Microsoft Watch has posted a news story on the Microsoft/AOL deal
Microsoft, AOL deals announced Thursday could be the final nail in Netscape's coffin.Read more
As a result of Thursday's comprehensive antitrust settlement and technology agreements between Microsoft and AOL Time Warner, Netscape Communication's future looks even dimmer than it once did.
As part of the agreements announced by the two rivals, AOL has agreed to license Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser. Microsoft also agreed to pay AOL Time Warner $750 million to settle a year-old private antitrust suit lodged by AOL's Netscape unit against Microsoft.
Now, AOL has the option of using IE for seven years, royalty free. IE is currently at the heart of the AOL Internet-access platform. AOL had been dabbling with using the Netscape Gecko browser as the core of its future AOL platform releases. But it now sounds as if AOL will be incorporating IE, not anything Netscape-related, into forthcoming AOL platforms.
