AOL Releases Client for Mac OS X with Gecko Browser

DietFluffy writes "America Online released an update to their Mac OS X client. The built-in browser is powered by Gecko! However, America Online plans to stick with Internet Explorer for their Windows client. Will this make web designers think twice about tailoring their web pages to Internet Explorer? Or will they ignore this, given that the Windows client will still have Internet Explorer as the default browser?" And if this goes well, will the Windows version eventually use a Gecko-based browser, too?

MacOs and Win

[joe_fish]

Mozilla has always had a greater percentage market share on MacOS compared with Windows, so it makes sense to start there when moving browser components.

But it's about protecting your userbase. No point in alienating your users too soon. It'll come but not in a rush.

Re:Do we hate AOL today?

[Atzanteol]

I don't think companies are evil, per se. It's their actions that are good or bad. Here, slashdot is pointing out a favorable change in AOL. Many will think it is a Good Thing(TM). If they then mandate 20 pop-up ads when people load their software, it will be a Bad Thing(TM).

Re:8.0 Uses Gecko

[kalidasa]

There are both Gecko and IE betas. It looks like (to an outside observer) they're going to stick with IE for 8.0, but I'd guess that 9.0 will be Gecko.

I use and support the following

[DeadBugs]

AOL is not all bad. I use the following

Gnutella

WinAmp

IM

Mozilla

Re:Decent Web Designers shouldn't worry...

[mccalli]

Oh yeah - all web designs should also work with Lynx, because we really love those geeky people who feel the need to surf in text

Well...there are also blind web surfers. Both CSS and HTML explicitly support markup and styling for non-graphical browsers.

Cheers,
Ian

Re:8.0 Uses Gecko

[kalidasa]

Or, 8.0 could allow the user to choose...

Maybe, but I would not expect it to. After all, this is AOL, and adding that kind of customizability to a lowest-common-denominator product would probably be counterproductive. Can't you just see the average "Isn't AOL the Whole Internet" user's blank stare when told they can use either IE or Gecko as their browser engine?

Besides, allowing users a choice now locks AOL in later. If they decide they do not want to use the IE engine at all in the future, and their users had a choice at one point, it will look like by taking away the choice of IE they are taking away a feature.

Re:Do we hate AOL today?

[MouseR]

I have good reason for predicting that, within a year, Apple will buy AOL from AOLTW.

I think methadone can help you with this.

AOL is worth about as much as Apple, and Apple needs to keep it's 4.3 billions worth of cash in it's balance sheet, for Apple is alone in it's market, and it needs the money to guard against dark times.

Back in the Apple Dark Ages (1994-1997), Apple's 2.1 billion in cash is what saved it (then, the iMac picked up the tab and the rest we all know about).

I could see Apple doing strategic alliances, but not a buyout of that magnitude.

Another joke that stopped being funny

[Gekko]

Yet another joke that stopped being funny. Yea Yea I know maybe I am old and crumegony, but I remember when slashdot was for discussions, and not rehashing jokes that were not funny nor clever the first time.