December 28th 2007

End of Support for Netscape web browsers

Posted by Tom Drapeau

› tags: AOL, Mozilla, Netscape, Netscape Navigator, NetscapeNavigator, Web Browsers, WebBrowsers

AOL has a long history on the internet, being one of the first companies to really get people online. Throughout its lifetime, it has been involved with a number of high profile acquisitions, perhaps the largest of which was the 1999 acquisition of the Netscape Communications Corporation. Netscape was known to many as the thought leader in web browsing, and had developed a number of complementary pieces of software that allowed for a rich suite of internet tools.

At the time of the acquisition, the Netscape team had begun working on converting their flagship product - the Netscape Communicator web suite - into open source software, under a new name: Mozilla. AOL played a significant role in the launch of the Netscape 6 browser, the first Mozilla-based, Netscape-branded browser that was released in 2000 and continued to solely fund the development and marketing efforts of Netscape-branded browsers. In 2003, an independent foundation was created to support the continued development of the open source web suite. AOL was a major source of support for the Mozilla Foundation and the company continued to develop versions of the Netscape browser based on the work of the foundation.

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.

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 reins fully to Mozilla and encourage Netscape users to adopt Firefox.

Q: What will this mean?
A: We'll continue to release security patches for the current version of the browser, Netscape Navigator until February 1, 2008. After February 1, there will be no more active product support for Navigator 9, or any previous Netscape Navigator browser. This includes Netscape v1-v4.x, Netscape v6, Netscape v7 Suite, Netscape Browser v8, and Netscape Navigator/Messenger 9.

Q: I use Netscape now. Now that Netscape is stopping support, what do I do?
A: The Netscape Team fully stands behind the fine work being done by the Mozilla Foundation. We recommend that you download Mozilla Firefox and give it a try. We know you'll enjoy it!

Q: Will I still be able to use Netscape?
A: You will still be able to download old versions of Netscape from the Netscape Archive (link coming). However, these products are no longer supported. Our recommendation for the nostalgic out there is to download Mozilla Firefox, and add on the Netscape theme and Netscape extensions which are available here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/user/56836

This way you'll have a current web browser that is very secure, and has the look and feel you have grown accustomed to with Netscape.

Q: Will anyone be around to answer my questions?
A: The following sites will continue to exist and offer information about Netscape after February 1, 2008: The UFAQ (http://www.ufaq.org/), the Netscape Archive, the Netscape Community Forum (http://community.netscape.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=ws-nscpbrowser&redirCnt=1).

Please bear in mind that no active product support will be available.

Q: Does this mean that Netscape is dead?
A: While we will no longer support the Netscape web browser as of February 1, 2008, Netscape.com (http://www.netscape.com) will still continue to serve as a general use Internet portal.

related links ›

Comments

(Page 5)

7:18PMMiz Marge

I was using Netscape for many years but when AOL took over I couldn't access my email through the Netscape browser and had to switch to IE. I don't like it and have had lots of problems with AOL mail -- it is SO inferior to Netscape. It's just another example of monopolistic business practices being the enemy of innovation and the consumer.

4:24AMMarc

God bless that tag :)

7:28PMDCzar

For years I've loved Netscape Communicator since it had a web editor, mail and NG's so I will rue it's passing and interface.

IE kills another, or was it Redmond?

7:33PMMark Evans

Maybe Facebook should buy the Netscape assets to create the FBrowser. Or buy Flock - http://markevanstech.com/2007/11/21/the-facebook-browser/

8:12PMMartyn

This is a real shame, Navigator 9 is a *good* product (better than FF in some respects), RIP Netscape.

10:01PMKevin

How about killing the AOL custom browser instead?

7:49PMStewart Hartley

Some of us have Safari, so it's no big loss, although the proffered support for Firefox is very good news. Let's hope the integration of staff and ideas works well.

7:52PMDettling

Very bad news...

8:03PMB. Keith Brown

Ah, those were the days, when the internet was new, and Netscape was king! Auld lang syne will have a special meaning this New Years! Netscape changed the world - not a bad epitaph.

8:34PMZam Ismail

a little sad to hear that this is the end of the road for Netscape, the browser. i remembered the first time i used Netscape Navigator in 1995, when my first year at university in Malaysia introduced me to the wonderful world of the Internet. Netscape was the first software application i used to browse the world wide web. Mosaic was also installed in some of the machines at my university and i did try out Mosaic, but at the time Netscape was the best program available to browse the web. Netscape's Communicator internet suite which included an email client and simple webpage creator was a favourite of mine.

can't tell you how much i appreciate the efforts of those who have worked for Netscape. if it wasn't for the people who contributed in making this piece of software, the Internet would still be inaccessible to the masses in the mid-1990s.

Netscape, you leave us a legacy. and even though you will be discontinued as an updated software product, we still have your little cousin Firefox to remind us about you. don't forget to say 'Hi!' to your uncle Mosaic for us in software heaven... cheers! :)

8:42PMVirginia

Oh, no!!!! PLEASE DON'T KILL NETSCAPE!!!!! I tried Firefox several months ago and DIDN'T LIKE IT!!!! There are two features in Netscape that are NOT in Firefox as far as I can tell. The first is the ability to have mutliple user identities with different home pages, preferences, and bookmarks. I work from home. With this feature, I can keep my work persona and personal stuff separate. The second is that, although I told Firefox to open separate tabs, when I would have one page open then select another from my bookmarks, it would not open a separate tab -- the bookmark selection would replace my current page. With Netscape, the bookmark selection would open a separate tab. The ONLY quibble I had with Netscape -- and the reason I tried Firefox -- was that it would freeze frequently when I opened it. This occurred far too often to please me, but was still a lesser disadvantage than the two I cite with Firefox.

PLEASE, PLEASE, CONTINUE NETSCAPE!!!!!

1:27AMRobert Moore

I would be interested in continuing the NetScape development effort. How can I do that?

Please contact me at the above email address.....

8:53PMBen

I haven't used Netscape for years - I found it unwieldy around version 5, so I changed to Mac IE (rather better than the Windows version) then Firefox, which I think is pretty good.

That said, I used to use Netscape around 10 years ago on HP Unix machines, and I remember the early years of the web (back when the internet was called the information superhighway) when Netscape was the big shiny new thing and IE was just a rebranded Mosaic.

What I've found odd is that people here who still use Netscape seem to find fault with Firefox. Netscape is Firefox plus a couple of extensions and with a different skin (and brand). As I said, I no longer use the software, but I would imagine that you can get very similar functionality with Firefox, the right skin and those extensions which you want (and they install very easily).

The one thing that can't be replicated is the brand, which seems dead anyway. Netscape was Navigator (and the other tools in the long-abandoned suite). So will the brand be passed on to Mozilla / somewhere else so that those who feel a deep emotional attachment to it can continue to feel that deep emotional attachment?

8:39AMVectorpedia

Goodbye old friend..........Netscape.........may history think fond of you

9:36PMKyte

What thing happened?I want my Netscape Browser!

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