Netscape Fall - an Aspectual Analysis

The following is an account of the fall of the Netscape Navigator browser from its dominant position produced by one of our students (May 2002). This part concerns the problems inherent in Netscape itself. We can see that each is anti-normative functioning in one or more aspects:

<

The problem Aspect How anti- normative

Tempted top management away from other companies to satisfy its own needs Ethical Self-seeking rather than self-giving

Rate of change too great for employees to cope. Formative Bifurcation with the past

Underlying motivation was to beat Microsoft Pistic A vision that was both unrealistic and unworthy

Personality clashes Social, with pistic overtones Allowing enmities to develop

Employee dissatisfaction Sensory-psychic Feeling of dissatisfaction

Millions rather than billions Quantitative -

Should have hired appropriate employees Juridical Inappropriateness

Released products not sufficiently tested Formative The formative process had not been completed

Had not developed adequate testing procedures Formative Testing is a vital part of many formative processes

Product was not up to expected standards Aesthetic, Juridical Expectations, What was due

Unreliable products that could not trust Pistic result Lack of trust

Felt need to keep up with the competition (especially in terms of frequent software releases) Pistic Saw themselves as essentially competitors. What they 'sold themselves' to was competing with Microsoft

Did not have the sufficient resources for such a rapid rate and range of software development (the number of releases they felt forced to make) Economic Not recognising, and skilfully adjusting to, the limitations of their resources.

Lost their focus Pistic Vision was lost

Could have made themselves more secure by diversifying (had a limited product range) [I include this though I disagree with it] Aesthetic Lacked a rich diversity

Over reliance on one product Pistic Too great reliance on non-divine

The problem	Aspect	How anti- normative
Tempted top management away from other companies to satisfy its own needs	Ethical	Self-seeking rather than self-giving
Rate of change too great for employees to cope.	Formative	Bifurcation with the past
Underlying motivation was to beat Microsoft	Pistic	A vision that was both unrealistic and unworthy
Personality clashes	Social, with pistic overtones	Allowing enmities to develop
Employee dissatisfaction	Sensory-psychic	Feeling of dissatisfaction
Millions rather than billions	Quantitative	-
Should have hired appropriate employees	Juridical	Inappropriateness
Released products not sufficiently tested	Formative	The formative process had not been completed
Had not developed adequate testing procedures	Formative	Testing is a vital part of many formative processes
Product was not up to expected standards	Aesthetic, Juridical	Expectations, What was due
Unreliable products that could not trust	Pistic result	Lack of trust
Felt need to keep up with the competition (especially in terms of frequent software releases)	Pistic	Saw themselves as essentially competitors. What they 'sold themselves' to was competing with Microsoft
Did not have the sufficient resources for such a rapid rate and range of software development (the number of releases they felt forced to make)	Economic	Not recognising, and skilfully adjusting to, the limitations of their resources.
Lost their focus	Pistic	Vision was lost
Could have made themselves more secure by diversifying (had a limited product range) [I include this though I disagree with it]	Aesthetic	Lacked a rich diversity
Over reliance on one product	Pistic	Too great reliance on non-divine

This page is part of a collection that discusses application of Herman Dooyeweerd's ideas, within The Dooyeweerd Pages, which explain, explore and discuss Dooyeweerd's interesting philosophy. Email questions or comments would be welcome to Dooy @ basden . u-net . com.

Number of visitors to these pages: Counter . Written on the Amiga and Protext.

Created: 23 May 2002. Last updated: