Netscape signs a standard deal

Netscape and Hewlett Packard are to collaborate on selling software and standards into the corporate market.

Both companies will put research and development skills into creating packaged and customised products to compete head-on with IBM's Lotus Notes, they said last week.

The Netscape deal with HP represents a further push to establish itself against Microsoft and IBM. It already has similar deals with other players including Sun and Digital.

Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale told a press conference in California that the deal would not be the last. Collaboration will focus on developing common messaging and email standards in the corporate market.

Sources at Netscape said HP's existing broad-based corporate base would give it extra leverage in the struggle, and Wall Street agreed. News of the deal lifted Netscape's share price by $2.5 to reach $66, while HP's stock rose by half a point to $113.