[WEB4LIB] IE5 vs Gecko

[Robert J. Tiess]

Paddy Plunket wrote:
> And what are the benefits of this to users? *

* If this is about Netscape Gecko:
This is next generation Netscape technology, something that will
affect potentially all Netscape users. The benefits to users is
eventual but overwhelming if you visit the Gecko page--this isn't
only about web browsers; Gecko extends to appliances and other
things. For now, web developers and Internet administrators will
be interested in it, as the implementations, particularly with
XML, necessitate an awareness of potential inconsistencies
between Gecko and IE5 (that is if you prefer documents to render
properly, or at all in the Microsoft/Netscape layout engines).
The developer download is available and well under 2MB--at last
a truly "thin" client! :-D

* If this is about the Open Source Model:
Well, look what it did for Linux (http://www.linux.org).  Open
source democratizes code and allows developers unprecedented
access to the intricate inner workings of software so they
may develop applications and derive technologies designed to
work well with the primary technology at hand--in this case,
Netscape's technology as made available through Mozilla.org
(a separate entity, BTW, which works on its own code and
projects: http://www.mozilla.org).  The benefits to users are
vast and many--far too many to list here, but here are some:

The free/Open Source Model allows widespread dissemination and
use of the product, broadens international support by virtue
of international developers who can freely access the code
and browser binaries, allows the majority of the browser
technology (except the Java Machine, I believe) to be developed
freely and adapted to particular platforms and needs, and
ensures this browser will be around for quite some time and
in a form that will always be competitive with other major
browsers, including Internet Explorer.  If Open Source was a
flawed paradigm, Linux would be a little known operating system
today; exactly the opposite has happened.  Also noteworthy here
is GNU (http://www.GNU.org/), who has long advocated a special
and successful rendition of the open source model called
"Copyleft" (http://www.GNU.org/copyleft/copyleft.html), where
the core concept is on benefiting the user.

Thanks for asking!

Robert