Netscape is history

[babylonsister]

Web icon set to be discontinued

The browser that helped kick-start the commercial web is to cease development because of lack of users.

Netscape Navigator, now owned by AOL, will no longer be supported after 1 February 2008, the company has said.

In the mid-1990s the browser was used by more than 90% of the web population, but numbers have slipped to just 0.6%.

In particular, the browser has faced competition from Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE), which is now used by nearly 80% of all web users.

"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," said Tom Drapeau on the company's blog.

Browser wars

Netscape was developed by Marc Andreessen, co-author of Mosaic, the first popular web browser.

Mosaic was written while Mr Andreessen was a student at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois in 1992.

more...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7163547.stm

[kedrys]

1. Aw crap

I learned to code on the first release of Mosaic. :(

[depakid]

2. " now owned by AOL."

Kiss of death.

Long live Mozilla!

[blogslut]

17. AOL originally funded Mozilla

From the Mozilla Wiki:

July, 2003 - Mozilla Foundation is born. $2 million start-up support from AOL’s Netscape division; Mitch Kapor pledges support, joins board

http://wiki.mozilla.org/History:Timelines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla

[SteveG]

3. But it's decendents, Seamonkey and Firefox live on (nt)

nt

[Olney Blue]

4. Farewell, Netscape. You served me well!

[LisaM]

5. I really liked Netscape

dang it.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. That's just freakin' great.. now what am I supposed to do with this

thing...

[LiberalHeart]

Cannot. Stand. IE.

Love Netscape. I've tried Firefox but can't figure out how to get an email program that works like Netscape's, with a notifier in the browser. Is there anything that looks and feels and works like Netscape?

[lpbk2713]

9. SeaMonkey

... is a suite with the mail client bundled in with the browser.

It's a close cousin to Firefox.

[LiberalHeart]

12. Thank you!

[alfredo]

14. Another from the Mozilla project

http://www.flock.com/

I've used it and like it.

[LiberalHeart]

19. Downloaded SeaMonkey and love it...

The only difference I see between it and Netscape is that features on favorite sites that didn't work with Netscape do work with SeaMonkey. All my bookmarks, mail settings, everthing went automatically into SeaMonkey. Seamless. Thank you so much for telling me about it.

[lpbk2713]

21. Glad to help.

Be sure to check out the extensions that go with it.

Link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/seamonkey/browse/type:1/cat:all

[Karenina]

7. AAAACCCCKKKK!!!!

I be an o' lady and a Luddite. You yunguns be telling me I have to get a new browser? That mine will no longer work after Jan 31??? :scared::scared::scared: SHIT FUCK DAMN I HATE THIS SHIT!!! I was so PROUD of myself when I figgered out what a URL was. Somebody PLEASE reassure me that it's no big deal. I have IE but HATE it and WILL NOT use it! ENTROPY!!! I'm callin' ENTROPY!!!

BACK TO MONO, I say! Put a mic in the middle of a good sounding room, get REAL MUSICIANS playing REAL INSTRUMENTS and press record.
:argh::argh::argh:

Too much information
Is running through my brain
Too much information
Is driving me insane

Tante Karenina is in meltdown mode...
:argh::argh::argh:

[PeaceNikki]

10. Relax. It'll still work

They're stopping development and support. You'll be stuck with any existing bugs and no updates or features added after that date.

But it will work.

ETA: The one concern to have is that there will be no further security updates. This can be pretty risky since, knowing that, someone may find a way to exploit it and you'll be vulnerable to hijacks, malware, viruses, etc. You may want to look around to find a browser you like to switch to.

[Karenina]

11. Oh, Thank You, Thank You!!!

I'm on an antique and realize I need to upgrade the whole thing (which means getting a new computer...) BUT I LIKE THE ONE I'M ON and am not so much into "faster, faster, harder, harder" at my age. ;-)

[PeaceNikki]

13. I hope you caught my edit

The one concern to have is that there will be no further security updates. This can be pretty risky since, knowing that, someone may find a way to exploit it and you'll be vulnerable to hijacks, malware, viruses, etc. You may want to start look around to find a browser you like to make an eventual switch.

[Karenina]

16. I wrote my first program

when I was 16. The computer took up the whole room. I was quite good at it but we females ALL got BASHED and I went into music. Learned the workings of an analog board. When studios began going digital I was able to use what I'd learned in an over the shoulder way. Watch the screen and let the boys press the buttons. I had Logic for years but never mastered it as it was something you really had to use every day. With analog, I physically followed the cables and KNEW where everything was. Digital had me SCREECHING, "WHERE THE FUCK IS IT???"

Mastered Finale 98 (music notation). Updates went from 2 years to 1. Basically all they did was move shit around adding bells and whistles. WHERE THE FUCK IS IT??? I'm getting slower and the tech gets faster. Feel like I'm trying to climb this MOUNTAIN of sand.

All this just to explain the frustration some of us older folks feel trying to keep up.

Thanx so much for responding and ending my panic attack!!! :loveya:

[blogslut]

18. Not necessarily

You can run an old machine on a Linux-based distro. I've got a fruit-colored iMac running on Kubuntu and an IBM NetVista running both XP and Kubuntu. Some of the Linux distros have tiny footprints, like Puppy, DamnSmall and Feather.

[KoKo]

8. 80% use Internet Explorer? What? I"m a fringe at the 20% who don't?

:eyes: When did this happen? I guess I better read the article. I loved Netscape and used it until I got my new computer a year ago with XP...and Netscape refused to allow me to retrieve my e-mail from Earthlink they way I had for 10 years. I gave up and downloaded Firefox...which I don't like as well as Netscape for ease of use and features.... OH WELL...

[Madrone]

20. Koko01 ---

As someone mentioned to another Netscape lover upthread .... download and use Seamonkey. I've always been a Netscape fan, and Seamonkey IS Netscape, for the most part. You will be instantly familiar and at ease with it. It also contains the integrated email client you found missing in the AOL version of Netscape.

http://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Viva la Seamonkey! ;)


Disclaimer: I use it myself and find it vastly superior to the Firefox/Thunderbird programs.

[KoKo]

24. Hey thanks....I will check it out!

:hi:

[avenger64]

15. Firefox is built from the same code-base (Mozilla).

And it's better than anything Netscape offered in years.

[Blue_Tires]

22. sad...

i had great great memories of netscape

[Bryan]

23. Farewell, Nutscrape

I use Firefox now and wouldn't go back, but on hearing this, I felt a pang of nostalgia.