MSN blocks non-IE browsers: the real idea with RAND "standards"

• From: Martijn Dekker <martijn@inlv.demon.nl>
• Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 22:22:05 +0200
• To: www-patentpolicy-comment@w3.org
• Message-Id: <a0510030fb7fe2354e6fe@[192.168.1.2]>

Microsoft, one of the prime RAND patent policy proposers, is now 
actively blocking browsers such as Opera, iCab, and Mozilla from 
accessing msn.com. Apart from IE, only Netscape is let in. Others are 
given no option but to change their HTTP ID string (if they know how 
to do that) or download MSIE.

Just an other indication of what they are really after. It is 
certainly one of those things that sheds real light of what the RAND 
patent policy proposal is all about: creating monopolies, not 
standards.

With this kind of behavior, they have no business being part of a 
purportedly open standards organization.

- Martijn Dekker, Groningen, Netherlands

Received on Thursday, 25 October 2001 16:22:14 UTC