Re: Barring access to Netscape

IMHO, all the people who are planning to alter web pages to deal with the
Netscape/GAK issue should consider the following points:

(1) A recent large web site reported that 95% of their accesses were from
Netscape browsers.

(2) You want to inform the public and put pressure on Netscape, not piss
off the people using netscape browsers.  A quick, one page, detour would
seem appropriate, but not denial of access or other hostile acts.

(3) You should save some room for esclation.  (e.g. denial of access etc.) 
Don't hit them with everything in the first round.

(4) Any list of alternative browsers has to include at least one viable
browser for each of the major platforms.  (At least, Windows, Mac, SunOS,
Solaris, HP, AIX, BSD, Linux.  Probably a lot more.)

Bill Frantz

Bill Frantz writes:
> (2) You want to inform the public and put pressure on Netscape, not piss
> off the people using netscape browsers.  A quick, one page, detour would
> seem appropriate, but not denial of access or other hostile acts.

I favor putting a GIF and text on the top of every page saying 

  BIG BROTHER INSIDE YOUR BROWSER [Insert nasty logo here.]  You are
  apparently using Netscape, the browser that intentionally lets
  people tap your communications. For more information, click
  _here_. To download a better browser now that doesn't have Big
  Brother Inside, click _here_. To send e-mail to the CEO of Netscape
  telling him how upset this makes you, click _here_.

You can get your server to simply put that at the top of every page
served to a Netscape client, followed by a horizontal line and the
normal web page. It should be easy to put together the hacks to do
that and get them out to lots of people. Watch how fast people would
switch from Netscape, especially were it widely deployed. You would
then watch a fast fall in Netscape stock, which would likely piss Jim
Clark off far more than anything else one could do.

We need HTML 3.0 capable browsers for all platforms, though.

Perry

> 
> You can get your server to simply put that at the top of every page
> served to a Netscape client, followed by a horizontal line and the
> normal web page. It should be easy to put together the hacks to do
> that and get them out to lots of people. Watch how fast people would
> switch from Netscape, especially were it widely deployed. You would
> then watch a fast fall in Netscape stock, which would likely piss Jim
> Clark off far more than anything else one could do.
> 

	Perry's suggestion has my vote, and will be implemented at
c2.org when lance puts up his page.

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