Market Earth Wins Another

[Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>]

NEW YORK (Reuter) - AT&T Corp. said Thursday that its embryonic online
service AT&T Interchange Online Network would become part of the Internet's
World Wide Web within a year instead of being a proprietary system. 

``The Interchange platform as we know it will phase out over a year or so.
That platform will be dissolved into the World Wide Web,'' Michael Kolowich,
president of AT&T New Media Services told journalists on a conference call. 

AT&T said it would be able to take advantage of the best electronic commerce
and navigation software for the Internet, most of which are not compatible
with Interchange. 

In doing so AT&T is taking a leaf out of Microsoft Corp.'s book which in
December changed tack to open its online service for free to Internet users.
The move may be replicated in other online companies, analysts say.

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Now if Microsoft and AT&T can't fight open market information networks, what
chance do the Feds have to impose their proprietary system on the Net?  The
Feds are even worse at marketing than AT&T.

DCF

"If AT&T owned KFC they'd advertize that they are selling 'hot, dead,
chicken'.  No, I'm afraid they'd advertize 'lukewarm, dead, chicken'."  --
Stolen from Jerry Pournelle