Hotmail, Netscape to expand

LONDON, MAR 17: Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said the software company has plans to boost the functionality of its internet-based electr...

LONDON, MAR 17: Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said the software company has plans to boost the functionality of its internet-based electronic mail service Hotmail, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. In an interview with the London-based newspaper, Gates said Hotmail will be expanded to offer storage of personal computer users8217; text files, calendars, lists of favorite web sites and other data.

The free service will enable users to find all of the material stored on their home computers using any internet link. quot;We have an aggressive plan to roll this out,quot; Gates said.

On Tuesday, the search and navigation service Netscape Communications Corp announced another step into E-commerce with the expansion of the Netscape Store to offer a broad range of software in addition to its own brand. Another online shopping announcement came from the search engine Inktomi Corp, which said it had entered agreements with 300 online merchants to work with it on its new Shopping Engine, which is being launched later this year.

Gates also said the next version of its Windows NT operating system, for use on corporate networks, would automatically replicate PC files on a network server and make it easier to distribute software updates to all the PCs linked to the network.

The Microsoft chairman declined to comment on the anti-trust suit brought against the company by the Department of Justice but said the success of its Windows operating system was in part due to the company8217;s vigilance in tracking competition.

Netscape says it believes it too can leverage its popular content and navigation services to build a major shopping destination on the Internet. quot;Netscape was among the Internet8217;s first online retailers and a pioneer in the distribution of software online, so expanding our software Store is a clear next step,quot; said Maria Wilhelm, senior vice president of consumer programming for Netcenter.

quot;We have to redefine the way people think about computer operating systems so they don8217;t even consider Windows to be in the same category as competitors,quot; Gates said. quot;That is our job.quot;

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Gates also said he was convinced competitors would gain a critical advantage over Microsoft if the Redmond, Washington-based company did not move fast enough. quot;The culture of our company is never to dismiss these things that are coming along,quot; he said. quot;We were one of those things that came along.quot;