Freshmeat: We are losing the browser war

“I have been watching netcraft.co.uk. It is pleasing to see that
Apache is increasing its slice of the pie with almost every new
report.”

“Unfortunately, I have also been looking at Web server access
logs, and I have been seeing a decline in the use of Netscape with
a corresponding increase in Internet explorer. That is a
problem.”

“Without a decent browser, it will be difficult for alternative
operating systems to remain viable. We owe the old Netscape a great
debt of gratitude for releasing a Linux version of Netscape so
early on; it quickly made Linux a viable desktop, and later did the
same for the other free Unices. Only a few wise men seem to realize
this.”

“To paraphrase Linus: “It’s the desktop, stupid.” Backend
infrastructure can be replaced quickly; user desktops cannot, so we
are vulnerable to being leveraged out of the server space.
Microsoft could use its increasing dominance at the client side as
a wedge to lift Linux out of the server room. FreeBSD’s motto “The
power to serve” means nothing if it can’t serve up the proprietary
or patented protocols spoken by the clients.”

Complete
Story