Spyglass, Inc.: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox company |
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| name = Spyglass, Inc. |
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| logo = |
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| caption = |
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| type = Public |
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| traded_as = SPYG |
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| genre = <!-- Only used with media and publishing companies --> |
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| fate = acquired by OpenTV |
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| predecessor = |
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| successor = OpenTV |
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| foundation = {{start date and age|1990}} |
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| founder = NCSA, [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] |
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| defunct = 2000 |
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| location_city = [[Champaign, Illinois|Champaign]] |
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| location_country = USA |
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| locations = |
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| area_served = |
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| key_people = |
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| industry = software |
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| products = Internet browser intellectual property |
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| services = |
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| revenue = |
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| operating_income = |
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| net_income = |
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| aum = <!-- Only used with financial services companies --> |
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| assets = |
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| equity = |
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| owner = |
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| num_employees = |
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| parent = |
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| divisions = |
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| subsid = |
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| homepage = <!-- {{URL|examplesite.com|ExampleSite.com}} --> |
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| footnotes = |
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| intl = |
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}} |
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'''Spyglass, Inc.''' (former NASDAQ ticker symbol SPYG), was an Internet software company based in [[Champaign, Illinois|Champaign]], [[Illinois]]. |
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The company, founded in 1990, was an offshoot of the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] and created to commercialize and support technologies from the [[National Center for Supercomputing Applications]] (NCSA). For several years, it focused on data visualization tools, such as graphing packages and 3D rendering engines.<ref name="eric">{{cite web|url=http://www.ericsink.com/Browser_Wars.html|title=Memoirs From the Browser Wars|date=15 April 2003|accessdate=16 February 2011|first=Eric|last=Sink}}</ref> It became most known for its version of the [[Mosaic (web browser)|Mosaic]] web browser. |
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==Mosaic== |
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In May 1994, Spyglass licensed NCSA's [[Mosaic (web browser)|Mosaic]] browser for several million dollars, with the intent to develop their own Web browser.<ref>{{cite newspaper |title=Spyglass to commercialize future Mosaic versions |first=Ellis |last=Booker |newspaper=Computerworld |date=29 Aug 1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AXUevDTWEy0C&pg=PA16}}</ref> However, NCSA's development effort had resulted in different features, user interfaces, and codebases for each of its major platforms: [[UNIX]], [[Microsoft Windows]], and [[Mac OS]]. Spyglass therefore created its own Mosaic codebase in which most source code and all features were shared between platforms.{{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} |
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Spyglass offered a 30-day trial version for download, but did not actually sell the product to end-users. Instead, it licensed the code to re-sellers that delivered either an unmodified Spyglass Mosaic (e.g., [[O'Reilly Media|O'Reilly and Associates]]) or a browser based on the Spyglass codebase (as did [[CompuServe]], [[IBM]] and [[Ipswitch, Inc.|Ipswitch]]).<ref>{{cite newspaper |first1=Rick |last1=Ayre |first2=Thomas |last2=Mace |title=Just Browsing |newspaper=PC Mag |date=12 March 1996 |publisher=Ziff Davis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9rGvyMX6n8cC&pg=RA1-PA142}}</ref> Among the browsers produced under license using Spyglass Mosaic's codebase was also [[Microsoft]]'s [[Internet Explorer]]. |
