“Microsoft and AOL appear to be deploying strategies reminiscent
of the browser wars. Netscape used its overwhelming market share to
determine how the code for Web pages should be written. Microsoft
used a standards body and aggressive partnerships to set the pace
of browser development. Microsoft’s strategy paid off…”
“AOL leveraged its overwhelming messenger market presence to
block the MSN Messenger service from connecting with AOL Instant
Messenger. Now Microsoft is turning to a tried-and-true
strategy: influencing standards and wooing partners.”
“But on the standards front, AOL is giving ground
cautiously. An AOL spokesperson said this morning that the company
is working with IETF to carve out an instant messaging
standard. ‘We have been clear about our support for
interoperability in instant messaging, and we believe the IETF is
the way to get there’…”
