Conference 7.286::digital

    > I can down load Netscape Navigator right to my PC for $0.00.
    
    Just to let you know, for a product that is available for FREE, the
    Netscape browser accounts for about 60% of Netscape's annual revenue 
    stream.
    
    Give it away or whatever still takes marketing.  If you have the best
    products in the world and no advertising or marketing you die on the
    vine.  If you have the worst products in the market and the best
    advertising and marketing you make millions - DEC vs IBM. 

Re .0: you're under the misapprehension that Digital is a software company, 
which is not necessarily true.

Netscape give away Navigator, Sun give away Java, Microsoft give away all kinds 
of beta products (even limited version of things like SQL Server), Envelop give 
away Envelop. Digital gives away nothing. See the pattern?

PJDM

    Beg to differ, folx.  Digital's ISBU, aka AltaVista Software, <i>is</i>
    a software company.  Led by VP Ilene Lang, an Executive from the
    software industry.  As I understand the plan, we will ACT like a
    software company, and that includes MARKETING and GIVING AWAY as much
    Beta software as possible, and GIVING AWAY as much possibly time-
    limited-trial software as possible, and LETTING FOLKS TRY OUR SOFTWARE
    ONLINE ON OUR DEMO SERVERS so they can fall in love with it.  Not
    necessarily in that order.  And we've been doing it -- for longer than
    the ISBU has even been in existence.  As for giving away freebie
    Alphas, that sounds like a cute hardware angle, which I am too obtuse
    to understand. :-)  Check out 
    
                    http://altavista.software.digital.com/
    
    and please comment on it on our intranet amongst your Digital brethren,
    away from the eyes of the Internet, at
    
           http://altavista.ljo.dec.com/avforum/intra/dispatch.cgi
    
    You can read anything other DECcies are saying there, but you'll have
    to register in order to write anything.  Hey, you use DECnotes, how
    hard could it be?
    
                            Hope this info helps.
    

    Netscape does *NOT* give away Navigator (except, I believe, for
    educational instutions & such). They allow one to grab an
    evaluation copy, but after the evaluation period one is supposed
    to pay $49 per copy (and +$17 for the subscription service).
    
    The quote below is from Netscape's Web server:
    
    	"You can download Netscape software directly, or click on the 
    	Netscape Now button on our home page (home.netscape.com). 
    	Downloaded software may be used for evaluation purposes only, 
    	except by Subscription customers. You have a 90-day trial period 
    	in which to evaluate the software. At the completion of that period, 
    	you will either need to call Netscape at 415/528-3777 to purchase a 
    	licensed copy or discontinue using the software." 
    
    ...petri

re.3:

I'm beginning to get into this Forum product but the URLs are impossible to 
remember and are announced all over the place. Just like the early days of 
notes.

How about an Intranet_Forums Forum, where I can look for subjects of 
interest and point and click to add to my list of Forums? Bit like 
Easynet_Conferences.

Dave.

How about licensing(give it away) to all manufacturer's of PC's and Alpha's, but
require it be pre-installed in all of their PC's and require the ALTAVISTA INSIDE
logo be attached to every box.  This would be the best/least expensive 
advertising that Digital has ever done.  Take the que from Intel!

ernie

    re .5 
    I already requested a Yellow Pages of URL like the Easynotes_Conference
    but the concensus is to use an internal search engine or see Note 4510
    for some suggested URLs.

    re .7
    
    > re .5
    > I already requested a Yellow Pages of URL like the Easynotes_Conference
    > but the concensus is to use an internal search engine or see Note 4510
    > for some suggested URLs.
    
    I believe .5 was talking specifically about web forums, not the mass of
    URLs in general.  There are several scattered forums so far - but what
    do you search for in a search engine to isolate those without getting a
    gazillion other unrelated entries?  Even if they are indexed, what do
    they have in common except maybe "dec.com" and "cgi"?
    
    -Mark
    
    P.S. I'd be willing to help administer an "Intranet Forums Yellow
    Pages" forum, but I don't have a system to offer as host.

    That sounds like the kind of thing that oughta be done by the AltaVista
    Forum support crew.  I'm not promising nuttin', but I'll take it under
    advisement.
    
    I think this is a good idea!
                       

    So, Dan.  If the ISBU is a software company, can we expect products for
    Intel and Sun platforms?  When?
    
    Mark Schafer

    Already shippin' em.  See
    http://altavista.software.digital.com/products/nfintro.htm
    and in the case of AltaVista Forum, see
 http://demos.altavista.software.digital.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi?product=forum
    Plus more to come on the other products.
    
    Tx for asking... :-)