Editing Netscape (section)

===Initial public offering (IPO)===

[[File:Mozilla boxing.jpg|right|thumb|175px|The original green and purple [[Mozilla (mascot)|Mozilla mascot]], a [[Godzilla]]-like lizard which represented the company's goal of producing the browser that would be the "Mosaic killer"]]
On August 9, 1995, Netscape made an extremely successful [[initial public offering|IPO]], only sixteen months after the company was formed. The stock was set to be offered at US$14 per share, but a last-minute decision doubled the initial offering to US$28 per share. The stock's value soared to US$75 during the first day of trading, nearly a record for first-day gain. The stock closed at US$58.25, which gave Netscape a market value of US$2.9 billion. It was listed on the [[NASDAQ]] under the symbol NSCP. While it was somewhat unusual for a company to go public prior to becoming profitable, Netscape's revenues had, in fact, doubled every quarter in 1995.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.08/loudcloud.html?pg=4 | title=Going Public as Netscape Did, before making a dime in profits | publisher=Lycos | work=Wired 8.08 | author=David Sheff | access-date=July 14, 2006 | archive-date=June 19, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619101917/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.08/loudcloud.html?pg=4 | url-status=live }}</ref> The success of this IPO subsequently inspired the use of the term "Netscape moment" to describe a high-visibility IPO that signals the dawn of a new industry.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/15464481 |title=Electric cars: A Netscape Moment? |publisher=Economist.com |access-date=May 18, 2014 |date=February 4, 2010 |archive-date=August 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804024736/http://www.economist.com/node/15464481 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2128/1 |title=Is commercial spaceflight's "Netscape moment" near? |publisher=The Space Review |access-date=May 18, 2014 |date=July 30, 2012 |archive-date=May 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519021005/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2128/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> During this period, Netscape also pursued a publicity strategy (crafted by [[Rosanne Siino]], then head of public relations) packaging Andreessen as the company's "rock star."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.drdobbs.com/programmers-bookshelf/184411146 |title=Programmer's Bookshelf |publisher=Dr. Dobb's Journal |access-date=May 18, 2014 |date=December 1, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519005626/http://www.drdobbs.com/programmers-bookshelf/184411146 |archive-date=May 19, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The events of this period ultimately landed Andreessen, barefoot, on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.<ref name="Time">{{cite news
| url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19960219,00.html
| title=Netscape's Marc Andreessen
| access-date=February 3, 2007
| date=February 19, 1996
| work=Time Magazine
| archive-date=September 23, 2013
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923040646/http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19960219,00.html
| url-status=live
}}</ref> The IPO also helped kickstart widespread investment in internet companies that created the [[dot-com bubble]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Letzing |first=John |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/lycos-a-web-bubble-star-is-sold-to-indian-firm-2010-08-17 |title=Lycos, an Internet bubble-era star, is sold to Indian firm |publisher=MarketWatch |date=2010-08-17 |access-date=2019-06-13 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407061548/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/lycos-a-web-bubble-star-is-sold-to-indian-firm-2010-08-17 |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is alleged that several Microsoft executives visited the Netscape campus in June 1995 to propose dividing the market (an allegation denied by Microsoft and, if true, would have breached antitrust laws), which would have allowed Microsoft to produce web browser software for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] while leaving all other operating systems to Netscape.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1998/oct/10-20-98/news/news14.html| title=Government alleges illegal campaign by Microsoft| access-date=July 14, 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060708210502/http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1998/oct/10-20-98/news/news14.html| archive-date=July 8, 2006| url-status=dead}}</ref> Netscape refused the proposition. Microsoft released version 1.0 of [[Internet Explorer]] as a part of the [[Windows 95]] [[Microsoft Plus!|Plus Pack]] add-on. According to former [[Spyglass, Inc.|Spyglass]] developer Eric Sink, Internet Explorer was based not on NCSA Mosaic as commonly believed, but on a version of Mosaic developed at Spyglass<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biztech.ericsink.com/Browser_Wars.html|title=Memoirs from the Browser Wars|access-date=July 14, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517004421/http://biztech.ericsink.com/Browser_Wars.html|archive-date=May 17, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> (which itself was based upon NCSA Mosaic). 

This era would become known as the [[browser wars]]. Netscape Navigator was not free to the general public until January 1998,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/netscape-cuts-prices-on-retail-products/|title=Netscape cuts prices on retail products|author=Alex Lash|date=January 30, 1998|newspaper=[[CNET]]|access-date=February 23, 2008|archive-date=August 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812192650/http://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/netscape-cuts-prices-on-retail-products/|url-status=live}}</ref> while Internet Explorer and [[Internet Information Server]] have always been free or came bundled with an operating system and/or other applications. Meanwhile, Netscape faced increasing criticism for "[[Creeping featurism|featuritis]]" – putting a higher priority on adding new features than on making their products work properly. Netscape experienced its first bad quarter at the end of 1997 and underwent a large round of layoffs in January 1998. Former Netscape executives [[Mike Homer]] and [[Peter Currie (businessman)|Peter Currie]] have described this period as "hectic and crazy" and that the company was undone by factors both internal and external.<ref name=twsOctE23>{{cite news
 |author=Alan T. Saracevic
 |title=Silicon Valley: It's where brains meet bucks
 |work=San Francisco Chronicle
 |date=October 23, 2005
 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Silicon-Valley-It-s-where-brains-meet-bucks-2600193.php
 |access-date=May 18, 2014
 |archive-date=November 22, 2012
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122075513/http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Silicon-Valley-It-s-where-brains-meet-bucks-2600193.php
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> In January 1998, Netscape started the [[open source software|open source]] [[Mozilla]] project.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Freeing the Source, The Story of Mozilla|url=https://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/netrev.html|last1=Hamerly|first1=Jim|date=January 1999|access-date=April 27, 2021|last2=Paquin|first2=Tom|editor-last=O'Reilly|editor-link=O'Reilly Media|archive-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129214543/https://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/netrev.html|url-status=live}}.</ref> Netscape publicly released the [[source code]] of Netscape Communicator 5.0 under the [[Netscape Public License]], which was similar to the [[GNU General Public License]] but allowed Netscape to continue to publish proprietary work containing the publicly released code. 

The [[United States Department of Justice]] filed an [[United States v. Microsoft|antitrust case]] against Microsoft in May 1998. Netscape was not a plaintiff in the case, though its executives were subpoenaed and it contributed much material to the case, including the entire contents of the 'Bad Attitude' internal discussion forum.<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine| url=https://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,14743,00.html| title=Microsoft Subpoenas Bad Attitude| access-date=July 14, 2006| magazine=Wired| date=September 1, 1998| archive-date=June 19, 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619101431/http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,14743,00.html| url-status=live}}</ref>