AOL Time Warner on Thursday confirmed Gecko sightings in test
versions of CompuServe 7, a sign that the technology could replace
Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the online service's default Web
browser.
The tests will allow the media giant to determine whether the upcoming
CompuServe version will come packaged with browser technology from the
company's own Netscape Communications unit. CompuServe, like the
America Online flagship service, uses Microsoft's Internet Explorer as its
default browser.
"It's currently being tested as the default browser in the new CompuServe
beta," said Cindy Harvey, an AOL spokeswoman, referring to Gecko. There
have been "no decisions as to what will be in the final CompuServe client
or when that will be."
If CompuServe 7 comes packaged with Gecko, it could be one step toward
rekindling the Web browser wars from the late '90s. Once the hands-down
leader of browser technology, Netscape Communications, now a division of
AOL, has let its browser slip into the middle of the pack.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has jumped ahead, but its means of gaining market share from Netscape brought Justice Department scrutiny for
monopolistic behavior.
Gecko is a rendering engine that serves as the backbone technology for
displaying text and graphics on the Net. Gecko uses XUL (Extensible User
Interface Language), a technology used to create user interfaces with Web
programming languages rather than with computer coding languages. AOL has
used Gecko technology to power non-PC Web devices as part of its "AOL Anywhere" strategy.
Placing Gecko in CompuServe could set the foundation to eliminating AOL's
reliance on Internet Explorer.
The CompuServe trials come as competition between AOL and Microsoft reinforces a chill in their relationship. The two technology giants once
had an agreement for AOL to use Internet Explorer as its default browser in
exchange for being shipped with versions of Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows
operating system.
However, signs of a split emerged in April when a leaked document detailed
an initiative for CompuServe to use Gecko technology for a browser expected
in fall 2001. The document said a new software, dubbed "Komodo," would allow CompuServe to
use any browser technology as its default, including Gecko.
In June, the companies scrapped negotiations for AOL to be shipped with the
upcoming release of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. The
dissolution opened the door for the companies to go their separate ways but
also eliminated a key distribution source for AOL.
AOL's Harvey said the release date for CompuServe 7 has not been
determined. She added that AOL 7, which was unveiled Tuesday, does not use
Gecko technology and still runs Internet Explorer as its default browser.
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