Author: Matt

“Oh.”

Amazon.com responding to Barnes & Noble responding to Amazon.com, as the online booksellers duke it out with press releases, PR Newswire, 6 November 1998

“This sets up to be a virtual bonanza for every book lover in the world.”

Barnes & Noble chairman Len Riggio, on his plans to merge Ingram Book Group, the largest book distributor in the world, with B&N, the largest bricks-and-mortar bookseller in the world, a move sure not to to raise eyebrows at the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust department, News.com, 6 November 1998

“Microsoft has to innovate beyond standard protocols. We would lose differentiation if we did not.”

Microsoft marketing manager Ed Muth, responding to critics of an internal memo detailing the need for Microsoft to subvert open standards to survive, News.com, 4 November 1998

“[Our boards are] the opposite of navel-gazing…. This is for people who have the least access to other venues.”

Brill’s Content self-publisher Steven Brill, on his magazine’s new media complaint boards, which are conveniently accessible only through America Online, Wired News, 4 November 1998

“Clear ontology and powerful searching — those are things you usually hear from portals, not so-called content sites.”

CNET CEO Halsey Minor, describing the shifting strategy of several purportedly editorial Web sites his company publishes, at NDA ’98 in San Diego, 2 November 1998