This time, it's not Andreessen's former company Netscape Communications that's taking on Microsoft's Internet Explorer; it's the emerging popularity of smaller products such as Apple Computer's Safari and open-source browser Firefox, Andreessen said.
"It may turn out that there's a one-two punch with Firefox and Safari," Andreessen said Wednesday at the Web 2.0 conference here. "Microsoft is certainly going to respond competitively."
Firefox owes more than a debt of gratitude to Netscape. The company created and funded the open-source Mozilla project that created it, although Mozilla was later spun off as an independent group.
Claiming browser development has been at a standstill since 1998, Andreessen said the recent emergence of competitive software will force Microsoft to pay more attention to developing new features in IE.
However, competition could compel the company to use aggressive tactics to protect its Windows operating system monopoly, he warned. Microsoft's maneuvers against Netscape ensnared the software giant in a lengthy federal antitrust suit. Microsoft was found to have violated antitrust law, but was spared from a breakup of the company.
Andreessen said he doesn't expect Microsoft to change its way of doing things should it detect a threat from Safari and Firefox.
"If I were (Microsoft) I'd take another look, and I would see how I could screw with other people's businesses with this monopoly (I) have," he said.
Lets be realistic. MS has not been updated since 3 years ago, and it retains 90 % of the browser market. All Ms has to do is scratch its **** and they will be on top again. With their massive capital, and OS and browser domination, there is no competition just hype. Yes as far as IE is concerned, MS has been asleep. With 90% of the market, MS can stay asleep until longhorn i 2006 when with little effort, they will be on top again. I dont like itmuch, but MS has enough money to drown out or even buy out any browser competition.