Mozilla stomps IE

(Thanks to various people from Netscape for their help!)

From a Mozilla servant:

Newsgroups: rec.humor.funny
Oganization: Netscape Communications Corp.
Subject: Mozilla stomps IE
From: francis@netscape.com (John Francis Stracke)
Keywords: topical, smirk, true
Approved: funny-request@clari.net
Message-Id:   <Sb9a.5c39@clarinet.com>
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 97 3:20:05 EDT

OK, now, bear in mind that I'm not a primary source here; I just heard
about it, and saw the aftermath.  But:

Last night (9/30-10/1) at midnight, Mr. Bill's Browser 4.0 was
released.  Late last night, between midnight and 1:30, somebody (MS?
probably) dumped a huge IE logo on Netscape's front lawn (a metal
shell, apparently, deep enough to stand up on its own).  They probably
expected that we wouldn't notice until morning, and wouldn't be able
to get equipment to move it until 11:00 or so, and some press cameras
would come by in the meantime; we wouldn't be able to bring legal
action, 'cause we wouldn't have any proof, and we'd just look whiny.

Well.  Needless to say, MS was dumb: they forgot that we're *here* at
midnight! Somebody spotted it, and, rather than waste effort trying to
get rid of the logo, they decided to slap MS in the face with it
instead.  (Figuratively.  :-) They gathered people to help, and they
tipped over the IE logo so that it was lying on its back, spraypainted
"Netscape Now" on the side facing the street...and then carried over
our 7-foot-tall statue of Mozilla (Netscape's Godzillaoid mascot) and
stood it up on top of the IE logo.

So now we have Mozilla standing on top of the defeated IE (with his
thumb up and a grin on his face), and people are wandering by and
taking pictures; it got covered in by local papers and TV, and I've
been told Reuters picked it up.  Not the sort of thing we'd publicize
on purpose, 'cause it is a little childish...but they started it! :-)

From Reuters:

Microsoft Plays Prank on Netscape after Bash

06:49 a.m. Oct 02, 1997 Eastern

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (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.

[Mozilla thumbs-up: Netscape - 72, Microsoft - 18]

    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.

tilman@berlin.snafu.de