Microsoft pulls fast one on Netscape

I'll have details on the IE 4.0 Launch event (with pictures to follow laterthis week) tomorrow, but here's an interesting event I wish I could say Ihad something to do with: Netscape employees heading to work Wednesdaymorning were greeted with a giant IE 4.0 "e" logo sitting on the lawn ofthe Netscape headquarters. It was placed there late the night before by Microsoft employees, excited about the launch of their new browser. Accompanying the logo was a note from the "IE 4.0 team" saying, "It's just not fair. Good people shouldn't have to feel bad!" Netscape wasn't amused.

"It's a very childish thing for the world's leading software company to runaround in the middle of night dropping off their logo," said Netscape PRmanager Jennifer O'Mahoney. "People were just flabbergasted that they wouldbehave like they were at a college frat party."

Not that Netscape doesn't have a sense of humor of its own: within hours,a giant inflatable Mozilla (Netscape's old mascot, a cartoon-like Godzillacharacter) sat atop the IE 4.0 logo, seemingly attacking it. Netscape'sO'Mahoney apparently had lightened up by then.

"It was the only legitimate response. I don't know when we will take it away," she said.

"It was all done in the name of fun," an unnamed Microsoft spokesperson later said