AOL deep-sixes Netscape browser

'Netstripe' graphic elements to give Firefox a Netscape skin

(Credit: AOL)

The Netscape Web browser has long since been eclipsed by its Firefox offshoot, but it's still somewhat noteworthy that AOL is formally pulling the plug on its historic software.

"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. Given AOL's current business focus and the success the Mozilla Foundation has had in developing critically-acclaimed products, we feel it's the right time to end development of Netscape-branded browsers, hand the reigns fully to Mozilla, and encourage Netscape users to adopt Firefox," said Netscape's Tom Drapeau in a blog posting Friday.

Support for the Netscape Navigator browser will continue through February 1, 2008, he said, but AOL is recommending people move to Firefox. The Netscape.com portal will still be available, though, and nostalgia buffs can reskin Firefox with a Netscape look.

Netscape has a long history by Internet standards. The browser's precursor was a separate project, Mosaic, written by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina at the National Center of Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, but Andreessen left to found the Netscape start-up with Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark.

Netscape was key to making the World Wide Web useful and the company's initial public offering is considered the beginning of the dot-com boom. The software also struck fear into the heart of Microsoft, raising the prospect of a computing environment that could rival Windows.

But Microsoft fought back with Internet Explorer, winning away Netscape's dominant market share. Netscape fought back in 1998 with a plan to make its browser open-source software, but that didn't immediately improve the company's prospects, and Netscape ended up an AOL subsidiary even as the Internet service provider continued to ship Microsoft's browser. Sun Microsystems, in a complicated transaction, bought rights to the Netscape server software.

AOL never devoted much effort to Netscape, though the Netscape.com Internet portal still is up and running. But the Mozilla Foundation AOL spun off had more success. The Firefox browser that grew from it now has significant adoption, though still trailing Internet Explorer by a wide margin.

AOL wasn't successful in trying to resurrect the Netscape browser using a Firefox foundation, Drapeau said.

"While internal groups within AOL have invested a great deal of time and energy in attempting to revive Netscape Navigator, these efforts have not been successful in gaining market share from Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Recently, support for the Netscape browser has been limited to a handful of engineers tasked with creating a skinned version of Firefox with a few extensions."

So yes, it's a sad chapter for Netscape Navigator, but at least it lives on as Firefox to give IE a run for its money.

[`WarpKat]

Netscape is Dead!

Long live Netscape!

As the first browser I started using, I learned much about how pages get rendered, JavaScript - as a matter of fact, I still have the electronic versions of their JS guides which were MORE than helpful when I was doing a little experimenting.

I am going to miss the wheel and the big N as they go into the archives of computing history and mentions in Wikipedia.

[Jonathan Machen]

I used to 'scape the net..

..back in the day on a mac - and remember how, when Explorer
came out, I used to opt for that, since it seemed faster. Browsers
were so slow, especially on a slow mac. It's good to read about
the history from today's perspective, knowing that even though
Explorer caught on, it created a nightmare for web designers.
That history in itself is interesting, and Firefox has done a lot to
bring back sanity into web design. Thanks, Stephen, for a story
told with your unique style.

[t8]

Microsoft killed Netscape

Microsoft bundled IE and put it into the kernel of their OS so as to argue in court that it wasn't an application, and therefore legal.

The price that Microsoft paid was this:

1. A hefty fine
2. A criminal conviction
3. Bad will among many including prgrammers
4. An insecure OS as IE opened up the Windows kernel to the WWW. IE & Outlook are the main path for viruses into your system.

All of these have taken a big toll at Microsoft and now Firefox and Google are out innovating them.

The moral of the story is to innovate, not to destroy.

Microsoft may still be making a lot of money, but that is just momentum and it winding down.

The future is the Internet and it belongs to innovators like Google.

[jegabele]

Change from Netscape to SeaMonkey

I too used Netscape many years ago. In fact, I still have a purchased package including the program disk and manual around somewhere. For current Netscape fans, the SeaMonkey browser is the one to switch to instead of Firefox. It has nearly the same functions as Netscape including email.

[i,Jimbot]

Actually, it did.

Interesting memory you have. I recall when Netscape first came
out. The slowness you describe was not from Netscape, but
from connections on your end, in between, on server end, etc.
Please note that I said "when Netscape first came out."

Now, when IE came out, it was pure crap. It was not better, but
back then bundling did matter. It took forever to download
installations, so people used what was on their PC.

Netscape 4 (I think) was very good. I think when they came out
with a new version, they tried to do what MS did with Outlook -
make it a browser/emailer/news reader/kitchen sink. It sucked.
Maybe that's the version you remember.

I do recall that it was not quality that moved IE ahead of
Netscape. It was that MS illegally (as judged by the courts, not
by me) leveraged their monopoly status and bundled software.

[JuggerNaut]

AOL ruined Netscape!

AOL is the reason Netscape became ill relevant, not Microsoft. The only reason IE beat out Navigator was because IE was bundled with Windows; if you were to reverse the roles, then Netscape would have 80% browser-share instead of IE. The fact remains that the majority of computer users are either afraid to download and install anything off of the web or they're just too lazy to look into other alternatives and/or they don't that other alternatives exist.

