= --- === --------------------------------------------------------------------- ======= -L- -I- -B- -E- -R- -E- -T- -T- -O- MARCH 1998 ========= ======= The iMatix Newsletter Volume III Issue 3 --- === --------------------------------------------------------------------- = Copyright (c) 1998 iMatix Corporation - distribute freely Back issues at http://www.imatix.com Comments to: editors@imatix.com Programming -- Technology -- Finite State Machines -- News -- Other Stuff == COMMENT ---...-.-...-.--...-.--...-.-...-.....---..-....--.--..-.-.---.-- Last month, Netscape announced that their Communicator browser would henceforth be free. First off, they have stopped trying to collect money for the software. Secondly, they will make the source code available under the kinds of terms pioneered by Richard Stallman and the GNU project. This represents a very bold move, and is much more interesting than Netscape's main anti-Microsoft tactic up to now, which was to try to use the courts to block Microsoft's approach of packaging their browser with Windows. Microsoft's browser, Internet Explorer (MSIE), has gained ground since the days when Netscape Navigator had 90% of the browser market. Today, MSIE is more up to date, better integrated with the OS, and possibly (the polls are not unanimous) has more market share. Before Netscape's radical move, I'd have given them 6 to 12 months before they stopped their browser business and were bought-up by Sun or Oracle. Now, the picture has changed. Or has it? Netscape are citing the success of Apache as the model they want to follow. Apache, like GNU and Linux, was built to fill a void. It succeeded because was significantly better than the competition (which was the NCSA httpd), and because it accessible to the kind of tweaking and extension required to turn it into a world class product. Despite this, Apache has only really succeeded on Unix. Granted, the majority of Internet servers are (still) Unix-based. But WinNT is moving up fast, and looks set to become dominant. And people who choose NT over a Unix system will do so exactly because they don't want to play with the internals of their system. It is possible that by turning their browser into Apacheware, Netscape will be able to recoup the technical lead that they lost to Microsoft. But this is not the main factor people base their choice on. If the browser can load and run five times faster, take half the amount of disk space, and integrate neatly into the Windows shell, it may regain its spot as the world's choice. Otherwise, I reckon the world will just do as it normally does, and go for the easy and safe choice. Pieter Hintjens Antwerpen 1 March 1998 == NEWS -..--.-.-.-..--.-.-....----.-.---...---..-.-.-----...-.---.-.-.-.--- iMatix Studio Nears Release! For an in-depth technical description, download the technical white paper from http://www.imatix.com/pub/info/twp9801.zip. Requires MS-Word 7.0 or thereabouts. The short story: iMatix Studio is an open toolkit for building web applications using nothing more than a short stick, two lengths of garden twine and a team of dedicated and hard-working developers. Xitami Hits Iceberg!! Iceberg reported sinking! Just to prove that iMatix can compete with the big boys, the latest release of Xitami came complete with its own Titanic security hole. Luckily our plucky crew were able to provide an instant workaround and a quick update to fix the problem, once they'd found the coffee machine and the right mouse. You Missed Linux Journal Dec '97? Ooops, so did we! Linux Journal Dec '97 contained an article on "Industrializing Web Page Construction", describing the htmlpp tool we developed for our website and made freely available. Interestingly, BYTE magazine March '98 talks about the need for new markup languages (XML, XLL) to get around the problem of dead links on webpages. The point being that this was the main reason for developing htmlpp. == FEEDBACK -..-.-.-.--....-.-.-.--..-...-.--.-....-.-.--...-.-.-.----.-.--- Date sent: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 08:16:25 -0800 (PST) To: editors@imatix.com From: stevel@coastside.net (Steve Leibel) Subject: Re: Liberetto III/2 > The concept of a Microsoft-Intel-Compaq axis being able to flatten any > other computer company, including the last of the old timers, IBM, is > interesting if not particularly savoury. Editors, Sorry you missed the connection to Compaq's purchase of Tandem last year. Famous for "fault tolerant" computers, Tandem also has a line of enterprise-size NT boxes built around Microsoft's Wolfpack clustering technology. Both Tandem and Dec are minicomputer companies that got to the PC revolution late, and were brought down by bad management in the 80's. Compaq was smart enough to notice, and to see the technology value of both companies. I agree with you that it's frightening to see a clone maker swallowing up genuinely innovative technology companies. Steve Leibel stevel@coastside.net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Date sent: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 10:09:57 -0800 To: ljeditor@ssc.com From: Richard Parry Subject: Issue #44, worth its weight in gold Copies to: ph@imatix.com LJ Editor, RE: Letters to the Editor For nearly a month I agonized and procrastinated over my need to develop a web site consisting of hundreds of pages that were similar and related. Creating a few pages is easy and fun, but anything more becomes tedious and boring. When I turned to the article "Industrializing Web Page Construction" in the Dec 97 issue (#44), I learned that tools have already been developed to solve such problems. I installed the software and created 60+ pages in hours. Thank you LJ and Pieter Hintjens. --------------- Richard Parry, P.E., W9IF - Qualcomm, Inc. Globalstar/Gateway RLGTS Internet --> http://people.qualcomm.com/rparry Intranet --> http://web/~rparry == TERMINATE THE PROGRAM -...---...-..----....-.---..---...-...---.-...---.- Short but sweet; this calory-reduced Liberetto is designed to maximise your enjoyment while minimising the effects on your waistline. Yes, for once, junk that won't make you fat!