Netscape to depart from the Internet world.

[redbeacon]

AOL to End Support for Netscape Browser

Stephen Lawson, IDG News

Friday, December 28, 2007 3:40 PM PST

 

 

What was one of the popular Web browser, Netscape's acquirier, AOL, has discontinued development and active support for the Netscape browser.

 

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/530/ctmpphpgx54mexw7.gif

 

An 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.

 

"AOL's focus on transitioning to an ad-supported Web business leaves little room for the size of investment needed to get the Netscape browser to a point many of its fans expect it to be," Drapeau wrote. "Given AOL's current business focus ... we feel it's the right time to end development of Netscape branded browsers, hand the reins fully to Mozilla and encourage Netscape users to adopt Firefox," Drapeau wrote.

 

The Mosaic Netscape browser was posted for downloading in 1994 by Mosaic Communications, which later changed its name to Netscape Communications. That company kicked off the dot-com boom with its hugely successful initial public offering in August 1995 and was acquired by AOL in 1999. But Internet Explorer, introduced in 1995, eventually dominated the browser market. Microsoft's bundling of its browser with Windows operating systems was a key issue in antitrust lawsuits filed against it in 1997.

 

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.

 

Users will still be able to download old versions of Netscape from an archive, currently located here, though they will not be supported by AOL, Drapeau wrote.

 

For those wanting to continue its trilogy, use Firefox.

Firefox was built on Netscape's idealogy and technology and it uses Netscape's same "engine" to deliver users not only webpages, but the experience one gets while surfing the internet.

[jB]

still prefer IE for me :]

[redbeacon]

still prefer IE for me :]

Hi-5 dude

[Refugee]

anwyay most browsers are same lah.... IMO that is...

 

unless you're doing testing...

[redbeacon]

anwyay most browsers are same lah.... IMO that is...

 

unless you're doing testing...

I do develop websites as well, and this is where the headache starts.

 

Imagine doing up a website specially catered for IE7.

When you open it up in Firefox, a portion on your website didn't display itself properly or that it doesn't show up due to compatibility reasons. Because of that, I'd have to go back and do the extra coding work just to force Firefox to make it show, or to do "browser check" coding.

 

Pretty leceh I must say.

What to do? The public already flock to Firefox loh, so we have to code our website to accomodate these groups of people

[reddy]

i used to love netscape.. heh

[redbeacon]

i used to love netscape.. heh

Why not indulge in nostalgia, bro?

 

Netscape has promised to publish its browsers on their website even after support will be stopped for them. And you also get to pick what version you want...NS8, NS7, NS4.5, etc...

[Stardust83]

yah...i use to use Netscape also...but change to Mozilla Firefox...lolx..

[jB]

IE suits me best, simple from the start of me using windows 95 till now dunno what pentium or what windows series liao still using IE but bo pian have to update to IE 7 cuz of sth or else I still using original IE.

Spyware or whatever crap firefox all these still will get it.Whatever flaws IE can have or loopholes Firefox doesn't have, hackers and smart people will make things happen.Technology changes fast so there's not much we can do.

[wait4me]

I do develop websites as well, and this is where the headache starts.

 

Imagine doing up a website specially catered for IE7.

When you open it up in Firefox, a portion on your website didn't display itself properly or that it doesn't show up due to compatibility reasons. Because of that, I'd have to go back and do the extra coding work just to force Firefox to make it show, or to do "browser check" coding.

 

Pretty leceh I must say.

What to do? The public already flock to Firefox loh, so we have to code our website to accomodate these groups of people

 

coding , means yr programming language very good le

teach me java can ?