As many of you know, the Netscape browser is being retired and development will no longer continue. Netscape has posted several messages on the blog supporting Mozilla as an alternative and has provided directions on how to make the transition. Tonight they have added Flock to the recommended browser list.

From the Netscape blog:

Previously, the Netscape Team recommended that Netscape browser users adopt Firefox as their next web browser. We would also like to suggest Flock as another alternative to the Netscape web browser. Flock is a web browser that combines all of the advantages of Firefox with the addition of social integration. If you are looking for your next browser and are interested in Firefox with social integration, give Flock a try.

Flock has also announced version 1.1 of their browser this week at the MacWorldExpo. If you’d like to learn more about Flock, check out my interview with Flock CEO Shawn Hardin from late 2007.

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With airlines preparing to unleash Internet access upon the skies, we’re entering what Web evangelist Vint Cerf calls “a ticklish area.” Confined airplane cabins has generated concern that flights are going to transform into nonstop phone discussions of the latest online porn releases — so much so that airlines are considering employing content filters and banning VOIP calls.

Right. As if frequent fliers don’t already view air travel as a fantastic voyage into hell. There are screaming toddlers, 8-year-olds kicking your seat, and that damn guy who won’t share the armrest. Phone calls might actually help muffle the din. No, any real road warrior’s concern will be the new scramble for scarce power outlets. Using Wi-Fi nonstop will drain a laptop battery faster than just watching a porn video you downloaded before takeoff.

Source:Valleywag

Jim Clark is finding real estate a tougher game than the new new things he started at Silicon Graphics, Netscape and Healtheon. The New York Times reports that five years into a Miami real estate venture, Clark and partner Tom Jermoluk might not be able to repay a $110 million construction loan.

The pair also face a potential lawsuit from residents upset at never getting the spa, restaurant and lounge Clark and Jermoluk promised for the building. “When we closed on the unit and walked through the lobby, we were like ‘O.K., this looks kind of bland,’” one resident told the Times. “There’s nothing for me to do but try and sell it.” The buyer might have tried checking out the pair’s full business records — something even the Times didn’t bother to do. While he made a mint with Netscape, Clark’s Healtheon struggled before merging with rival WebMD. SGI is on life support, a shadow of its former self. And Jermoluk is best known among Valley insiders for steering Excite@Home towards bankruptcy amid persistent rumors of a nose-candy problem.

Ram Shriram is No. 271 on the Forbes Billionaires list. He’s a veteran of Netscape and Amazon, and an investor in StumbleUpon and Google. He owes his place on the list to the latter, where, as an angel investor, he had more shares than anyone besides the company’s founders at the time of its IPO. Now he acts as a “sherpa” to young companies, helping guide them to success. He also participated in financial-planning startup Mint’s latest round of financing. Mint CEO Aaron Patzer shares a story about Shriram’s investing habits after the jump. If you want this guy as your startup sherpa, take notes.

Ram Shriram actually came in about a month after we closed our round. At the time we only had about $200k open in the round. Unlike most investors (who wait a week, talk to their friends, bring you back for multiple meetings), Ram said “Okay, I’m in” before I was done with the presentation. He then explained that he had no upper limit on what he could invest (good problem to have!), but that his accountants lose track if he doesn’t invest at least $500k. So needless to say, we opened the round up a bit.

(Photo courtesy of Ram Shriram)

With all of the platforms launching these days (even our own), LinkedIn is taking the smart road and opening up their system to applications that expand their mission. LinkedIn is a business networking tool, period. And it should stay that way. While the Scobles of the world have left LinkedIn for Facebook, when I talk to business execs not in tech, LinkedIn is still their tool of choice.

Saul over at the NYT has an interview with LinkedIn CEO Dan Nye. In it Dan discusses how they will open the system, why they won’t allow "hamburgers to be slung" and thier plans for an IPO.

Some notes:

“We have no interest in doing it like Facebook with an open A.P.I. letting people do whatever they want,” Mr. Nye said. “We’re not going to have people sending electronic hamburgers to each other.”

