the.world.is.flat-第16章
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95 would soon become the operating system used by most people worldwide； and unlike
previous versions of Windows； it was equipped with built…in Internet support； so that
not just browsers but all PC applications could 〃know about the Internet〃 and interact
with it。
Looking back； what enabled Netscape to take off was the existence； from the earlier
phase； of millions of PCs； many already equipped with modems。 Those are the shoulders
Netscape stood on。 What Netscape did was bring a new killer app…the browser…to this
installed base ofPCs； making the computer andits connectivity inherently more useful
for millions of people。 This in turn set off an explosion in demand for all things
digital and sparked the Internet boom； because every investor looked at the Internet
and concluded that if everything was going to be digitized…data； inventories；
commerce； books； music； photos； and entertainment…and transported and sold on the
Internet； then the demand for Internet…based products and services would be infinite。
This led to the dot…com stock bubble and a massive overinvestment in the fiber…optic
cable needed to carry all the new digital information。 This development； in turn；
wired the whole world together； and； without anyone really planning it； made Bangalore
a suburb of Boston。
Let's look at each one of these developments。
When I sat down with Jim Barksdale； the former Netscape CEO； to interview him for
this book； I explained to him that one of the early chapters was about the ten
innovations； events； and trends that had flattened the world。 The first event； I told
him； was 11/9； and I explained the significance of that date。 Then I said； 〃Let me
see if you can guess the significance of the second date； 8/9。〃 That was all I told
him： 8/9。 It took Barksdale only a second to ponder that before shooting back with
the right answer： 〃The day Netscape went public！〃
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Few would argue that Barksdale is one of the great American entrepreneurs。 He helped
Federal Express develop its package tracking and tracing system； then moved over to
McCaw Cellular； the mobile phone company； built that up； and oversaw its merger with
AT&T in 1994。 Just before the sale closed； he was approached by a headhunter to become
the CEO of a new company called Mosaic Communications； forged by two now…legendary
innovators…Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen。 In mid…1994； Clark； the founder of Silicon
Graphics； had joined forces with Andreessen to found Mosaic； which would quickly be
renamed Netscape Communications。 Andreessen； a brilliant young computer scientist；
had just spearheaded a small software project at the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications （NC SA）； based at the University of Illinois； that
developed the first really effective Web browser； also called Mosaic。 Clark and
Andreessen quickly understood the huge potential for Web…browsing software and
decided to partner up to commercialize it。 As Netscape began to grow； they reached
out to Barksdale for guidance and insight into how best to go public。
Today we take this browser technology for granted； but it was actually one of the
most important inventions in modern history。 When Andreessen was back at the
University of Illinois NCSA lab； he found that he had PCs； workstations； and the basic
network connectivity to move files around the Internet； but it was still not very
exciting…because there was nothing to browse with； no user interface to pull up and
display the contents of other people's Web sites。 So Andreessen and his team developed
the Mosaic browser； making Web sites viewable for any idiot； scientist； student； or
grandma。 Marc Andreessen did not invent the Internet； but he did as much as any single
person to bring it alive and popularize it。
〃The Mosaic browser started out in 1993 with twelve users； and I knew all twelve；〃
said Andreessen。 There were only about fifty Web sites at the time and they were mostly
just single Web pages。 〃Mosaic；〃 he explained； 〃was funded by the National Science
Foundation。 The money wasn't actually allocated to build Mosaic。 Our specific group
was to build software that would enable scientists to use supercomputers that were
in remote locations； and to connect to them by the NSF network。 So we built ＇the first
browsers as＇ software tools to enable researchers to
'browse' each other's research。 I looked at it as a positive feedback loop： The more
people had the browser； the more people would want to be interconnected； and the more
incentive there would be to create content and applications and tools。 Once that kind
of thing gets started； it just takes off and virtually nothing can stop it。 When you
are developing it； you are not sure anyone is going to use it； but once it started
we realized that if anyone is going to use it everyone is going to use it； and the
only question then was how fast it would spread and what would be the barriers along
the way。〃
Indeed； everyone who tried the browser； including Barksdale； had the same initial
reaction： Wow！ 〃Every summer； Fortune magazine had an article about the twenty…five
coolest companies around；〃 Barksdale recalled。 〃That year ＇1994＇ Mosaic was one of
them。 I not only had read about Clark and Andreessen but had turned to my wife and
said； 'Honey； this a great idea。' And then just a few weeks later I get this call
from the headhunter。 So I went down and spoke to Doerr and Jim Clark； and I began
using the beta version of the Mosaic browser。 I became more and more intrigued the
more I used it。〃 Since the late 1980s； people had been putting up databases with
Internet access。 Barksdale said that after speaking to Doerr and Clark； he went home；
gathered his three children around his computer； and asked them each to suggest a
topic he could browse the Internet for…and wowed them by coming up with something
for each of them。 〃That convinced me；〃 said Barksdale。 〃So I called back the headhunter
and said； Tm your man。'〃
Netscape's first commercial browser…which could work onan IBM PC； an Apple Macintosh；
or a Unix computer…was released in December 1994； and within a year it completely
dominated the market。 You could download Netscape for free if you were in education
or a nonprofit。 If you were an individual； you could evaluate the software for free
to your heart's content and buy it on disk if you wanted it。 If you were a company；
you could evaluate the software for ninety days。 〃The underlying rationale；〃 said
Andreessen； 〃was： If you can afford to pay for it； please do so。 If not； use it anyway。〃
Why？ Because all the free usage stimulated a massive growth in the network； which
was valuable to all the paying customers。 It worked。
60
We put up the Netscape browser； said barksdale； and people were downloading it for
three…month trials。 I've never seen volume like this。 For big businesses and
government it was allowing them to connect and unlock all their information； and the
point…and…click system that Marc Andreessen invented allowed mere mortals to use it；
not just scientists。 And that made it a true revolution。 And we said； 'This thing
will just grow and grow and grow。'〃
Nothing did stop it； and that is why Netscape played another hugely important
flattening role： It helped make the Internet truly interoperable。 You will recall
that in the Berlin Wall…PC…Windows phase； individuals who had e…mail and companies
that had internal e…mail could not connect very far。 The first Cisco Internet router；
in fact； was built by a husband and wife at Stanford who wanted to exchange e…mail；
one was working off a mainframe and the other on a PC； and they couldn't connect。
〃The corporate networks at the time were proprietary and disconnected from each
other；〃 said Andreessen。 〃Each one had its own formats； data protocols； and different
ways of doing content。 So there were all these islands of information out there that
were disconnected。 And as the Internet emerged as a public； commercial venture； there
was a real danger that it would emerge in the same disconnected way。〃
Joe in the accounting department would get on his office PC and
