Good Bye Netscape | AOL Throws in the Towel
Filed Under Marketing, Rants, Raves | 1 Comment
According to the Netscape blog AOL will abandon support for the Netscape Browser February 1st, 2008.
AOL has a long history on the internet, being one of the first companies to really get people online. Throughout its lifetime, it has been involved with a number of high profile acquisitions, perhaps the largest of which was the 1999 acquisition of the Netscape Communications Corporation. Netscape was known to many as the thought leader in web browsing, and had developed a number of complementary pieces of software that allowed for a rich suite of internet tools.
Pre AOL, the Netscape browser was going strong and the favorites of many, including myself. AOL or should we say Time Warner really drug their feet after they acquired what many of us thought was a really good browser.
When they finally got around to a new release they hadn’t done anything to improve it. I think they actually ripped the heart out of it. It was never the same usable browser again. I actually hung around too long. I stuck it out for about 3 reiterations of what I hoped would be my Netscape again. But alas it never happened. I just moved on.
I am a very happy Firefox user today and have been for quite some time. I even install Thunderbird on my PeeCees. At least AOL is encouraging Netscape users to adopt Firefox.
It just goes to show it doesn’t matter how much money you have to throw at Marketing. If you don’t have a usable product, marketing can’t create a silk purse out of a sows ear.
It seems to me this is actually a pattern for AOL/Time Warner. What have the successfully taken over and improved?
late,
gary pool
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