Netscape Browser
Encyclopedia
Netscape Browser is the name of a proprietary
Windows
web browser
published by AOL
, but developed by Mercurial Communications
. It is the eighth major release in name of the Netscape
series of browsers, originally produced by the defunct Netscape Communications Corporation.
While Netscape Browser's version numbers start at 8, it is based on Mozilla Firefox
, whereas Netscape
6
and 7 were based on Mozilla Application Suite
, itself a complete rewrite of the codebase developed in versions 1 through 4 - Netscape Navigator
and Netscape Communicator
. As with other recent versions, it incorporates support for AOL Instant Messenger
, and other AOL-related features.
The Netscape Browser series was succeeded by Netscape Navigator 9
. However, on December 28, 2007, Netscape developers announced that AOL would discontinue the web browser on February 1, 2008.
(NCSA) Mosaic Project were working for Netscape, and a Mosaic-based browser was released to the public. Version 8.0 was made generally available on May 19, 2005. A minor update known as version 8.0.1 was released a few hours later to incorporate the key security patches added in Firefox 1.0.4.
Perhaps the most noteworthy feature introduced in Netscape Browser is the ability to use either of two layout engine
s to render websites — either Internet Explorer 6
's Trident
layout engine or the Gecko
engine used by Mozilla and its derivatives. This is used as part of the browser's "Site Controls" system, which allows security settings to be altered on a per-site basis, and is also touted as a defense against phishing
and similar attacks, with both blacklist
s and whitelists built in and automatically updated regularly. This system decides whether a site is "trusted" or "suspect", while only whitelisted sites use the Trident engine by default.
However, this feature is actually implemented by using the IE ActiveX control, which is composed of most of IE's architectures.
Other features highlighted by AOL's publicity include improved tabbed browsing abilities, a toolbar
system called the "MultiBar," which includes up to 10 toolbars in the space of one, and extra support for "Live Content", such as RSS
feeds. In keeping with the security emphasis, a new secure form information and password management system, known as a "PassCard," which saves usernames and passwords for individual sites, is also included.
In Netscape version 8.1, the Security Center feature is much more integrated into the browser, and extra features, such as ID Theft Protection and Spyware Protection have been integrated.
Netscape includes a host of "widgets" designed to improve the browsing experience, including Local Weather information, Movie Times and reviews, Mapquest maps, Yellow pages, White pages, Stocks, and a City guide, all integrated into menu-enabled toolbar buttons.
Furthermore, a webmail button is included in the toolbar, which links directly to multiple webmail homepages and is configurable for multiple webmail accounts. A button to run the user's default mail client is included.
There are multiple smaller features included, including a shortcut menu that appears when text is selected to paste the selected text directly into a search engine of choice.
Finally, the browser includes a pop-up advertisement blocker which can be configured to allow pop-ups for individual sites, block only unrequested pop-ups, and open any pop-ups in new tabs in one window, thus preventing pop-unders.
and Gecko
rendering engines means it unavoidably inherits all the vulnerabilities of both engines, making it potentially less secure than either Firefox or IE on their own.
(HIG), either "Luna" or "classic" style, although the default theme, "Winscape", looks more like a traditional Windows application. There is also a claim that the usability of the browser is reduced by not obeying standard Windows manipulations. Similarly, the excessive nesting of tab
s has been cited as a sign of generally poor interface design. The installation program of Netscape 8.12 prompts the user into which theme would be preferred, with the traditional "Winscape" being checked by default.
were more valuable as part of the browser package than new features such as a live weather report and news ticker, especially since these applications were tradition in earlier versions. Firefox, upon which Netscape Browser is based, does not include an email client or HTML editor either, but an HTML editor
extension can be downloaded from the Extension and Themes section of the Firefox website https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843, and email support is provided by Mozilla Thunderbird
. Older Netscape releases were based upon the Mozilla Suite, which did include this functionality.
