mynovelweb Chapter 73 Microsoft's Challenge
Chapter 73 Microsoft's Challenge
Just as Ling Yun was burning with anger over the terrible JavaScript experience and was about to pick up the phone to give Jim Clark a good "lesson," the phone on his desk rang urgently first. The caller ID showed it was Netscape headquarters.
Ling Yun pressed the answer button, but before he could even speak, Clark's voice, clearly filled with anxiety and anger, came through the receiver, speaking so fast it was almost flying:
"Ling! Did you hear? Microsoft! Microsoft... they just released JScript!" Clark's voice trembled with excitement. "They claim it's fully compatible with the ECMAScript specification (the core of JavaScript)! Damn it, what are they trying to do?!"
Upon hearing this news, Ling Yun's pupils contracted slightly, but his face didn't show much surprise. What was bound to happen had finally arrived. He had originally intended to approach Clark about the issues with JavaScript itself, but Microsoft had acted faster, directly presenting an even more thorny problem.
"Clark, calm down." Ling Yun's voice remained calm, a stark contrast to Clark's agitation. "I was just about to look for you. Looks like we're on the same page. I'm on my way to Netscape."
Without further ado, Ling Yun immediately drove to Netscape headquarters. The atmosphere in Clark's office was even more tense than before. Marc Andreessen was also there, his young face clouded with worry, his fingers tapping irritably on the desk. Scattered on the desk were press releases and technical documents about JScript.
"Ling, did you see that?" Clark saw Ling Yun enter and immediately picked up a document. "Microsoft is blatantly copying us! No, it's worse than copying! They created something called JScript, claiming it's compatible with our JavaScript! What are they trying to do?!"
Anderson looked up and added in a low voice, "This means that all JavaScript web pages written for Netscape Navigator can theoretically run normally on IE with no modifications, or only very minor modifications."
Ling Yun walked to the table, but didn't sit down. His gaze swept over the document, and his tone was as calm as if he were analyzing a business case unrelated to himself:
"Clark, Mark, this is not just about copying or compatibility. Microsoft's move is called 'using someone else's resources to achieve their own goals,' or more accurately, 'standardization strangulation.'"
He picked up a pen and drew two circles on the whiteboard, one labeled "NS" and the other "IE".
Before JScript, web developers who wanted to use client-side scripts basically had only one option—writing JavaScript for Netscape Navigator. This created a technological moat for Netscape Navigator, increasing the cost for users to switch to Internet Explorer.
He drew a wavy line outside the circle of "NS" to represent the moat.
"But now, Microsoft has launched JScript and announced its compatibility with great fanfare." Ling Yun wrote "JScript ≈ JavaScript" next to the "IE" circle. "What does this mean? It means that Microsoft doesn't need to cultivate a completely new scripting language ecosystem from scratch. It directly utilizes the market that Netscape has already established and the developer community that it has educated for many years."
"Scripts that used to only run on Netscape Navigator can now run on IE. Why would developers bother optimizing specifically for Netscape? They only need to write 'standard' JavaScript to work on both platforms. Microsoft has effortlessly dismantled the moat that Netscape has painstakingly built and leveled the playing field in a position extremely advantageous to it—competing on operating system bundling and default settings."
He looked at Clark and Anderson with a sharp gaze: "This isn't just a simple feature update; it's a challenge delivered directly to your desk. Microsoft's intentions are very clear: I won't engage in pointless competition with you over scripting languages; I'll directly adopt a 'compatibility' strategy to obscure your leading advantage in that area, and then completely crush you in my strongest area—system bundling and channel distribution."
"They're fundamentally undermining Netscape's competitive advantage that attracts developers and users!" Anderson said through gritted teeth, uttering the key point.
"That's right!" Ling Yun nodded heavily. "Once 'Netscape's JavaScript' becomes 'something similar to JavaScript that everyone supports,' then scripting languages will no longer be Netscape's barrier. What determines browser market share will return to that most primitive and brutal dimension—whose browser can more easily and automatically reach the user's desktop. And on this point..."
Ling Yun didn't continue, but Clark and Anderson both knew that Microsoft, with its Windows monopoly, had an overwhelming advantage that Netscape couldn't match.
A deathly silence fell over the office. Microsoft's seemingly mild "compatibility" strategy was actually extremely malicious, striking Netscape precisely at its Achilles' heel.
Clark slammed his fist on the table, making the coffee cup rattle. "So what are we supposed to do? Are we just going to stand by and watch them do this...?"
"Of course not!" Ling Yun interrupted him. His voice remained calm, but the power within it made the agitated Clark and Anderson involuntarily quiet down and look at him.
"Microsoft has made its move, so we'll respond accordingly." Ling Yun walked to the window, looking at the vibrant Netscape campus outside. "They want to use our 'chicken' to lay eggs, so we'll make this 'chicken' so hard for them to borrow, and even make it peck Microsoft's hand in return."
He turned around, his gaze piercing:
"First, consolidate and lead the standard. Netscape must more actively promote the evolution of the JavaScript/ECMAScript standard! Introduce more complex, powerful, and developer-friendly new features and APIs. Microsoft claims to be compatible, right? Fine, then you'd better follow our pace. We want the standard to evolve so fast that JScript can only frantically keep up, unable to achieve true, stable compatibility. We want to rebuild a dynamic and continuous advantage at the technical level."
"Secondly," Ling Yun held up his second finger, this was precisely the core issue he had come to discuss with Clark, "the importance of developer experience! Clark, this is exactly what I wanted to tell you. Our current JavaScript is a disaster to use! The toolchain is inadequate, debugging is difficult, and the API design is crude! Even if Microsoft's JScript is 100% compatible with ours, what if it offered better development tools, clearer documentation, and a more stable runtime? Which would developers choose?"
He pointed to the note he had brought, which recorded the various pains he encountered while developing the forum: "The browser war is not just a war of features, but a war of the developer ecosystem! We must immediately invest heavily in improving the performance of the JavaScript engine, creating powerful debugging tools, and providing comprehensive documentation and examples, so that developing applications for Netscape Navigator becomes an enjoyment, not torture!"
"Third," Ling Yun's lips curled into a cold smile, "we'll turn the tables on them. Since Microsoft wants to muddy the waters and make JavaScript a 'universal' thing, then we'll go with the flow. We can consider, at the right time, adopting a more open attitude, even promoting some degree of 'open source' or broader standardization of JavaScript-related technologies, uniting as many allies as possible, including hardware manufacturers and software developers who are uneasy about Microsoft's monopoly, to portray Netscape as a defender and leader of open web standards. And Microsoft will be placed in the awkward position of 'follower' and 'monopoly disruptor.'"
Ling Yun's three countermeasures were like three clear instructions, instantly dispelling some of the confusion and panic in Clark and Anderson's minds.
Clark took a deep breath, looked at the young man before him who always remained calm and offered constructive advice in times of crisis, and nodded emphatically: "I understand! Ling, you're right! We can't panic! Microsoft's strategy is an open one; we'll accept it!"
He turned to Anderson: "Mark, convene the technical committee immediately! We need to reassess our JavaScript strategy and development toolchain! Also, the standards committee needs to get moving!"
A storm sparked by Microsoft's JScript suddenly erupted within Netscape. And Lingyun, the advisor from the East, once again pointed out the next course for this giant ship sailing through turbulent waters during this crisis, requiring a full-speed sprint. The smoke of the browser war intensified with the advent of JScript.