SURFERS trying to download an ultra-secure version of Netscape鈥檚 Internet
browser are being frustrated by a 鈥渂ug鈥� in Microsoft鈥檚 rival product. The
problem comes at an embarrassing time for Microsoft, charged by the US
Department of Justice with engaging in anticompetitive business practices,
directed at Netscape.
Most new PCs come complete with Microsoft鈥檚 Windows 95 operating system.
Since last year, Internet Explorer 4.0 (IE4) has also been part of the package.
But many people prefer to surf the Net using Netscape Navigator
instead鈥攁nd so one of their first actions on getting a new machine is to
fire up IE4 and point it at Netscape鈥檚 website, to download the necessary
software.
After an hour or so of downloading, however, many users find that Navigator
won鈥檛 run because IE4 has renamed the file, deleting the 鈥�.exe鈥� extension that
defines it as a program. Unless you have the technical savvy to diagnose the
problem and restore the file鈥檚 original name, Navigator will sit uselessly on
the hard drive.
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The problem only applies to users in the US who download a version of
Netscape Navigator with 鈥渟trong鈥� encryption. This provides added security by
using a near-unbreakable code to scramble any personal data sent over the
Internet. This version can鈥檛 be downloaded outside of the US because of export
restrictions.
Tests conducted by 快猫短视频 have revealed that IE4 will
successfully download the alternative version of Navigator with watered-down
encryption, and similarly complex programs marketed by other software
companies.
When asked about the bug, Microsoft officials initially argued that any
problems should have been solved by a software 鈥減atch鈥� that the company issued
last month. But after further tests revealed that the patch didn鈥檛 help, they
now concede that there is a problem. 鈥淚t鈥檒l take a bit of additional
investigation,鈥� says Eric Hebenstreit, a senior Microsoft software engineer.
Harry Goodwin, Microsoft鈥檚 Internet Explorer product manager, suspects that
the problem may lie with Netscape鈥檚 website. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know whether the problem
is with our program or their server,鈥� he says.
Tom Tsao, a senior product manager at Netscape, says that the incompatibility
is causing the company considerable grief. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the top two complaints
with our website,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to explain to our customers that
there鈥檚 nothing we can do.鈥� His advice is to download the version of Navigator
with weaker encryption, then use this program to download the secure
version.
Similar software incompatibilities have caused problems for Microsoft鈥檚
competitors in the past. When Windows 95 was launched, some users complained
that it disabled CompuServe鈥檚 and Spry鈥檚 Internet browser software. These
companies have since switched to using Microsoft鈥檚 browser.
And Caldera, a company in Utah that makes a rival operating system to
Microsoft鈥檚 MS-DOS, has filed a lawsuit claiming that Microsoft created error
messages to convince computer users that Caldera鈥檚 operating system was
incompatible with Windows. Microsoft denies this allegation.