Everybody is too scared of Microsoft Corp to go on the record, but several personal computer manufacturers told PC Week that Microsoft Corp did use various pressure tactics to persuade them to emphasize Internet Explorer over Netscape Communications Corp’s Navigator, the paper says. Two told it that Microsoft has threatened to re-evaluate Windows95 licensing fees if competing products, such as Navigator, are bundled on their systems, and one alleged Microsoft is also withholding participation in marketing programs with vendors that bundle both Navigator and Explorer, instead of just the latter. Another said Microsoft tried to raise its Windows95 fee when the vendor requested that Microsoft remove Explorer 3.0 from the operating system. Microsoft has denied all charges made by Netscape in its August 12 letter to the Justice Department.
