microcurrency: Netscape vs. Microsoft

[Sean Roach]

At 09:13 PM 1/20/97 -0800, Lucky Green wrote:
>At 11:46 AM 1/20/97 -0800, Vladimir Z. Nuri wrote:

>>1. an html tag that indicates how much a link costs, probably in
>>the <a href="" cost=xx> type syntax
>
>This could be done, but is, IMHO, too inflexible.
>
Also, with tags, I could download the page with good old fashioned netscape
3.0 Gold, (possibly the last browser without this), allowing me to get the
entire page, neutralize the tag either by hand or with a simple app. and
view the site sans payment.  The blocks that I see to this are server push
upon receipt of cash and encrypted pages only accessable upon (automatic)
payment, not unlike pay-per-view satellite television.  The problem here is
the patent that was stirring up trouble here a few months ago.  The one that
Compuserve stood up against involving the use of this on computer networks.
I really think that a tag alone wouldn't be worth much, not without a CGI
script to verify it or a JAVA app. to run it.

Please correct me if I am in error.