, however this term usually applies only to software that attempts to send private information to companies often later selling this to advertisers, whereas the information collected is actually anonymous.
rendering engine in Internet Explorer by causing IE to render XML pages as a blank page. Netscape fixed the issue in version 8.0.2.
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
published by AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, but developed by Mercurial Communications
Mercurial Communications
Mercurial Communications was a Canadian company that developed the Netscape 8.0 Browser for Netscape, a division of AOL. Netscape offered the browser to AOL but they declined in favour of AOL's Microsoft Internet Explorer-based browser...
. It is the eighth major release in name of the Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
series of browsers, originally produced by the defunct Netscape Communications Corporation.
While Netscape Browser's version numbers start at 8, it is based on Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
, whereas Netscape
Netscape (web browser)
Netscape 7 was a series of proprietary cross-platform Internet suites created by Netscape Communications Corporation and then in-house by AOL to continue the Netscape series after Netscape 6. There were three main editions released from the Netscape 7 series; being Netscape 7.0, 7.1 and 7.2...
6
Netscape 6
Netscape 6 was the name of Netscape Communications Corporation's proprietary cross-platform internet suite from versions 6.0–6.2.3. It superseded Netscape Communicator 4.8 and was replaced by the simply-named Netscape...
and 7 were based on Mozilla Application Suite
Mozilla Application Suite
The Mozilla Application Suite is a cross-platform integrated Internet suite. Its development was initiated by Netscape Communications Corporation, before their acquisition by AOL. It is based on the source code of Netscape Communicator...
, itself a complete rewrite of the codebase developed in versions 1 through 4 - Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator was a proprietary web browser that was popular in the 1990s. It was the flagship product of the Netscape Communications Corporation and the dominant web browser in terms of usage share, although by 2002 its usage had almost disappeared...
and Netscape Communicator
Netscape Communicator
Netscape Communicator was an Internet suite produced by Netscape Communications Corporation. Initially released in June 1997, Netscape Communicator 4.0 was the successor to Netscape Navigator 3.x and included more groupware features intended to appeal to enterprises.- Editions :Netscape...
. As with other recent versions, it incorporates support for AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
, and other AOL-related features.
The Netscape Browser series was succeeded by Netscape Navigator 9
Netscape Navigator 9
Netscape Navigator 9 is a web browser produced by the Netscape Communications division of parent AOL, first announced on January 23, 2007. After AOL outsourced the development of Netscape Browser 8 to Mercurial Communications in 2004, Netscape Navigator 9 marked the first Netscape browser to be...
. However, on December 28, 2007, Netscape developers announced that AOL would discontinue the web browser on February 1, 2008.
History and development
The Netscape browser was first released in October 1994. In mid-1994, Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark had begun collaborating with Marc Andreessen to found Mosaic Communications, named after a University of Illinois software project. (The company was later renamed Netscape Communications.) Within about 6 months, many of the resources from the university's National Center for Supercomputing ApplicationsNational Center for Supercomputing Applications
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications is an American state-federal partnership to develop and deploy national-scale cyberinfrastructure that advances science and engineering. NCSA operates as a unit of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign but it provides high-performance...
(NCSA) Mosaic Project were working for Netscape, and a Mosaic-based browser was released to the public. Version 8.0 was made generally available on May 19, 2005. A minor update known as version 8.0.1 was released a few hours later to incorporate the key security patches added in Firefox 1.0.4.
