I have mentioned that I used to read Oon Yeoh's articles for technology analysis. People used to use Microsoft's Internet Explorer for browsing the net because it come together with Window when you buy a computer.
A lot of people try to break the Monopoly of Microsoft in software industry to bring in competition so that consumer able to enjoy cheaper price in software.
Apple's Mac try it but not successful, Netscape try it but failed, and a lot of open sources software including Java also try it but not very successful.
Now a new browser that is available for free in the market call Firefox. Oon Yeah has done a review on it since it launch. Among the advantage of FireFox over Microsoft's Internet Explorer state by Oon Yeoh include:
• Multiple searches: From a toolbar at the top of the browser, you can get instant access to several search engines. Firefox also allows you tocustomizee the browser so that typing the word "book" followed by a title automatically performs a search on Amazon. com for that book;
• News feeds: Firefox supports really simple syndication (better known as RSS), a technology for automatically pulling headlines from news sites and weblogs so you won't have to check them manually. When Firefox sees a website that offers an RSS feed, a little orange tag lights up in the lower right-hand corner of the browser. Clicking on it gives you a new bookmark that automatically changes as the content of the website changes. I know this probably sounds more complex than it actually is, but once you try it you'll love it, especially if you're a news junkie.
• Tabbed browsing: With IE, if you want to visit a new site without closing the old one, you have no choice but to open up a new window. This is a problem for someone like me who likes to load up to 10 sites simultaneously (that means opening up 10 new windows!). Tabbed browsing makes the new windows appear as small tabs at the top of the existing window (think of it as windows within windows), making it super fast and convenient to switch among various websites. Again, this probably sounds more complicated than it really is, but trust me, you'll be hooked once you try it.
Read Oon Yeoh full analysis here
If you want to try better technology. You can download it. If you are not that tech savvy. You can still download it simply to reduce monopoly power of Microsoft so that software and computer price can be lower in the future.
Download it by clicking the banner below of the page
TechnoratiTag:Asia Business Commentary competitive Economics Economy Malaysia Opinion technology
4 comments:
Netscape BTW was a monopoly before Microsoft broke and crush it. An abusive one at that - it charged rather expensively for the use of its technology.
The relatively quick rise of Firefox shows quite clearly that Microsoft doesn't have monopolistic powers to begin with. They (Microsoft) wouldn't have a large market share if AOL marketed Netscape better and use it in their AOL software instead of IE.
With such a small amount of marketing dollars, Firefox managed to push IE out of the 90+ percentile of market share.Imagine if the resources of Time Warner are used to promote Firefox - previously unrelated company, Google, spends more promoting Firefox than AOL Time Warner.
IE dominance is by no means entrenched. They just, until recently, have incompetent competitors (who, for example, would rather use Netscape Communicator 4.x vs. IE 4, or Netscape 6 vs. IE 5.5, etc.? Very, very few). And it also proves that antitrust laws, at least in this instance, isn't required (Firefox gained such prominence without utilizing any of the new court-enforced regulations on Microsoft).
Antitrust laws might not required when more advance technology is involve. However, I feel Malaysia need an antitrust law to prevent monopoly in certain industry like public transport and banking.
In public transportation, monopolies are created by the government. Prevent the government from making monopolies, and you're set - without antitrust laws. Likewise for the banking sector and Bank Negara.
All Malaysian near-monopolies and oligopolies would not exist without the help and support of the government.
Government agencies usaully said they act within the law or their act is lawful. We need a policy or a statute on this to remind all the government officer.
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