Netscape (was Re: PayPal = payola?)

From: Tothwolf <tothwolf_at_concentric.net>
Date: Sat Jan 26 00:50:07 2002

On Fri, 25 Jan 2002, Ethan Dicks wrote:
> --- Bryan Pope <bpope_at_wordstock.com> wrote:
> > And thusly Richard Erlacher spake:
> > >
> > > When Netscape was released, it required a third-party "WINSOCK" module
> > > that one had to buy from someone, normally "Trumpet" and that P*SSED me
> > > off, since I'd previously been able to work with a free version.
> >
> > Trumpet WinSock was needed with Windows 3.1 because it did not have a
> > TCP/IP stack.
>
> Exactly. MicroSloth didn't provide an IP stack for Winblows until
> "Windows for Workgroups" and even then, it wasn't loaded automatically;
> you had to go out and download it from MS seperately (but it was free,
> providing you knew to go out and look for it).
>
> You had to go out and get a Winsock no matter what browser or ftp or
> telnet client you wanted to use. Either way, though, it was still
> better than the options under DOS. It's why I always used something
> else as a last hop to the outside.
>
> I installed Trumpet on a number of Win3.1 machines at McMurdo Station
> in 1995, back when Netscape still had a "Throbbing N". Before that,
> we used Mosaic. Eventually, we went with WfW 3.11 and the MS TCP/32
> "upgrade". It wasn't great, but it was free.

MS TCP/IP32 still did not add support for dialup connections. Its winsock
only supported a local network. For a windows 3.x machine, Trumpet
basically was the only choice if you wanted to use a modem to connect to
an isp.

-Toth
Received on Sat Jan 26 2002 - 00:50:07 GMT