Release history and milestones
| Netscape Browser version | Release date | Based on Mozilla Firefox version |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5.6+ | November 30, 2004 | 0.9.3 |
| 0.6.4 | January 7, 2005 | 1.0 |
| 0.9.4 (8.0 pre-beta) | February 17, 2005 | 1.0 |
| 0.9.5 (8.0 pre-beta) | February 23, 2005 | 1.0 |
| 0.9.6 (8.0 beta) | March 3, 2005 | 1.0 |
| 8.0 | May 19, 2005 | 1.0.3 |
| 8.0.1 | May 19, 2005 | 1.0.4 |
| 8.0.2 | June 17, 2005 | 1.0.4 |
| 8.0.3.1 | July 25, 2005 | 1.0.6 |
| 8.0.3.3 | August 8, 2005 | 1.0.6 |
| 8.0.3.4 | August 17, 2005 | 1.0.6 |
| 8.0.4 | October 19, 2005 | 1.0.7 |
| 8.1 | January 25, 2006 | 1.0.7 |
| 8.1.2 | September 27, 2006 | 1.0.8 |
| 8.1.3 | April 2, 2007 | 1.0.8 |
Features
Layout engine
A web browser engine, , is a software component that takes marked up content and formatting information and displays the formatted content on the screen. It "paints" on the content area of a window, which is displayed on a monitor or a printer...
s to render websites — either Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 is the sixth major revision of Internet Explorer, a web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems...
's Trident
Trident (layout engine)
Trident is the name of the layout engine for the Microsoft Windows version of Internet Explorer.It was first introduced with the release of Internet Explorer version 4.0 in October 1997; it has been steadily upgraded and remains in use today...
layout engine or the Gecko
Gecko (layout engine)
Gecko is a free and open source layout engine used in many applications developed by Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation , as well as in many other open source software projects....
engine used by Mozilla and its derivatives. This is used as part of the browser's "Site Controls" system, which allows security settings to be altered on a per-site basis, and is also touted as a defense against phishing
Phishing
Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT...
and similar attacks, with both blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
s and whitelists built in and automatically updated regularly. This system decides whether a site is "trusted" or "suspect", while only whitelisted sites use the Trident engine by default.
However, this feature is actually implemented by using the IE ActiveX control, which is composed of most of IE's architectures.
Other features highlighted by AOL's publicity include improved tabbed browsing abilities, a toolbar
Toolbar
In a graphical user interface, on a computer monitor, a toolbar is a GUI widget on which on-screen buttons, icons, menus, or other input or output elements are placed. Toolbars are seen in office suites, graphics editors, and web browsers...
system called the "MultiBar," which includes up to 10 toolbars in the space of one, and extra support for "Live Content", such as RSS
RSS (file format)
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
feeds. In keeping with the security emphasis, a new secure form information and password management system, known as a "PassCard," which saves usernames and passwords for individual sites, is also included.
In Netscape version 8.1, the Security Center feature is much more integrated into the browser, and extra features, such as ID Theft Protection and Spyware Protection have been integrated.
Netscape includes a host of "widgets" designed to improve the browsing experience, including Local Weather information, Movie Times and reviews, Mapquest maps, Yellow pages, White pages, Stocks, and a City guide, all integrated into menu-enabled toolbar buttons.
Furthermore, a webmail button is included in the toolbar, which links directly to multiple webmail homepages and is configurable for multiple webmail accounts. A button to run the user's default mail client is included.
There are multiple smaller features included, including a shortcut menu that appears when text is selected to paste the selected text directly into a search engine of choice.
Finally, the browser includes a pop-up advertisement blocker which can be configured to allow pop-ups for individual sites, block only unrequested pop-ups, and open any pop-ups in new tabs in one window, thus preventing pop-unders.
Criticism
The Netscape Browser has been criticized for various reasons. Perhaps the most severe is the claim that, in contradiction to its claimed emphasis on security, its use of both the TridentTrident (layout engine)
Trident is the name of the layout engine for the Microsoft Windows version of Internet Explorer.It was first introduced with the release of Internet Explorer version 4.0 in October 1997; it has been steadily upgraded and remains in use today...
and Gecko
Gecko (layout engine)
Gecko is a free and open source layout engine used in many applications developed by Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation , as well as in many other open source software projects....
rendering engines means it unavoidably inherits all the vulnerabilities of both engines, making it potentially less secure than either Firefox or IE on their own.
