As part of my course Networked Media, I had to watch a documentary about the history of the Internet. I chose the ‘chapter’ called Browser Wars: This is the story of an epic battle between America’s mightiest corporation and a small group of “computer geeks” who created a revolutionary technology.
The documentary told the story of Netscape, one of the first internet browsers, created by young university students and self-proclaimed ‘geeks’. Their dream was to make the internet accessible to all, when in the early 90s its use by the general public was fairly limited. The idea was ‘revolutionary’ and was set to change the way we use the internet forever. When Netscape first went public, it hit the stock market with a bang.
Microsoft’s story runs parallel. Initially, given the near world domination the company had been enjoying, Bill Gates and associates took little notice of Netscape. Once it appeared the company was actually a viable threat, the war really began. What ensued was the creation of Internet Explorer, the eventual merging of Netscape with AOL and The States vs. Microsoft; a civil lawsuit that alleged Microsoft abused their monopoly power in its handling of operating systems and web browser sales.
However to me, the story is secondary to the creation of the documentary.
Narrated by a journalist who was practicing during the war, the piece is informative. It makes use of many analogies, which at times are tedious, but get the point across – particularly when explaining how the Internet and programming works. Visually, it is also entertaining. Yet, for the most part of the documentary we only hear from Netscape or Microsoft, and their respective associates. At first this didn’t bother me but as we got further along, I was searching for an unbiased opinion, one where arrogance and pride didn’t get in the way.
A lot of comments from interviewees also go unchecked. A large part of the lawsuit surrounded a meeting between Netscape and Microsoft, where Netscape felt as though they were bullied into selling the company or risk being destroyed. This is fervently denied by Microsoft. However, later down the track, one Microsoft employee suggests that the meeting was purposefully set up by Netscape to frame Microsoft, thus strengthening the court case. Surely, if there was no threatening or bulling, there would be no ‘framing’? I felt issues like these were left unresolved. Perhaps this is not the fault of the documentary but merely a result of the tit for tat that still seems to linger. Either way, I needed more answers.
Lastly and most notably, this was most certainly an all American war. Not once were any overseas companies mentioned. Did the only threat to Microsoft reside in the United States? Some international opinion would not have gone astray in lending balance to the piece and presenting a more rounded picture of the development of the browser.
All in all this documentary was fascinating viewing, especially given most of this was playing out in the background of my childhood. I will, however, look upon my Internet Explorer a little differently, given it’s origins.
Check out info on the court case here: United States vs. Microsoft
More on the documentary here: The True Story of the Intern
Thoughts By Maddy 