AOL dumps support for Netscape Navigator
The legend is going down. A historic name in software will effectively pass into history in February as AOL discontinues development and active support for the Netscape browser, according to an official blog. AOL will keep delivering security patches for the current version of Netscape until Feb. 1, 2008, after which it will no longer provide active support for any version of the software, according to a Friday entry on The Netscape Blog by Tom Drapeau, lead developer for Netscape.com. The Netscape.com Web site will remain as a general-purpose portal. Netscape was the original mass-market Web browser and helped to popularize the Internet in the mid-1990s, but it has long taken a back seat to Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.
Firefox itself traces its roots back to Netscape software that was made into open source. The Mozilla Foundation was founded in 2003, with support from AOL, and has released successive versions of Firefox while AOL continued to develop Netscape on top of the same platform, Drapeau wrote. Groups within AOL have tried and failed to revive Netscape Navigator and gain market share against Internet Explorer, according to the blog entry. As of this month, Netscape had only 0.6 percent of the browser market, which was still dominated by Internet Explorer with more than 77 percent, according to Web application and analytics firm Net Applications. Firefox was gaining, however, with market share just over 16 percent. Rest in piece.
Source: PC World
No one I know uses internet explorer anymore. We all use firefox.
So what!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to use Netscape back in the days it was my alternative to Internet Explorer, way back before there was Firefox … it would be sadly to see it go down.
Screw firefox too. IE explorer.
90% of Mongolians uses Internet Explorer 6
@4
internet explorer explorer?
LESS NEWS
There’s no mention in this article of it’s place in history starting as the program “Mosaic”. For a more detailed look at the software that changed the net from a “unix only” environment refer to these URLs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_(web_browser)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_Communications_Corporation
It was sad to see the once former giant (first browser to get full NSA security approval) be taken over by AOL - which made a no brainer piece of adware/bloatware out of it. I think this was the final blow to it.
@8
first link didn’t post correctly. Should be:
“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_(web_browser)”
all on one line from http…..browser)
I used netscape before AOL took over a long while back too… netscape may have started stuff, but it went nowhere but down after AOL took over for sure.
Sorry, best browser is Opera.
An admittedly close second from Firefox, but its popularity (along with memory hemmorages) will soon be its downfall.
*peace
0.6% usage share.
netscape is dead for years…
lol yes, “peace”, not “piece” unless that’s an obscure form of humour we aren’t yet familiar with.
I remember when development of web design was severely hamstrung by having to ensure compatibility with Netscape Navigator 3. It was seen as a pain in the butt by developers, hardly a standard-bearer of web standards.
IMO that’s why it got left behind. Firefox simply got the approach right. Ended up being the preferred alternative to IE. Opera only got a shoe-in because it was available to Mac users before Firefox was, and it also got the approach right.
Rest in peace netscape.. gone but you will not be forgotten.. was my first browser and loved it
WOW! i thought this was non-existent since ‘98! LOL but i was wrong! FIREFOX all the way baby! sweetest browser around - the fact that it’s open source and you get all those excellent add-ons just kicks IE7’s ass!
All my friends use Firefox, IE sucks and hard.
But yes, those old times. Back in the school long long time ago, we were using Netscape and then couple of my friend used Opera.
i am using ie 7 with vista and i get no problems……
Mozilla Foundation might have been established in 2003. But the Mozilla Organization was founded in 1998, the same year Netscape became open source.
@ 11. Redlazer:
Get yourself some more ram, it’s cheap and no argument.
I’ve got my PC stuffed with 4GB and I don’t have memory problems…
To bad Netscape is dead, it was a pioneer in the browser market back in the days…
I use to use Netscape a while back, but it was never that good in my eyes. Even with IE at a loss the way it always was, I still found Netscape to be an inconvenient alternative.
Opera ftw tbh.
@20:
You can still have memory problems, although you don’t notice em as badly as one with lesser ram
Now if only MS dropped that IE turd…
I remember using Netscape on those Mac’s during junior school about 12 years ago.
Good days.
