Sam Varghese
Monday, 24 March 2008 22:50
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
The manufacturer of a browser tries to slip in a copy of its software while people are installing other wares from the same source. A rival browser company notices this and launches into a tirade of criticism.
What's so surprising about this? Why are people dumping on the first company and not seeing the criticism for what it is - an attempt to safeguard one's turf?
The difference is that company A is Apple. In attempting to take advantage of the popularity of its iTunes software and trying to get Windows users of iTunes to sample its Safari browser, many people are trying to make us believe that Apple has committed a mortal sin.
The extent of hypocrisy here can be seen by the fact that head of a rival, Mozilla, which makes the Firefox browser, has been allowed to deliver a long lecture on how bad Apple has been - and this speech has been loudly applauded.
As my colleague David M. Williams has
pointed out , the installation of Safari is not exactly a stealthy operation - though perhaps it is not as open as it would be if we lived in a perfect world.
But them's business tactics. Apple wants to boost its browser market share and Windows users, who have had to use an apology for a browser for many years, are an obvious target.
I wouldn't use Safari myself but it's not a bad browser. For people who use Internet Explorer, it would be like manna from heaven.
Many people see Microsoft and Apple as two sides of a single coin, as both are proprietary software companies. The important distinction that many people fail to make is that one produces mediocre software which is always marketed using dubious tactics and the other produces elegant software which is easy to use and works well for the most part.
