SSL is an international standard encryption and identity authentication communication protocol. The browser you are using supports this protocol. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) was originally developed by the American company Netscape and later became the standard for secure communication and transactions on the Internet. The SSL protocol uses the client certificates of both communicating parties and the CA root certificate, allowing client/server applications to communicate in a way that cannot be eavesdropped, and establishes a secure and trustworthy communication channel between the communicating parties. It has the following basic characteristics: information confidentiality, information integrity, and mutual authentication.
Two giants in the browser market - Netscape and Microsoft
In 1975, when Microsoft was born, Bill Gates was only 19 years old and had only three employees. , the operating income that year was only US$16,000. The "decisive product" that made Microsoft take off was the Windows operating system launched by Bill in 1985. This "graphical user interface" developed and set by Microsoft has become a must-use operating system for computers around the world, accounting for 90% of The above market share forms a veritable oligopoly advantage. By 1995, Microsoft had become a giant high-tech company with 17,800 employees and annual revenue of $13 billion.
Also in this year, Bill Gates did two things. One was that he launched Windows 95, which added file management, graphics processing, and Internet browsing while keeping the price fixed. It has a variety of functions, and its excellent price-performance ratio has given Microsoft a lead that its competitors can't match. The other thing was that he made a judgment. At that time, with the rapid advancement of computer technology and the rise of the Internet, Internet browser technology was in the ascendant, and Bill Gates believed that the fate of the future computer world would still be determined by "window" technology. And not the browser technology. Therefore, he only added a web browsing function to the newly launched Windows 95 and had no plans to develop browser technology.
It was Bill Gates' decision that allowed a small company in Silicon Valley called Netscape to see a glimmer of sunshine emerging from the huge shadow of the Microsoft empire. For the next two years, Netscape focused on the development of browser technology. Soon, with the introduction of technical standards such as NC and JAVA, a new software and hardware system was formed based on the Internet and had nothing to do with Microsoft for the first time. A group of Internet technology companies led by Netscape emerged in response and quickly formed a new force that could compete with Microsoft. An obvious fact is emerging: If Netscape gains a monopoly advantage in the browser market, it is entirely possible and powerful to launch a new operating system to replace Microsoft's Windows.
"Microsoft was wrong. The future world is not PC, but the Internet." Bill Gates soon realized that he had made a mistake that could lead to the destruction of Microsoft.
At this time, many people seemed to hear the terrible "squeak" sound from the Microsoft Empire State Building. The whole world was laughing and watching Bill Gates, and Netscape CEO Baxter was proud of it. Di told a reporter from Time magazine, "The Internet is a place that does not tolerate mistakes. If Microsoft is wrong this time, it will never find the right path." 2
Next, We'll describe how Bill Gates avoided this disaster: He first negotiated with Netscape. Microsoft said that if Netscape did not compete with it, the two companies could form a strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation. At that time, Netscape was preparing to launch a new "Navigator" browser that could replace Windows. Bill Gates made an unprecedented gesture and said that if Netscape agreed not to launch this browser, then Microsoft could Make concessions on the system platform.
This is the only time Microsoft "bends the knee." However, Netscape, which has already gained a strategic advantage, will not take advantage of Microsoft. Baxter's dream was not to build an attached building next to the Microsoft Empire State Building, but to replace it directly. Negotiations broke down. Microsoft had no choice but to embark on a path of confrontation. In just one year, Microsoft invested 2 billion US dollars and quickly launched a browser product IE2.0 through various means such as purchase, merger and development. In order to completely destroy Netscape, Bill Gates decided to make this product free and open.
The unnecessary IE suddenly disrupted the rules of the browser market. Prior to this, Netscape's browser charge was US$45, while IE had similar functions but did not charge a penny, which undoubtedly stunned all companies and consumers, including Netscape.
Half a year later, Bill Gates used another "killer trump card". Microsoft announced that it would bundle Windows 95 with IE. This move is equivalent to a market attack by Microsoft taking advantage of its monopoly. 85% of the world's computers are equipped with Windows 95. Microsoft is using this de facto monopoly to create another new monopoly.
