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Thursday, January 04, 2001
I'm absolutely shocked. Last week, we published a comment in our Insider TipLetter e-mail from Rich in New Jersey, one of my radio listeners. Rich complained that the recently released Netscape 6 was a step backward from the version he was running (4.7). Within days, I received scores of e-mail from subscribers who agreed with Rich -- some written in colorful language.
It's not unusual for me to receive comments about software. But it's highly unusual to receive so many scathing remarks about one product -- especially when that product is from a company that has commanded such fervent loyalty in the past. During the height of the browser wars, staunch Netscape supporters would be the first to yell "Death to the empire" as they hoped Netscape Navigator would maintain its market lead over Microsoft's Internet Explorer. But the market spoke. Microsoft improved Internet Explorer to the point that it was a better product, thereby removing any reason to fight vehemently against switching. But Netscape maintained its loyal following.
With the release of Netscape 6, that may change. Based on feedback we've received from users, the Netscape development team seems to have missed the mark by a mile. Complaints range from being "slow as a dog" to freezing screens to problems with the install & uninstall. Netscape loyalists are uninstalling Netscape 6 -- albeit with some problems -- to reinstall older versions or even to defect to Internet Explorer or such alternative browsers as Opera.
How could a company with such adamant followers lose the respect of its strongest users? It looks as if the answer lies in past successes. Netscape is now owned by America Online, the largest Internet company in the world, and one of the few companies that has successfully competed against Microsoft while remaining on top for a prolonged period of time. AOL owes much of its success to making the Internet available for the masses. Sure, many complain about the service because of the lack of flexibility; but it is that lack of flexibility that makes AOL so compelling for so many users.
Netscape is geek's software. Most Netscape users have obtained it, not on CD, nor in a retail store, but by downloading it from the Net. Most users have an intermediate or superior knowledge of the Net and of tech matters in general. Most Netscape users are fairly sophisticated -- which is why they know they can demand an alternative to the easiest-to-use and easiest-to-obtain browsers -- just because they like a particular feature better. And most Netscape users are willing to buck the system.
Have a question for David Radin? Contact him at his Web site
The new Netscape offers many improvements -- but almost all of them oriented toward the less sophisticated user -- and in some cases at the expense of losing advantages that sophisticated users want most. In essence, the developers created a new product based on the success of AOL, not on the previous strengths of Netscape. So they're losing their support from the market.
Too bad! AOL has a product for the less sophisticated user. It doesn't need to turn Netscape into another one. Let it remain a product for the geeks and geek wannabes.
Q: The icons and text on the first tier of my Start menu are large. On my friend's system, they're much smaller so more fit on the screen. How can I make mine smaller?
A: Right-click on a blank spot on your Taskbar (the gray bar at the bottom of your screen). Select [Properties]. On the [Taskbar Options] tab, you'll see a checkbox that says "Show small icons in Start menu". Click on the checkbox to add a check mark. Click [Apply]. When you return to your Start menu, your icons at the first level will be small -- just as in the submenus.
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