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Netscape's Andreessen talks server, Java strategy

Netscape moves to bolster its strength in the server software market

By Elinor Mills, IDG News Service, 01/01/98

IDGNS: Netscape has maintained that one advantage of its products over Microsoft's is that they are multi-platform. However, when it comes to the client, Microsoft will soon bring out browsers for Windows 3.1, Macintosh, and Unix. How will Netscape respond?

Andreessen: Yeah, they've been promising that for three years and they haven't delivered. It's not in their best interest to do that so they'll never do a good job of it. And of course that continues to be the case on the server side where not only does Microsoft not support all the different variances of Unix and NetWare that people are using in server environments, but they also don't support prior versions of Windows NT either. So Netscape's products continue to span 100 percent of what businesses currently have installed and Microsoft's span about 20 percent.

IDGNS: How about in the server space? Through Windows NT Microsoft has gained a firm foothold in the entry- and medium-level server market. With this in mind, how does Netscape plan to set itself apart from Microsoft?

Andreessen: The interesting thing about servers of course is that just like desktops these days, they all have to be hooked into a network and they all have to work with each other, so a server that only works with itself or others of the same kind is virtually useless. So we find a tremendous number of customers using NT and also using Unix and often also using NetWare and also using mainframes. And Netscape's products, rather uniquely, will run across all those and will let you basically tie those together. Including, like I said, across other versions of NT. One of the things Microsoft does, like when version NT 4.0 comes out, despite the fact that there are all these NT 3.5 businesses installed out there, Microsoft no longer supports them with its own applications and Netscape does. When NT 5.0 comes out the same thing will be true of all the existing NT 4.0 systems and Netscape will continue to support them and ship products for them and Microsoft won't. Again, there's this fundamental difference in our strategies because Microsoft is trying to sell operating system upgrades, whereas we're trying to support the entire installed base which is much bigger. And of course that also extends back to the database. Microsoft only supports Microsoft SQL Server database in any real effective way and of course that has a very small market share compared to Oracle [Corp.], IBM, Sybase [Inc.], Informix [Software Inc.], and others.

IDGNS: Has Netscape's messaging and groupware vision changed over the last year?

Andreessen: Not really. We're delivering it much more than we were year ago. The products all exist now, they're shipping, customers are deploying them. What we've really solidified that has been groundbreaking for the industry is the idea that messaging and groupware should all be based on open standards without sacrificing any functionality, which we have now delivered. And also that you should be able to manage and use them from a single, large-scale, replicated LDAP [Lightweight Directory Access Protocol] directory, including full support for secure e-mail and secure groupware. So we've now implemented all that and it's in the process of rollout at thousands of companies.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.