At the same time, Microsoft also exerted its power and signed a series of agreements with original equipment manufacturers and network service providers, the two main channels for the distribution and use of web browsers. The core content is only one: converting IE instead of Netscape's "Navigator" serves as their preferred browser recommendation to consumers.
The launch of a series of combined offensives has gradually restored Microsoft's decline. In 1998, Microsoft's IE already occupied half of the web browser market, regaining the dominant position it had lost to Netscape's "Navigator" browser three years earlier. In June of this year, Microsoft further launched Windows98, introducing new Web page design ideas in the browser into Windows, making the window more vivid and practical, and truly becoming an Internet-oriented desktop system. It was amid such competition and attacks that Microsoft also completed the company's strategic transformation: transforming from a technology provider of PC software systems to an Internet-based service provider. This year, Microsoft's stock price soared 72%. Under the pressure of Microsoft, the once ambitious Netscape was forced to abandon the browser market and publish the source code.
Three
The browser dispute between Microsoft and Netscape can be regarded as the most brutal battle in the Internet world. An inadvertent oversight by Bill Gates cost Microsoft billions of dollars. To this day, it is the subject of an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for some tough unfair competition practices.
Netscape, an emerging company that once had unlimited hopes, failed to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and achieve imperial hegemony. Today, after things have changed, looking back on this battle, I can't help but make people have endless reveries:
If Bill Gates had not quickly realized that "Microsoft was wrong" and adopted a fickle strategy in a timely manner , what kind of tomorrow will Microsoft have?
If Baxter had given up direct confrontation and agreed to a cooperation plan with Microsoft, what kind of future would Netscape have?
In this unprecedented browser war, we see that Microsoft's competitive strategy is basically based on resource integration. It first sought cooperation with Netscape, hoping to resolve the conflicts it faced through resource replacement. After this failed, it quickly developed the IE browser in an integrated manner. In marketing, it has implemented a jaw-dropping free strategy, which is undoubtedly a reshuffle of market rules relying on its strong capital advantage. Since then, it has bundled sales of IE and Windows, which is a full display of its monopoly market power.
Microsoft did not try to develop a product with higher performance and better technology than Netscape's Navigator browser. This may be the genius of Bill Gates.
As an industry leader, how should we maintain our advantages? One of the most common views is: continuous technological innovation. But Bill Gates seems to have another answer. He once stated very clearly Microsoft's core business purposes: listen to users' needs; trust in technology that can improve people's quality of life; work closely with other companies that have a unique understanding of producing cheap and high-quality goods; work hard to Continuously launch innovative products.
Bill Gates conveyed this idea: Microsoft advocates a market-oriented technological innovation strategy, and technological innovation is open and resource-integrated. Among them, Microsoft has formed a tense innovation space. Microsoft is often not the "inventor" of technology, but the "market integrator" of technology.
The American computer industry often criticizes Microsoft for not "inventing" anything new. Microsoft's starting technology, the MS-DOS system, was bought from other companies; Windows, which brought huge profits to Microsoft, was not invented by it; similar results from Xerox and Apple had been released before; its Word and Office It is not an original technology. Companies such as Lotus developed similar systems several years earlier than Microsoft; in the browser market, it is a follower of Netscape. However, in this market situation
Microsoft can often catch up from behind and become the final winner of the market.
Many people criticize Microsoft for being too conservative in the development of Windows systems, and even hindering other companies from upgrading and innovating Windows. However, in Bill Gates’ decision-making dictionary, the leader’s independent technology development capabilities , obviously not reflected in frequent innovation, but reflected in the control of market innovation.
He once stated to the outside world: The upgrade of Windows is not entirely determined by technology. On the contrary, it should be determined by consumers. Users do not need frequent operating system upgrades, and especially cannot afford incompatibilities caused by upgrades. Therefore, Microsoft gives users two to three years in each upgrade process. This kind of time rhythm will not put too much pressure on users, but on the other hand, it also allows Microsoft to fully recover profits.