Renderer modality problems
The switching between rendering engines may also confuse users, since the web browsing experience is very different depending on which is used. A standards based website will generally render better in Gecko thanks to its better standards support, but Netscape Browser renders whitelisted pages using Trident instead. "As the switching is transparent to the user, users are left wondering why their experience changes randomly across different websites".User interface issues
The optional theme "Fusion" has also been criticized because it does not conform to the Microsoft human interface guidelinesHuman Interface Guidelines
Human interface guidelines are software development documents which offer application developers a set of recommendations. Their aim is to improve the experience for the users by making application interfaces more intuitive, learnable, and consistent. Most guides limit themselves to defining a...
(HIG), either "Luna" or "classic" style, although the default theme, "Winscape", looks more like a traditional Windows application. There is also a claim that the usability of the browser is reduced by not obeying standard Windows manipulations. Similarly, the excessive nesting of tab
Tab (GUI)
In the area of graphical user interfaces , a tabbed document interface is one that allows multiple documents to be contained within a single window, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents...
s has been cited as a sign of generally poor interface design. The installation program of Netscape 8.12 prompts the user into which theme would be preferred, with the traditional "Winscape" being checked by default.
Helper programs removed
Some users have argued the formerly included email client and HTML editorHTML editor
An HTML editor is a software application for creating web pages. Although the HTML markup of a web page can be written with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many HTML editors work not only with HTML, but also with related...
were more valuable as part of the browser package than new features such as a live weather report and news ticker, especially since these applications were tradition in earlier versions. Firefox, upon which Netscape Browser is based, does not include an email client or HTML editor either, but an HTML editor
Firebug (Firefox extension)
Firebug is a web development tool that facilitates the debugging, editing, and monitoring of any website's CSS, HTML, DOM, XHR, and JavaScript; it also provides other web development tools. Firebug's JavaScript panel can log errors, profile function calls, and enable the developer to run arbitrary...
extension can be downloaded from the Extension and Themes section of the Firefox website https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843, and email support is provided by Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser...
. Older Netscape releases were based upon the Mozilla Suite, which did include this functionality.
Collection of personal information
Another criticism is that the browser collects user browsing behavior by default http://my.opera.com/larskl/journal/43. By default, the option "Allow Netscape to gather anonymous browser usage statistics" is enabled. The option is found in the "Advanced Settings" during installation. As many casual users may skip the dialogs during installation, this feature could be turned on in many installations of Netscape Browser. Some argue this feature should be called spywareSpyware
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
, however this term usually applies only to software that attempts to send private information to companies often later selling this to advertisers, whereas the information collected is actually anonymous.
Password issues
A related possible criticism is that in the browser's password manager menu, saved passwords can be viewed in plain text. Thus, if a user has access to another's account, they could retrieve all their usernames and passwords in plain text with little effort. Further, this option cannot be turned off or removed without editing the software. This problem doesn't happen in version 8.1.3.XML rendering issue (fixed)
A few days after Netscape 8.0.1 was released, Microsoft reported the browser disables the XMLXML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
rendering engine in Internet Explorer by causing IE to render XML pages as a blank page. Netscape fixed the issue in version 8.0.2.
Footnotes
- NS8, part 1: I need closure. Blake Ross' blog.
- NS8, part 2: More horsepower than ever before. Blake Ross' blog.
- Netscape Browser 8.0 Released. MozillaZine.
- Netscape 8 and Internet Explorer's XML Rendering. IEBlog.
- Netscape Gecko and Trident Rendering Engine Security Issues. Chris Ilias' Blog.
See also
- NetscapeNetscapeNetscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
- Mozilla FirefoxMozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
- List of web browsers
- Comparison of web browsersComparison of web browsersThe following tables compare general and technical information for a number of web browsers. Please see the individual products' articles for further information.-Historical web browsers:...
External links
, Netscape Archive- Netscape 8 - Netscape Browser Archive, SillyDog701
- Vulnerability Report: Netscape 8.x, Secunia