Netscape unter GPL

[Klaus Peter Wegge <wegge_bEi_c-lab.de>]

Der Kampf im Internet geht weiter.
Besonders die Ankuendigung von Netscape laesst aufhorchen:
Netscape wird seine Browsersourcen unter der GNU Public License
herausgeben. Schoene Aussichten fuer Hacker und vielleicht auch fuer
Blinde?!
Hier das Statement von Netscape im original, frisch von heute.

MFG

Klaus Peter


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NETSCAPE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO MAKE NEXT-GENERATION COMMUNICATOR
                                SOURCE CODE AVAILABLE FREE ON THE NET

     BOLD MOVE TO HARNESS CREATIVE POWER OF THOUSANDS OF INTERNET
DEVELOPERS; COMPANY MAKES NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR AND COMMUNICATOR 4.0
IMMEDIATELY FREE FOR ALL USERS, SEEDING MARKET FOR ENTERPRISE AND
NETCENTER BUSINESSES



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (January 22, 1998) -- Netscape Communications
Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced bold plans to make the source
code for the next generation of its highly popular Netscape Communicator
client software available for free licensing on the Internet. The
company plans to post the source code beginning with the first Netscape
Communicator 5.0 developer release, expected by the end of the first
quarter of 1998. This aggressive move will enable Netscape to harness
the creative power of thousands of programmers on the Internet by
incorporating their best enhancements into future versions of Netscape's
software. This strategy is designed to accelerate development and free
distribution by Netscape of future high-quality versions of Netscape
Communicator to business customers and individuals, further seeding the
market for Netscape's enterprise solutions and Netcenter business.

In addition, the company is making its currently available Netscape
Navigator and Communicator Standard Edition 4.0 software products
immediately free for all users. With this action, Netscape makes it
easier than ever for individuals at home, at school or at work to choose
the world's most popular Internet client software as their preferred
interface to the Internet.

"The time is right for us to take the bold action of making our client
free - and we are going even further by committing to post the source
code for free for Communicator 5.0," said Jim Barksdale, Netscape's
president and chief executive officer. "By giving away the source code
for future versions, we can ignite the creative energies of the entire
Net community and fuel unprecedented levels of innovation in the browser
market. Our customers can benefit from world-class technology
advancements; the development community gains access to a whole new
market opportunity; and Netscape's core businesses benefit from the
proliferation of the market-leading client software."

Netscape plans to make Netscape Communicator 5.0 source code available
for modification and redistribution beginning later this quarter with
the first developer release of the product. The company will handle free
source distribution with a license which allows source code modification
and redistribution and provides for free availability of source code
versions, building on the heritage of the GNU Public License (GPL),
familiar to developers on the Net. Netscape intends to create a special
Web site service where all interested parties can download the source
code, post their enhancements, take part in newsgroup discussions, and
obtain and share Communicator-related information with others in the
Internet community. Netscape will also continue to develop new
technologies and offer periodic certified, high-quality, supported
releases of its Netscape Communicator and Navigator products,
incorporating some of the best features created by this dynamic
community.

The ubiquity of Netscape's client software facilitates Netscape's
strategy of linking millions of individuals to businesses. Today's
announcements will help to further proliferate Netscape's award-winning
client software which today has an installed base of more than 68
million, providing a ready market for businesses using Netscape's
Networked Enterprise software solutions and Netscape Netcenter services.
Netscape's research indicates that in the education market where
Netscape's products are free, the Netscape client software commands
approximately 90 percent share, indicating that users tend to choose
Netscape when the choice is freely available. Making its browser
software free also will enable Netscape to continue to drive Internet
standards, maximize the number of users on the Internet, and expand the
third-party community of companies and products that take advantage of
the Netscape software platform.

Netscape has successfully shifted its business over the past year toward
enterprise software sales and to revenues from its Web site business,
and away from standalone client revenues. In the third quarter of 1997,
standalone client revenues represented approximately 18 percent of
Netscape's revenue, with the rest coming from enterprise software,
services and the Web site. Preliminary results for the fourth quarter of
1997, which Netscape announced January 5, show standalone client
revenues decreased to approximately 13 percent in the fourth quarter. In
the fourth quarter of 1996 by comparison, standalone client revenue
represented approximately 45 percent of Netscape's revenue.

In conjunction with its free client, Netscape separately announced today
that it is launching a host of enhanced products and services that
leverage its free client software to make it easy for enterprise and
individual customers to adopt Netscape solutions. The new products and
services reinforce Netscape's strategy of leveraging market penetration
of its popular client software and its busy Internet site to seed
further sales of Netscape software solutions in the home and business
markets. The new products and services include enhanced subscription and
support packages, an investment protection program for Netscape
Communicator users, new reduced pricing on Netscape's retail and
enterprise client products, new Premium Services on its Netscape
Netcenter online service and Netscape SuiteSpot server software upgrades
featuring Netscape client software.

In addition, the company separately announced the launch of an
aggressive new software distribution program called "Unlimited
Distribution" to broadly distribute its market-leading Internet client
software for free. Unlimited Distribution enables Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs),
telecommunications companies, Web content providers, publishers and
software developers to download and redistribute Netscape Communicator
and Netscape Navigator easily with "no strings attached." In addition,
beginning immediately, individual users can download Netscape
Communicator or Navigator for free, register for Netscape Netcenter and,
beginning tomorrow, enter the Choose Netscape Sweepstakes to win
exciting travel-related prizes including a grand prize of two
all-inclusive, seven-night tropical resort vacations.

Individuals can download a free copy of Netscape Communicator client
software or the Netscape Navigator browser from the Netscape home page
at http://home.netscape.com, or by clicking on any of the thousands of
"Netscape Now" buttons on the Internet. Netscape Communicator
Professional Edition, which adds features for enterprise customers, will
be available for US$29.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open
software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and
the Internet. The company offers a full line of Netscape Navigator
clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to
create a complete platform for next-generation, live online
applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape
Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is
available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email
to info_bEi_netscape.com or by calling 650/937-2555 (corporate customers) or
650/937-3777 (individuals).

Netscape is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation, which is
registered in the United States and other jurisdictions. Netscape
Communications, the Netscape Communications logo, Netscape Navigator,
Netscape SuiteSpot, Netscape Composer, Netscape Messenger and Netscape
Communicator are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation.





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