Thanksgiving feasting: Microsoft and Netscape are both celebrating

Netscape reports $2.7 million fourth-quarter profits.

by Dwight Johnson

Today's newspapers are reporting that Bill Gates and his wife have given $20 million to the Seattle public library.

Meanwhile, Netscape will dole out its $2.7 million in fourth-quarter earnings to its thousands of shareholders. The accumulated crumbs will equal the approximate equivalent of 14% of the Gates family gift.

If we accept $50 billion as Mr. Gates approximate net worth, the Gates largess comes to approximately 0.0004 of his net worth.

Netscape has just been gobbled up by AOL, while AOL will reportedly renew its contract with Microsoft to exclusively use Microsoft's Internet Explorer with all of its customers and thereby preserve its honored position at table on the Windows desktop.

The extreme heat in the kitchen from the competition is giving the DOJ a stomach-ache about the opportunity they have to carve up the Microsoft turkey.

The big feed is clearly in Redmond this year.