Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.
Re: viable browser business
Author: Jakob Nielsen Posted: 6/8/2000; 9:23:45 AM Topic: scriptingNews outline for 6/8/2000 Msg #: 17646 (In response to 17641) Prev/Next: 17645 / 17647
"Do you really believe that it is possible to create a viable business (BrowserCo) as you described it? Where would it get its revenue from, given that people are used to getting their browser for free"One way to make money on a browser is to reconceptualize it as the user's defender in cyberspace. Pure page rendering is not value-add (and should be a system-level service anyway). But navigation aids might have value: a browser that would color links differently depending on whether the destination was valuable. Or place a "seal of approval" on ads for credible companies and a warning icon on top of misleading ads. (Note that an ad-rating service has to be on the client side: you can neither trust the advertiser nor the website to honestly disclose whether they are out to cheat the customers.)
If a user-defending browser would save you 10 minutes every day and/or save you from being abused, then you ought to be willing to pay for it.
Some people are already paying for services that prevent them (or their kids) from seeing porn.
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