September 17, 1996
An exclusive survey that sheds new insights on the progress of what is arguably the biggest format war of the 1990s can be found in the October issue of The Net magazine, one of six magazines published by Imagine Publishing Inc.
As part of the October 1996 cover feature entitled "Netscape vs. Microsoft," The Net polls close to 800 Web masters as to who will win the browser war between Netscape's Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
The findings of The Net's survey reveal that the Internet community supports Netscape, but fears that Microsoft may win. A remarkable 76.4% of the 790 Web masters polled said that they would like to see Netscape rather than Microsoft win the war of the browsers. However, when asked who they think will win, the results were much closer: 47.9% voted for Netscape, while 43.7% thought Microsoft would win.
"What's striking about this survey is that for all the recent talk of Microsoft catching up with Netscape, they still have a long way to go to win over the hearts and minds of those who will determine the future of the Internet," said Chris Anderson, president of Imagine Publishing Inc.
"The intensity of the war between these two companies will almost certainly benefit Web surfers in the long-term. The pace of innovation in the browser market is astounding."
The opinions of Web masters are critical because their decisions about which browser to optimize for on their sites will play a key role in determining which browser wins the war. According to The Net's survey, 31% of all sites can currently be viewed equally well with Netscape Navigator or with Microsoft's Explorer, but the vast majority of the remaining sites are optimized for Netscape Navigator.
This position is slowly changing. By January of 1997, 41% of the Web masters polled said that they would optimize for both browsers, but 47% said they would still be optimizing for Netscape; and only 10% said they would optimize for Microsoft. Full results of the survey are contained in the October issue of The Net.
Imagine Publishing Inc., of Brisbane, publishes six consumer monthly magazines with a focus on computing, video games, and the Internet. Imagine's publications include The Net, Next Generation, Ultra Game Players, PC Gamer, boot, and MacAddict. The company's mission is to create a uniquely compelling experience for readers by combining the strengths of three media: print, CD-ROM, and the Internet. All of Imagine's print publications are supported by companion CD-ROMs and Web sites.