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In addition to the major desktop platforms, Spyglass ported Mosaic to other systems including [[Nintendo 64]] for the [[SharkWire Online]] system.<ref name="SharkWire PR">{{cite press release | title=SharkWire Online(TM) by InterAct Allows Gamers To Get Online, In-Touch and Ahead | agency=PR Newswire | publisher=InterAct Accessories, Inc. | location=Hunt Valley, MD | date=May 12, 1999 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sharkwire-onlinetm-by-interact-allows-gamers-to-get-online-in-touch-and-out-ahead-74514522.html | accessdate=January 7, 2015}}</ref> |
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===Browser wars=== |
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{{Main|Browser wars}} |
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[[Netscape Communications Corporation]], co-founded by [[Marc Andreessen]], released its flagship [[Netscape Navigator]] browser in October 1994, and the company soon became the web browser industry leader. Microsoft recognized the potential of the web, and wanting to get into the browser game as soon as possible, decided to license an existing browser rather than build one from scratch. |
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After Microsoft lost out to [[AOL]] for [[BookLink]]'s browser in November 1994, their talks with Spyglass progressed.<ref>Wallace, James (1997), Overdrive, John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-18041-6.</ref> In 1995, Microsoft licensed Mosaic from Spyglass as the basis of [[Internet Explorer 1|Internet Explorer 1.0]], which was released as an add-on to [[Windows 95]] in the [[Microsoft Plus!]] software package. The deal stipulated that Spyglass would receive a base quarterly fee for the Mosaic license plus a royalty from Microsoft's Internet Explorer revenue.<ref name="bw">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/january/new0122d.htm|title=MICROSOFT'S $8 MILLION GOODBYE TO SPYGLASS|accessdate=9 February 2011|first=Peter|last=Elstrom|date=22 January 1997|publisher=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]}}</ref> |
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Microsoft subsequently bundled Internet Explorer with Windows, and thus (making no direct revenues on IE) paid only the minimum quarterly fee. In 1997, Spyglass threatened Microsoft with a contractual audit, in response to which Microsoft settled for {{USD|8 million}}.<ref name="bw" /><ref name="win">{{cite web|url=http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/news2/microsoft-and-spyglass-kiss-and-make-up.aspx|title=Microsoft and Spyglass kiss and make up|last=Thurrott|first=Paul|authorlink=Paul Thurrott|date=22 January 1997|accessdate=9 February 2011}}</ref> |
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All versions of the Internet Explorer created before [[Internet Explorer 7]] (released October 18, 2006) acknowledged Spyglass as the licensor for the IE browser code. The About window on these versions contained the text "Distributed under a licensing agreement with Spyglass, Inc." |
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==Web server technology== |
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Spyglass created and marketed a commercially supported [[web server]] for [[Unix]] and [[Windows NT]], variously called Spyglass Server and Server SDK. The product was announced in March 1995<ref name="directions">{{cite newspaper |newspaper=Computerworld |title=Web servers move in different directions |date=27 March 1995 |first=Ellis |last=Booker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JS8X7n5yIoC&pg=PA16}}</ref> and became available in July 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/945256/0000950137-97-004112.txt|title=Spyglass, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1997|accessdate=9 February 2011}}</ref> Like the [[Netscape]] server that was already on the market, the Spyglass Server included an [[application programming interface]] that allowed [[server-side]] applications to run in the server's process. The two server platforms differed in their approach to security, with Spyglass using the [[Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol]] (SHTTP), while Netscape used its own [[Secure Sockets Layer]] (SSL).{{r|directions}} Spyglass did not offer their server as a retail product, instead licensing it in volume to [[original equipment manufacturer]]s, as it did with its browser.{{r|directions}} The largest licensee was [[Oracle Corporation]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} |
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==End of Spyglass== |
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On March 26, 2000, [[OpenTV]] bought out Spyglass in a stock swap worth $2.5 billion. The acquisition was completed July 24, 2000. In the deal, they received both Device Mosaic, an embedded web browser, and Prism, a [[content delivery]] and transformation system.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/327661|title=OpenTV Buys Spyglass|last=Boulton|first=Clint|date=27 March 2000|accessdate=9 February 2011}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{wayback|date=20071011145500|url=http://www.omimo.be/encyc/buyersguide/Players/Object1020.html|title=Brief profile of Spyglass from www.omimo.be}} |
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{{Internet Explorer}} |
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{{Timeline of web browsers|1990s}} |
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[[Category:1994 software]] |
[[Category:1994 software]] |
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[[Category:Companies established in 1990]] |
[[Category:Companies established in 1990]] |
Revision as of 20:52, 19 September 2016
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