“On many other Web sites, there is a lot of noise and a lot of interference,” he said. “When you go to LinkedIn, we want you to be confident you can accomplish your goals, be productive and move on with your day. We are not trying to get you to come back multiple times throughout the day.”

I am not sure I agree with Dan’s last comment. LinkedIn should become the business water cooler (not gossip) and to do that, you need return visitors daily. Maybe not 20x a day, but more than once.  Top of mind fellas, top of mind.

LinkedIn has lost some of the popularity they had as many of the bloggers have moved their attention to Facebook and the upcoming platforms from other social networking tools. LinkedIn needs to get that blogger buzz back as it works on opening up. I would like to see a smarter LinkedIn as well.

Source:CenterNetworks -

One of my favorite reads is the good doctor (yes, a real doctor), Tony Hung. His commentary and opinions are almost always on point and accurate. However last night he wrote a piece that had an incorrect diagnosis. He should know that a doctor can’t just look at a chart and know what’s wrong without talking to the patient (or in this case investigating the cause). Unfortunately, Duncan at TechCrunch immediately posted about it as well, thereby furthering the incorrect diagnosis.

Here is Tony’s analysis:

About a month ago, I wrote about how Netscape dumped its social news component into its own site, Propeller.com and wondered rhetorically how it would turn out — with the subtext being, perhaps, how *Netscape* would really fare now that its social news component was on its own. Well, a month has come and gone, and I think that if Alexa is any indication (and yes, it certainly has its problems), the answer might be “substantial”.

He then shows the following chart to backup his "substantial" claim:

So what did Tony miss?

• Naturally when you switch domains traffic to the former will decrease
• If we look back before Netscape became Jason’s social news failure, those people who liked the old Netscape left. They wouldn’t have any reason to return after the site moved to the Propeller domain.
• And lastly, and most importantly, netscape.com does not exist anymore - it redirects to aol.com - hello drop. Rogelio Bernal Andreo, coRank CEO agrees. His comment on TechCrunch, "I just noticed that nestcape.com now redirects to netscape.aol.com. So I guess the whole argument is just flawed then. It doesn’t take into account what I mentioned before, and it doesn’t consider that netscape.com is now a redirect to netscape.aol.com."

Check out our previous Propeller coverage including my open letter to the AOL executive team.

For Immediate Release: 

To: Tom Drapeau and AOL Executives

From: Allen Stern

Please accept this notice of my disappointment in the launch today of your Propeller product. Before I get into my concerns and issues with Propeller, I want to say that I have been quite loyal to AOL since I started using the product in 1990-1991. I still have the same email as I had then and have stuck with you through thick and thin. My first AOL bill was $450.00 and I never burned one of those thousands of spam CDs I received in the mail over the years.

When you guys allowed Jason Calacanis to talk you into changing Netscape into a social news rating service, I gave you a chance. Even when others called you a clone of Digg, I stood by you. Even when Jason ran away from the drowning ship and left everyone else to drown and die, I still offered suggestions for improvement.

When Techcrunch writers believed that the site was going to close and Tom Drapeau said it wasn’t closing, I offered Tom an interview to air his side of what was going on and coming up.

When the announcement came out that the name was changing to Propeller, many bloggers said it had already failed. I stood strong against Duncan for example and said let’s give AOL/Propeller a chance. Even when Robert Seidman told me I was basically a moron for even thinking you could offer something innovative, I told him let’s wait and see. I did note one important thing which is that you should absolutely not put up the same site just on a new domain.

Yet today I see you launched (or is it re-launched?) the Netscape site on Propeller with just a change of logo. Not one change. Now Tom talks about upcoming changes on the blog, but why not hold back on a launch and wait until the changes are ready? A bad first date means no second date my friend.

Marshall and Netscape scout Muhammad say there is more coming, but is it too late? Why was the change so critical to make today? Was someone upstairs in HQ looking for the Netscape.com domain to be switched asap?

I am disappointed with your decision and while I will continue to use the AOL product, I will never again stand up as a Propeller/Netscape defender.

I guess I shouldn’t have expected more from a company who gave out a CD case to the TechCrunch audeince where almost everyone has an iPhone or iPod.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Allen Stern