Netscape Officially Closes Down On March 1
A pioneer in the Internet revolution will fall silent on March 1. The venerable Netscape Browser (owned by our parent company AOL) -- once the leader in Web browsers -- is finally throwing in the towel. Netscape will still be available to download after the end of the month, but AOL will no longer update the product or offer any technical support.
After losing the browser wars of the '90s to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape struggled in obscurity and irrelevance. Eventually, Netscape opened its source code, allowing anyone to see it, use it, and alter it , which eventually gave birth to Mozilla and Firefox (now the second most popular browser after Explorer).
At this time, Netscape has a dismal 0.61 percent of the browser market, so it's highly unlikely you know anyone who is still using it. But if you do, then you should encourage them to follow the advice to be found on the Netscape site, which suggests you download Firefox.
If you really miss the all-in-one nature of Netscape, then also check out SeaMonkey, which is based on the same code as Firefox and is compatible with many of the same extensions.
From ArsTechnica
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cindy @ Feb 22nd 2008 5:56PM
Dang. I was waiting for them to release Netscape Navigator Version POS. Oh wait, they already did that.
Stephen @ Feb 23rd 2008 12:39AM
My hat is off to Netscape. It was part of my first years on the web and I used it religiously. I now use Firefox and Seamonkey, but still have Navigator 9 installed on my PC. Thanks for the good work.
CountCLTNC @ Feb 23rd 2008 2:18PM
Wow, I remember Netscape from 8 yrs ago, but then haven't heard about it or used in 7 yrs. I guess it went the way of Prodigy...remember that one?
becolby @ Feb 24th 2008 1:14PM
Too bad for Netscape, they were quite the innovators back in the day. However; this is what happens when a business tries to rest on its laurels. Microsoft beat them by providing what the majority of people wanted, when they wanted it. Netscape relied on catering to the Geeks, much as Apple did. I am a geek myself but the money is with the general public.
Phahque AOhell @ Feb 24th 2008 5:55PM
Is anyone surprised as much as AOL sucks that its browser would ALSO suck? Too bad AOL cares more about sending crap to your computer now (cookies, spyware, BS of various sorts)so they can track your habits vs upgrading all these horrid programs. Hell, AOL for MAC is virtually useless now and AOL for PCs has caused more crashes than iced bridges.
David @ Feb 24th 2008 7:56PM
Man. I wish someone WOULD make something better than AOL. I've had this service for 13 years now and they always find a new way to tick me off. They are the Verizon if ISP's. Hypocrites too...will put people in jail for spam but will send you constant crap themselves or pop ups asking you take a survey. I would rather they make laws to prevent paper junk from cloggin my mailbox.
Cindy @ Feb 26th 2008 1:25PM
I always preferred Netscape to Explorer, hate to see it go.
lmosenko @ Feb 26th 2008 1:40PM
I agree that AOL Sucks the big one...But Let's not forget the good old days of Netscape...When it came out, it Was the Only good invasion on the seen. It was the only web browser which gave you the capability to open a new Tab...Instead of opening a new window(like IE) of the day. And It did pioneer the web browser design and ease of use.
dai @ Feb 29th 2008 10:38PM
Goodbye Netscape Navigator
The news of falling of Netscape is all over the place.
It depicts another era in the history of www.
It had been surviving as a lost warrior since (around) 1995 when it started loosing the grip over www to its rival internet explorer.
I believe many people do not mind its ultimate demise because we now have got its ultimate progeny: Mozilla Firefox.
We are eagerly waiting for the ultimate release of Firefox3(FF3).