Netscape Navigator is dead, long live Mozilla Firefox

[MSMAC82]

Don't go Netscape!

When IE continued to close while I was in the middle of something, I went to Firefox. When my page on Firefox wouldn't stop shaking, I went to Netscape. I haven't had a problem since. I for one will miss Netscape.

[george108]

Netscape

Good riddens! It use to be a fast browser until AOL got involved and then it went down. Now it's time for AOL to hit the road.

[shanff]

Do any of you anti IE people THINK?

So Microsoft bundles IE. So What? Apple bundles Safari in OS X. You can remove IE if you want to bad enough, there is software out there that will help you to do just that.

How is the average joe going to get a browser if they can't get on the net to download one? I know how, but the average person getting online wouldn't.

Let's face it. The internet would not have exploded open the way it has if it weren't for IE.

Also, for the moron that mentioned that viruses attack IE and Outlook for entrypoints into a system; that is obvious. Those are the points that connect you to the internet and therefore the obvious entry points. Once other applications and OS's become more popular, they too will become targets and their flaws will be ompromised.

I've gone through the Netscapes, early IE's, mid IE's, current IE's, Phoenix/Firebird/Firefoxm, and Opera. I use IE on Windows, it 'mostly' works for me. I use Firefox on Linux since there is no native IE and on my OSX, I also use Firefox.

[WJeansonne]

You'd think the dumbos at AOL would at least sell it

Talk about a dumb company! Executives at Time Warner could have easily sold Netscape name for millions to help offset their stupid management of AOL and return some value to its shareholders. But no, the ignornant, liberal technophobes or luddites at Time Warner would rather no one have it in a greedy paternalistic way.

Just an observation.

[rnieves1977]

AOL still exists? OMG

thought that whole company went down in a ball of flames already... kinda odd really

[nate.reeves]

aol should deep-six aol

it's really sad that some people just can't let it go.

[DragonWizard]

I use Safari

SO WHO CARES... I use safari on my mac and it does me just fine..
Netscape was a bloated pig of an application anyway.. It always ran
so ssssslllllooooowwwww... that must be why it is taking so long
for it to ddddddiiiiiieeeeee!!!!

[alice_b0wie]

aol is worthless

aol doesnt serve any useful purpose. it says it's losing customers, but who would want to stay with them when they throw your account offline by what "they" determine is offensive in a chatroom? why would anyone stay with them when you store things on aol, then find out they terminated your account for what "they" determine is offensive in a chatroom?
along with that, they install so much bloated software to make their app work. they can spy on everything you do on aol. it has to start when your computer starts because it takes up all the computers resources. then when people get smart and try to uninstall aol, they find what a mess it's made of the registry, etc. it's just a terrible software! i've tried several other programs aol has taken over. icq chatrooms were nice, now it's a horrible program. x-drive doesn't work, netscape was an add for aol. everything aol touches turns to junk. i've followed rule #1 of owning a computer, NEVER INSTALL ANYTHING FROM AOL OR SYMANTEC ON YOUR COMPUTER!

[kyle172]

Netscape? AOL? I feel old

[thetopnerd]

Shawn Richeson - Killeen Texas - Internet Security

If you are concerned about browser security, upgrade to IE7. We have tested every browser performing a series of port scans and trudging through various known malware infected sites and found that firefox and the rest of the 3rd party browsers are not up to par as they claim. Hating Microsoft is not a reason to lessen security.

Killeen Texas Computer Nerds
http://www.clickanerd.com

[thedreaming]

Smart Move

AOL wants to forget that they are an isp and prove to the world that they are yahoo. That's why their homepages look exactly the same.

Their latest AOL software looks more like a web browser with an intergrated email and im client. It doesn't even look like the AOL client of old.

What they really should do is forget the client and let people just use the web services.

Yahoo doesn't try to make web browsers, anti virus packages, or online safety software. They are just a portal and until AOL learns this lesson and dumps all the extra software, they will always just be AOL the isp and not AOL the web portal.

[tgrenier]

aol uses IE and a question

For the longest time The AOL browser was skinned IE. I wonder if that is still true.

and

I read the browser competition comments and wonder what make one browser better than the other. I use IE and Firefox because I like to have two browsers. I like IE's tabs better and FF seems to handle a few secure website logins better for me. SO I like IE. I also remember Netscape and used to really like it compared to IE at the time. It did hewever take forever to load.

[stockyjoe]

Firefox is really the new Netscape

Firefox came about from Mozilla. Its the true next generation of Netscape in spirit. Ever since AOL took over Netscape it was dead.

[JCPayne]

Yawn- Netscape should have gone open source WAY

..... way.... way.... Long ago.... At this point it is useless. All those years of inactivity and having a buggy browser saw the demise of it. Netscape should have been opened up long ago just like that music programme RealPlayer.... Both now today serve no purpose on the 'net.....