Funny that I guess im the only one that uses Netscape Navigator. Yes back in the day I used it like we all did. But about 4 to 6 months ago I started to use it again because its just firefox with a Netscape Navigator skin on top of it. I like the default install of Netscape Navigator over Firefox. One thing is that Firefox has Tabbed browsing but you have to add the button yourself for Tabbed browsing but Netscape Navigator adds one for you.its just small stuff like that.
I haven’t used Netscape in years. I think it’s been around 6 years or so. I started using Internet Explorer, and now I’m a loyal Firefox fan. I thought Netscape was already dead anyways. Who even uses Netscape?
Haha, I don’t trust those statistics one bit.. why??? One sentence…
“Source: PC World”
BUYER BEWARE!!!
I read an article literally a few weeks ago that stated Firefox had just pipped ahead of IE in browser usage stats.
I’m glad people are finally waking up and realizing there’s more to PCs than what comes with your freakin’ machine.
Finally they are going to kill it. No one has been caring about netscrape since 2000.
IRT 20. GaMeR
Already got 2 gigs. ANd unless youre using 64 bit windows, youre missing at best 1 gig of that (even if it shows up in Windows, its still not adressable to any programs).
And thats a silly argument - “My car has a hole in the gas tank. I want it fixed.”
“Nah, you dont need it fixed. Just keep refilling the tank.”
-Red
3. Victor.
#
I used to use Netscape back in the days it was my alternative to Internet Explorer, way back before there was Firefox … it would be sadly to see it go down.
##############################
Hehe
Netscape was never an alternative. It used to be only dominant web browser, IE didn’t even exist those days.
It’s an old giant that simply had to die.
Mozilla is its successor
Wow, I didn’t even realise Netscape was still alive…
this is a bit sad.. rip NN!
IE7+Internet Explorer Professional addon
http://www.ie7pro.com/
I haven’t got any problems with these two! I’ve installed firefox but some sites just doesn’t displayed right so(maybe i needed to install something flash plug-in)…
Sum of 1 + 2 ?
Hey - It looks I’m one of the few that still use Netscape….. it doesnt really make a difference!!
WHy dontya guys give it a shot - it still works pretty fast !! (I find it better than Opera and FF in terms of speed….)
@20: Probably u don’t even know what system ppl have and telling them to upgrade blah blah … I am running amd dual core and 2gig ddr corsair xms pro (research it before making a comment :P), got 2gig pny ram more but timing is slower so I only use this 2gig corsair for faster response/speed.
. Anyway, why isn’t there Opera share listed ? ~_~ .
FF hasn’t even fix the memory problem ever since the day it was found, no matter how much memory u had … of course it isn’t going to kill ur system . ~_~ .
I am using Opera and open 30 tab with 200k ram in uses . If it was FF, probably around 400k ram or more . The max I seen was 900k goin up and down. I am using Vista x64 and would hate to see some system performace going down because of some software eat a chunk of it .
Anyway, netscape was dead way back at the time … only highschool back in the day uses it with Mac comp
Firefox is a ramhog, but it still beats IE.
@36 Vitz: One thing that some people dont know (and those who do tend not to think about) is that Opera can masquerade as Firefox or IE at more than one level. So the poll tends to anihilate Opera off the chart.
I myself build systems, and introduce Opera to my clients. about 80% usualy come back for service/upgrade after a year or so and almost all of them say that going back to IE/FF would be punishment.
I support Opera, it is and has always been the safest browser so far. Just that it isnt quite as maleable and popular.
Concerning security, I did not make up my last statement.
I belive that Secunia has undeniable authority (and reputation for that matter):
Compare Opera http://secunia.com/product/10615/?task=statistics
…With Firefox http://secunia.com/product/12434/?task=statistics
Was my first browser……long…long time ago
IE=crap
Firefox=almost crap
Opera=not bad, but ain’t the best
K-meleon………rules
Explorer 76734 53.11%
Firefox 22640 15.67%
Opera 10964 7.59%
Netscape 5872 4.06%
Safari 2796 1.94%
Seamonkey 2683 1.86%
Other 2464 1.71%
Mozilla 2422 1.68%
Konqueror 1987 1.38%
Opera Mini 1540 1.07%
@38 I fully agree
nohing more to add. Maybe that if i ever had some issue with opera i opened irc of Opera support and got answer within 15minutes (for free)