There is the option not to use Netscape's advanced HTML features, and
still create a decent web document. While Netscape may be creating
improvements, they are not forcing anyone to use their product. They are
counting on significant improvements to attract users, just as any
business would, and should, do.

IMHO one must also remember that Netscape's browser, besides supporting
advanced HTML features, is also a faster, cleaner, and more seamless
program with which to access information on the Internet, whether gopher,
ftp, newsgroup, or WWW. This, plus the added bonus of being free for
educational institutions, makes it an attractive alternative to more generic
tools.

In many ways they are creating a proprietary standard, but the final beta
version of Mosaic 2.0, released a couple of weeks ago, supports tables and
backgrounds, functions originally implemented by Netscape. Perhaps it is
Netscape that is setting the standard for the rest of the Web. If so, I
believe they are doing a fantastic job.

James Vincett
Museums and Collections Services
University of Alberta

On Thu, 20 Jul 1995, Robert MacKimmie wrote:

> Given the wild success success of the Internet and Web access, is
> anyone upset by the fact that Netscape is a bit of "the tail waging
> the dog"?

> The major success that has made Internet communication so successful
> is open-standards and a lack of proprietary formats. HTML is a
> commonly agreed upon standard, so why is the community at large,
> especially the museum crowd who could really use open-standards
> access for once, supporting a migration back to proprietary formats
> for information delivery?

> I am just curious if the field at large is interested in being vocal
> to the software providers, or is the museum community following
> whatever direction software vendors feel like going?