Open Sources

Chapter 14. Freeing the Source: The Story of Mozilla

Jim Hamerly and Tom Paquin with Susan Walton

On January 23, 1998, Netscape made two announcements. The first, as reported by C|Net: “In an unprecedented move, Netscape Communications will give away its Navigator browser, confirming rumors over the last several weeks.”

The second: “It also will give away the source code for the next generation of its Communicator suite.”

The decision to give away the browser came as no surprise, but the release of the source code stunned the industry. It hit the pages of newspapers around the world, and even the Open Source community was surprised at the move. Never before had a major software company opened up its proprietary code. What was Netscape up to now?

We had decided to change the playing field, and not for the first time. Always known for thinking outside the box, this time Netscape was taking the commitment to building a better Internet to a new level. When Netscape initiated unrestricted distribution of early versions of its browser over the Internet in 1994, people said “That’s crazy!” When Netscape said “Free Source Code” they said the same thing.

The discussion period leading up to the Open Source announcement moved like a runaway train. After months of deliberation about whether or not to release the binary for free, critical mass was reached in the decision to free the source in an unbelievable twenty-four hours.

As fast and surprising as the announcement seemed to both insiders ...