This is the commercial computer world, maybe the most fast
     paced, pressured competitive environment ever . These products
     are evolving so rapidly, so headlong, that the development of
     standards in a rational sense, or maybe better to say in a
     planned manner, just doesn't happen. I recently read an article
     in The Economist describing an economist's attempt to debug what
     might be called the VHS/BETA myth, where an inferior standard
     defeats a superior one out of sheer obtuseness of the consumer.

     Companies come out daily with more features in their
     hardware/software. With enough marketing muscle and enough
     obvious advantage, and a lot of luck, these features become
     standards. PCI, EDO, HTML, W95, it makes the head spin.  So, if
     Netscape has [temporarily] grabbed the golden ring, and makes a
     good product besides, then not only does it make sense to go
     along, but its sort of inevitable, at least in the short term.

     Eric Siegel
     [log in to unmask]