[ale] M$ vs Netscape news

[Marc A. Torres]

                                    Microsoft disses Netscape 

                                    But Netscape has the last laugh as Mozilla stomps on
                                    pranksters' giant 'e' 


                                    October 1, 1997: 6:31 p.m. ET
                
           

                        MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (Reuter) - A party for 1,000 people
                        Tuesday night apparently wasn't enough for some Microsoft
                        Corp. employees. They had to top off the night with a prank on
                        Internet software rival Netscape Communications Corp. 
                            Netscape employees found a gigantic blue stage prop in the
                        shape of an "e" in front of their company's front door
                        Wednesday morning.
                            The night before, the same 10-by-12-foot stage prop --
                        which represents the logo for Microsoft's Internet Explorer, or
                        IE, browser -- was spotted at a Microsoft bash in San
                        Francisco. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and about 1,000
                        industry executives were celebrating the launch of the newest
                        version of Internet Explorer.
                            A group of people were seen dropping off the "e" in front of
                        Netscape's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., about 1:30
                        a.m. Wednesday, said Netscape spokeswoman Chris Holten. A
                        card attached to the prop read, "From the IE team," she said.
                            "It seems awfully immature to resort to fraternity tactics to
                        draw attention," Holten said. "We're winning the battle. It's
                        something you'd expect from a startup, not the largest
                        software company in the world."
                            A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment.
                            Netscape and Microsoft have been battling to dominate the
                        market for Internet browsers for the past two years. By most
                        industry estimates, Netscape has about three-quarters of the
                        market with its Navigator browser, but Microsoft is rapidly
                        gaining with each new release of Internet Explorer.
                            Netscape had the last laugh in the prank, though. Company
                        employees put their 12-foot mascot -- a green Godzilla-like
                        foam creature dubbed "Mozilla" -- on top of the "e".
                            Mozilla held a placard that read, "Netscape 72, Microsoft
                        18," referring to recent market share data.