Goodbye to Netscape

[rsawchuk]

Back in the early 90’s if you used the “World Wide Web”, you used Netscape. This program created a graphical user interface that truly simplified Internet navigation. With Netscape as a browser the Internet found an audience. This easy to use software started us down the road, which produced today’s information highway. Netscape was founded in
April 1994 and 16 months later went public (enjoying incredible stock growth). The company was often referred to as the fastest growing software company in history. Netscape’s future looked bright; Netscape executives even claimed that their browser would be the heart of a new Net-based operating system that could challenge the Microsoft Windows hegemony.

Then the “Browser War” started!Microsoft, observing Netscape’s success, decided that they too should have a browser and created Internet Explorer. Early versions of Explorer were a joke, but it was free (back then Netscape was $30) and came with every copy of the Windows operating system. Over time Explorer got better and when Windows 98 was released, it was also an important part of the Windows operating system.

Over time, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer became the browser of choice, used by the majority of web surfers. In 1998, AOL Time Warner, the current owner, purchased the company. On Tuesday of this week, AOL announced it’s going to lay off about 50 Netscape software developers and end development work on the Netscape browser. Netscape isn’t deceased yet, but it has without doubt, been defeated. With no more updates to the browser, its death is just around the corner. Before Netscape passes, let us all stop, and give a twenty-one-click salute to a great piece of software that helped changed our lives. --\\ --

Please note- AOL's actions are bringing about the end of the Netscape browser, but could be the beginning for the Mozilla browser. Several of AOL's software developers will work for Mozilla Foundation(http://www.mozilla.org).

PS. PC World recently rated mozilla as the best browser. Another good one is Opera - http://www.opera.com

[lonewolf3]

One wonders what deal aol and ms cooked up together in order to kill netscape. No doubt they must have colluded. I have always used netscape because it was a good browser and it was not ms, which insisted on bundling ie to the exception of all others. I'll probably go to mozilla.

Jack

[drill7]

I've always been using Netscape 7.1, Explorer always locks up on my computer, so I don't use it. Maybe I'll look into one of the other ones.

[loops]

That's sad, I've always used netscape and 7.1 is the best i've seen.

[cheetah]

It is sad, but as someone already mentioned Mozilla will be taking its place! Netscape was based on Gecko, a technology developed by the Mozilla group, so the code which comprises the browser is practically the same(so is the interface). If you are using Windows, you will never be able to completely get rid of Internet Explorer, because the computer uses a process called explorer.exe to run, and that is the same process as IE uses. As for Mozilla, their team is currently working on a new generation browser called FireBird, it isn't a final release yet, but it already looks quite promissing, and is far better than even IE6.
BTW, you can get FireBird and Mozilla at http://www.mozilla.org

Happy surfing!