Customer Reviews

Speeding the Net: The Inside Story of Netscape and How It Challenged Microsoft

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Given the first two thirds of this book, it could be called "The Inside Story of Netscape." The last part of the book gives a good overview of the war between Netscape and Microsoft. There is a lot of good information about how the whole Internet craze began. It's an exciting ride.

The book gives great insight to Netscape's side of the story. It takes a bit to get into it because each new player has to be introduced, where he or she began, and brought up to the present. There are quite a few players. So you might lose your place in the story if you put the book down too long. But hang in there. The story is exciting and moves along. You will find yourself rooting for those young programmers and hoping they make it.

I can't wait to read the sequel.

The book gives interesting details about every person remotely involved in the making of Netscape (and Mosaic), and although it's non-fiction, it's exaggerated and humorous enough to be entertaining. You definitely get your money's worth. Oh, and it's educational, too!

This is a great book! This is my generation and I wish I was a part of this exciting company in it's hay-day. I found it hard to put this book down since the story was written in such a way that actually got my adrenalin pumping. These guys were doing what they loved to do, were dedicated to getting it done regardless of the hours and were all paid handsomely in reward. I hope some day to be part of such an exciting company.

I think anybody who wants to understand why yhe Internet became a defacto should read this book and see how Netscape lead the industry. I was able to combine all the developments I had been reading about. You also explore the challenge of a start-up from the programmers point of view.

I zipped thru the first half in one sitting, the kind of attention other books haven't got from me yet. I liked the way the story was told by the authors, each and every character was introduced with appropriate background. The narration was very motivating.

There is a common theme among the excellent books on the high flyer successful start up companies. This usually consists of a small team with intelligence, absolute dedication, long hours and a high threshold of pain from physical self abuse. In this book the reader can appreciate the importance and critical timing of injecting senior, mature and knowledgable management in rather typical chaotic start up company environment. One of the most exciting parts is the knowledge that companies like this are in the infancy stage of the Internet revolution. Many changes will occur and it is good to have the background to appreciate these changes. Excellent reading!

A tremendously insightful book about the origin of Netscape Inc. You will find this book rather quite helpful if you are planning a start-up and going through the IPO process (Initial Public Offering). As a whole, this book read more like an informative, journalistic reading than the dramatic showdown that is perceptually portrayed on the cover of this book. Very little did this book characterize the battle between Microsoft and Netscape. Still, it is smoothly written that even the non-tech people will quickly grasp the complexity of the internet, its' explosion, and the companies that are dueling each other out to stay one step ahead. I found it a fascinating read and had this been more a dramatic story, I would've given it 5 stars instead of 4. Still, if you have the time, I say "go for it!"

Aleks, thanks for your anecdotes.

I zipped through the first half of the book, vicariously living through Andreesen and company as they developed the browser and struck off on their own.

I also felt the second half of the book could've been more indepth, as Netscape's battles to stem the Microsoft tide could surel have been recounted with a bit more flair. I really wanted to know how the main characters handled their newfound wealth/fame and the drop in Netscape's fortunes/stock price. Aleks...when did y'all cash out???

This book tell how the creators of the browser left the college environment because it was too bureaucratic. What Andresson and CO came up with when they invented the first user friendly browser enables you to do what you are doing now-purchasing books online. The applications for the internet are still expanding into how Andresson and his crew of visonaries thought they would. The book shows how they knew that Microshite would eventually catch on to the new business and either try to buy them out or crush them by simply tying a copycat piece of software (internet exploder)to its Windows operating system. The book is clearly written and relatively jargon free. Software concepts and their practical applications are explained so the non-techie can understand. Speeding the Net has you rooting to for Netscape. The sequel Speeding the Net and beyond should have a happy ending as Netscape continues to hold up well under the Microsoft onslaught. When you read about the incredibly smart, idealisitic and innovative people @ Netscape, you realize why Netscape is still in business. A fascinating and well told story of the real American Dream.

My only complaint with this book is it wasn't long enough. I read it in two sittings, taking one break to eat. It was very readable and incredibly interesting.

The most important point of the book, in my opinion, is what I scream at the TV set every time our know-nothing government officials fight about whether MicroSloth can put an IE icon on the Win 95 desktop -- that point being that it is entirely impossible to compete with a company who writes both the operating system and the products that run on it, and the anti-trust lawsuits are completely missing the point.

This point seems to be lost on the general public and our government. The book offers numerous concrete examples of how Gates & Co. use their inside knowledge of the Windows OS to write programs that outperformed Netscape, while at the same time withholding that information from Netscape for months on end.

This book should be required reading by all the Department of Justice folks.