The hot topic in the tech world is, of course, the ongoing negotiations between AOL, Sun, and Netscape. Apparently AOL and Sun are trying to decide whether or not to buy Netscape; if the deal goes through (for something like $4 billion in stock), AOL would probably run Netcenter and distribute Navigator, while Sun would take over Netscape's server software. You can learn more from an Associated Press article, or just about anywhere else on the web.

Negotiations have been proceeding for at least a couple of weeks now, and while some reports say the deal could close before Thanksgiving, others are saying that the buyout isn't likely to happen at all. We're all just going to have to wait for the other shoe to drop on this one. We're not entirely sure how we feel about the prospect of Netscape being owned by AOL (given the experiences we've had with AOL in the past), but there's no doubt that such a merger would really knock things for a loop. When word of the negotiations leaked out last week, Netscape's stock shot up ten points in one day; at the same time, we're betting that Microsoft's Internet Explorer team was getting a little edgy. After all, the contract between AOL and Microsoft (which bundles IE with AOL's client software) expires next month, at which point AOL is free to bundle any browser it chooses.

Microsoft, of course, is pointing fingers at the negotiations and jumping up and down while screaming, "See? We told you so!" The Redmond Giant has maintained throughout the whole Justice Department affair that they face many "resourceful and capable competitors" (so they can't be guilty of violating antitrust laws, right?) and even went so far as to accuse Netscape, Sun, and AOL of conspiring against them. Netscape's Marc Andreessen has a different take on the negotiations, however: he says Netscape wants the AOL buyout "to use our unique strengths to kick the (expletive) out of the Beast from Redmond that wants to see us both dead." Yeah, but Marc, how do you really feel?