' Miller

[B Knotts]

Sources inside AOL and Red Hat say AOL is making a major internal switch to Linux, and the long-rumored AOL default browser switch from Microsoft's Internet Explorer to Mozilla -- or at least Mozilla's Gecko rendering engine -- is well under way, but AOL will probably not offer an AOL client for Linux in the forseeable future.

According to several Red Hat and AOL employees who spoke to NewsForge but asked us not to use their names, recent negotiations between AOL and Red Hat that led to rumors about AOL considering a Red Hat acquisition were really negotiations for support contracts that will help AOL use Linux more effectively.

AOL is switching to Linux for the same reason most large companies make the change: to save money. Thousands of AOL servers are already 100% Linux, and more are switching over every day. AOL number-crunchers figure they can replace an $80,000 box running proprietary UNIX with two $5,000 Linux boxes and get a 50% increase in performance in addition to the cost savings. "Don't tell our competitors," one of our AOL contacts says. "Let them keep buying expensive crap."

We hear that every hardware vendor who approaches AOL is now being asked, "How is your support for Linux?" before they are even allowed to make a sales presentation.

Microsoft's server products have never been seriously considered by AOL, according to our insiders. "The licenses cost too much, their hardware requirements are excessive, they take too much labor to maintain, and we have enough security problems of our own without adding Microsoft's," says an AOL bean-counter who has access to the company's server cost numbers.

Read rest of article...

[B Knotts]

I figured AOL would eventually switch to Mozilla...but it really sounds like AOL is seriously thinking about acquiring RedHat, and perhaps creating a Linux-based AOL OS. I'm sure the thought has at least crossed their minds as a contingency plan.

[B Knotts]

*indexing*

[boris]

Since AOL is the McDonald's of the net, I am not surprised. Mediocrity upon mediocrity.

Hate to say it, but IE is the best browser, by far. And I used to be a Netscape fan.

--Boris

[SoDak]

I carry Mozilla's gecko browser, IE, and Opera on my home system. More often than not, I find myself gravitating to Opera these days. It seems quite a bit nimbler than either MS or Netscape.

[egarvue]

I personally think that Opera is the best browser out there, but I can see your point. As a developer, I really wish there was only one browser platform to develop for - its always a pain to find out that something you worked so hard on suddenly won't work in that festering pile of crap that is Netscape/Mozilla. I wish IE would become the standard for all - not because I love Bill Gates or M$ so much, but because it would make developing for the web easier and more consistent.</end monday work grumbling>

[stylin19a]

Oper 6.1 build 1056 is out:
http://people.opera.com/~windows/snapshot/o602_1056.exe

[Clara Lou]

I just downloaded Opera. There are things I really like about it, and things I'm having trouble adjusting to-- the mail program, for starters, and a convenient place for the hotlist. (I like IE's favorites bar.)

[B Knotts]

IE doesn't work too well in Linux (e.g., not at all).

Also, any proper web development has to take accessibility into effect. You don't know whether the information will be used through a graphical or text web browser, a screen reader, or a WAP device.

[B Knotts]

FYI PING

[SoDak]

I just loaded that build last night. Works great.

[Rodney King]

I think Opera is great. I don't really want to pay for it, but I think I will for the new system I will be purchasing in a few months.

Does anyone know if the email program that comes with opera is any good?

[js1138]

that festering pile of crap that is Netscape/Mozilla.

I recently set up my sister's new XP machine. She had been using Netscape for browsing and mail, so at her request I downloaded and installed Netscape 6.21.

Then I tried to import her mail from the old computer over a home LAN connection. The address book went ok, but then I discovered the New Netscape couldn't import mail from a previous version (although it could import mail from IE and Eudora).

The Netscape web site informed me that the import was automatic when you do an upgrade. Problem is I was installing from scratch on a new computer. The old version was on another computer.

Even if there's a simple workaround, I'm not going to be impressed. This is a really stupid shortcoming, with nothing on the support web site addressing it.

[general_re]

I don't see why they'd be particularly happy. 30 million AOHell users on Mozilla pretty much makes websites with "Works best on IE" a thing of the past.

I ain't got a dog in this fight, but I don't really see how this is "good" for MS...

[SoDak]

I've stuck with Netscape Messenger for mail. But the preferences in Opera seem easier to use and more intuitive than the other two to me. And the speed, there's no comparison on speed.

[SoDak]

It works. I've configured it. I don't think it's as good as Messanger. Probably not as good as Outlook either, but then I'm an Outlook hater. I watch my system resources plummet on my work system everytime I open Outlook.

[Rodney King]

I use outlook for the integrated scheduling, email, calender, etc. If I am going to use the scheduling, I might as well use the email. Is there a good program out there for scheduling and address books that I can use if I ditch outlook?