[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[FYI] MS scraps Internet-control deal



http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/21936.html

------------------------------ CUT -------------------------------

MS scraps Internet-control deal  

By Kieren McCarthy  

Posted: 28/09/2001 at 15:34 GMT  

The latest version of Internet Explorer is routing mistyped Web 
addresses through MSN's search engine, in direct contravention of a 
contract that RealNames (in which Microsoft has a significant stake) 
has with domain name company XTNS. Or so XTNS claims.  

If someone types a misspelled Web address into the browser - or one 
that doesn't exist - rather that get an error page, that search is 
run through a company search engine which tries to match up whatever 
was typed with the actual Web site they are after. So, for example, 
"tomb.raider" could lead to Eidos' homepage.  

All these searches are supposed to be run through XTNS - a 
Californian company set up five months ago - but in Explorer 6, if 
the search includes a dot, it is routed through Microsoft's own 
servers instead. XTNS says this is a breach of contract.  

[...]

------------------------------ CUT -------------------------------