Autor: JB (703498_at_ican.net)
Data: Fri 03 Oct 1997 - 06:28:01 MET DST
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Oct 1 (Reuter) - A party for 1,000 people
Tuesday night apparently was not enough for some Microsoft Corp.
employees. They had to top off the night with a prank on Internet
software rival Netscape Communications Corp.
Netscape employees found a gigantic blue stage prop in the shape of an
``e'' in front of their company's front door Wednesday morning.
The night before, the same 10-by-12-foot stage prop -- which represents
the logo for Microsoft's Internet Explorer, or IE, browser -- was
spotted at a Microsoft bash in San Francisco. Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates and about 1,000 industry executives were celebrating the launch of
the newest version of Internet Explorer.
A group of people were seen dropping off the ``e'' in front of
Netscape's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., about 1:30 a.m.
Wednesday, said Netscape spokeswoman Chris Holten. A card attached to
the prop read, ``From the IE team,'' she said.
``It seems awfully immature to resort to fraternity tactics to draw
attention,'' Holten said. ``We're winning the battle. It's something
you'd expect from a startup, not the largest software company in the
world.''
A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment. Netscape and Microsoft have
been battling to dominate the market for Internet browsers for the past
two years. By most industry estimates, Netscape has about three-quarters
of the market with its Navigator browser, but Microsoft is rapidly
gaining with each new release of Internet Explorer.
Netscape had the last laugh in the prank, though. Company employees put
their 12-foot mascot -- a green Godzilla-like foam creature dubbed
``Mozilla'' -- on top of the ``e.''
Mozilla held a placard that read, ``Netscape 72, Microsoft 18,''
referring to recent market share data.
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