The more Netscape's market share falls, the less valuable it becomes to IBM - price and value are now going down in lock step. IBM's already proven it will give acquisitions the freedom and independence they need to compete and win. It's time to pull the trigger. Recently AudetteMedia's HelpDesk list hosted a number of screeds condemning the Council of Better Business Bureaus and charging it with being just a prettified extortion racket. The BBB has a long history and a valid premise.
Local businessmen organize to police themselves and avoid consumer lawsuits.
Their dues go toward setting rules and arbitrating disputes. In small town America, this often worked well. Consumers won redress they couldn't afford in the courts, while businesses cut costs, maintained goodwill, and won political cover against stronger consumer protection laws. After initial resistance, the BBB went online last year. But it remains very, very Clueless.