Netscape browser officially dead
Basically, AOL will stop supporting the current version of Netscape as of February 1. After that, no more versions of the Netscape browser will be released. Current users will be directed to the Mozilla project.
It's been a long road for web designers with Netscape! I remember when I first started they were the most popular browser on the market. In fact, I nave Netscape's first Communicator suite to thank for helping me get a start in web design! Of course, it all came crashing down and Netscape soon became the browser we all hated to deal with - even worse than the problems we have now with IE 6.
Abhishek Reddy posted this at 13:59 — 30th December 2007.
He has: 3,348 posts
Joined: Jul 2001
I like that you've said "officially" in the title. It has been unofficially dead a long time. But somehow I never saw this coming. Netscape was one of those things I always thought would stick around forever. I guess that's because it began for me as a part of my childhood -- iconic, in more than the literal sense.
pr0gr4mm3r posted this at 21:05 — 30th December 2007.
He has: 1,502 posts
Joined: Sep 2006
Since Netscape is such a small percentage, it's no surprise, really. Netscape is at less than 0.2% this year.
JeevesBond posted this at 02:57 — 31st December 2007.
He has: 3,956 posts
Joined: Jun 2002
It may have had a tiny market share for a long time, but it still feels like the end of an era!
Am in the same boat with Abhi, I remember the days when Netscape was the most popular browser! It's what many of us started out with.
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Megan posted this at 23:25 — 31st December 2007.
She has: 11,421 posts
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Yes, I agree. I haven't bothered testing anything in netscape for ages but it was a big player for so many years. They were such a big part of the early development of the web.
Megan
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pr0gr4mm3r posted this at 19:10 — 3rd January 2008.
He has: 1,502 posts
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I guess you could say that Netscape still lives in Firefox since that's where it came from. Maybe Netscape isn't dead at all, but just in a new form.
Roo posted this at 22:15 — 4th January 2008.
She has: 840 posts
Joined: Apr 1999
Netscape 8 was released a couple of years ago..I have it.
Yes, it was the Communicator Suite that I first got into it with too...Netscape Composer. Actually I still have the old Netscape 4X installed solely for the purpose of it's e-mail client. I have not yet found one that I like as much as that old 4X Messenger.
I remember actually buying the Communicator Suite 2X at Staples way back in the day.
And yes Mozilla began with Netscape's engine so unless they have really changed the underlying programming Firefox pretty much is Netscape.
Hmmm...does anyone still use the Mozilla Suite now that Firefox has taken off and doing well?
Roo
JeevesBond posted this at 22:27 — 4th January 2008.
He has: 3,956 posts
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Isn't it called Seamonkey these days? I think the Mozilla foundation tried to ditch the suite, but people like it too much.
Megan posted this at 14:29 — 8th January 2008.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
Actually, I think I read somewhere that they pretty much started over with the code. That was really one of the problems that led to Netscape's downfall - they open sourced it but found that the old code was too difficult to work with. So they decided to build a new browser from scratch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape#Open_sourcing
But, it is true that many engineers from Netscape were involved in the early development of Mozilla.
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Roo posted this at 23:39 — 4th January 2008.
She has: 840 posts
Joined: Apr 1999
Wow I guess it is Seamonkey! Wow how things change!
JeevesBond posted this at 03:21 — 5th January 2008.
He has: 3,956 posts
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But does the e-mail client pass the Roo test? Is it as good as Netscape Communicator?
myownfreeweb posted this at 03:40 — 20th February 2008.
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Joined: Feb 2008
The only thing that is certain about life is change and taxes. Unfortunately things change, and not always for the better. The old ones are dying. One day Google will pass on also.
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pr0gr4mm3r posted this at 14:28 — 20th February 2008.
He has: 1,502 posts
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Doubt it.
greg posted this at 17:03 — 20th February 2008.
He has: 1,581 posts
Joined: Nov 2005
Yeah, we're not that lucky
I never used Netscape, and as I only began webmastery in the last 18 months, I never tested my sites in it either. But RIP netscape.
IE is still only going strong due to Microsoft's marketing strength and foot firmly in the door. Otherwise IE's popularity may well have fallen more than it has too.
Just like Linux Versus Windows, it was MS marketing strength that pushed Win above Linux - and of course their developing a more user friendly environment (Win 3.11) taking away the DOs command prompt, while Linux was still command prompt.
Which just goes to prove the best businesses don't always come out on top. Linux is a much better OS for many reasons, and had it been the world's choice instead of Win perhaps it would have been better. And Win would have been left with the small percentage like Linux has.
ahh, never mind.
"Windows cannot find this file, do you want to look for it yourself?"
:wall
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