Netscape: End of an era

[NucleusKore]

Netscape Navigator, the world's first commercial Web browser and the launch pad of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support Feb. 1 after a 13-year run.

Its current caretakers, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, decided to kill further development and technical support to focus on growing the company as an advertising business. Netscape's usage dwindled with Microsoft Corp.'s entry into the browser business, and Netscape all but faded away following the birth of its open-source cousin, Firefox.

Read On....

[naveen_reloaded]

sad....

very sad news...

but p.s i dont like netscape///

[desiibond]

yep. me too. never liked netscape. But I do hope firefox do to IE what IE did to netscape

[Sukhdeep Singh]

No more pics of Netscape in Webdevelopment, HTML books

[debsuvra]

I used Netscape's latest version back then in sept 2007. It was much like a copy of firefox 2 for me.

There is a statistics on the page below about browser shares in the internet :
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

The latest version is Navigator 9, do not seem that much people use it.

[x3060]

i hate goodbyes ...

[NucleusKore]

I started using the internet in 1999. Those were the days of dial-up connection cyber cafes where a 56 kpbs (supposedly ) line would be shared by ten PCs. It would take an hour for me to open http://www.eudoramail.com, check my mail, reply and logout. An hour cost Rs. 70/- those days. If you used internet explorer and the connection dropped or was too slow, you would be left with a silly refresh page and no way of getting back what you sat and typed for 5 or 10 minutes. That was the time I used Netscape, initially Netscape communicator, and later Netscape 4.75 which was a suite consisting of browser, composer and an email client. The beauty of netscape was that it never threw a silly refresh page at you if the connection dropped, just a pop up windows saying failed to connect to server with an ok button. you could continue from where you stopped once the internet connection was re-established. This is something Microsoft hasn't learned to incorporate in their browser, you still get that silly refresh page in the current versions of internet explorer, I guess they have patented it

[anubhav_har]

Really sad new.. used it less.. but pulling the plug would not be good..

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ Nope, for 56kbps, but 33.3kbps

I used to use Netscape Communicator suite long back. But as soon the Gecko engine was used i felt that it was too heavy and I moved on... I've been using Opera ever since and started using FF after 1.5 alongwith it.

[praka123]

I first used netscape only!back in 96!it was slow(yes!) also back in 2000? i was using some phoenix browser which died.then sticked to mozilla browser and lastly i found nirvana @ firefox
and as nucleuscore said,it is 56kbps shared cafe's everywhere.but i still remember,while i was in coimbattoor in 96-97,browsing charges where Rs40/hr.not rs70!

[NucleusKore]

Originally Posted by praka123

....but i still remember,while i was in coimbattoor in 96-97,browsing charges where Rs40/hr.not rs70!

Guess you were lucky, It was Rs 70 here in Mangalore

[infra_red_dude]

Yeah, It was certainly no Rs.40!!! I was in Mumbai at that time I guess and the rates were expensive. I used to pay Rs.60 per hour only in 1998!

And that time, no other browser was popular only Navigator and IE. I always preferred the older Navigator (4.7).

[axxo]

netscape rendering was the best in those days....back in 97-98..we were on 33.3 kbps dialup modem connection......netscape throws graphics & text as and when it gets data transferred...but IE renders the page completely only after receiving all the information...so was continued to use netscape until happened to discover a better browser in the form of opera 3.0. Currently using firefox...my internet life doesnt see IE since its birth..

[victor_rambo]

Originally Posted by debsuvra

I used Netscape's latest version back then in sept 2007. It was much like a copy of firefox 2 for me.

There is a statistics on the page below about browser shares in the internet :
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

The latest version is Navigator 9, do not seem that much people use it.

true, even I use Netscape and find it to be a imitation of Firefox (or may be the other way round)

[coolpcguy]

Yeah read this on slashdot. I was like to knwo that Netscape is *still* alive

[praka123]

IIRC,back in 97,it is Rs40 and in 98-99 it is Rs30 and rumors that in Madras browsing charges are @ rs20/hr.I think am correct,else a serious bug is in my kernel(brain!)
and i said phoenix browser which i tried somewhere in 200"X" (forgot)

[NucleusKore]

Originally Posted by axxo

netscape rendering was the best in those days....back in 97-98..we were on 33.3 kbps dialup modem connection......netscape throws graphics & text as and when it gets data transferred...but IE renders the page completely only after receiving all the information...

Yes correct, I missed out that point.

[coolpcguy]

Originally Posted by NucleusKore

Guess you were lucky, It was Rs 70 here in Mangalore

Yeah. Some charged 80 too. 70 was like the norm.

[praka123]

so,i am wrong I remember browsing for rs50 @max during the 97 time.cant remember a single incidence of paying rs50+
I may be wrong.anyways leave it
a fading memory of a light green desktop in a flickering CRT with Netscape icon shown in win95 (along with ie in some machines?) still i can remember and yeah,the bundling of IE with win98 and we(students) all switching to MSIE and hence no more netscaping

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ You are not wrong Prakash; you are lucky

[praka123]

hmm...during that time,in Coimbatore Gandhipuram,RS puram areas there are lot and lots of "internet browsing centres"(not intnt cafe!) that may be a reason.also remember's in 1999? approx there is this ISDN thing launched too!and every centre is advertising the speeds like 64kbps speed etc
and am very shameful to remember,at that time,in Kochi(cochin)-there were only few net parlours and dont know their rate at that time.

ahh!thanks for refreshing my memory(ctrl+shift+r)

[spitfire]

Originally Posted by praka123

hmm...during that time,in Coimbatore Gandhipuram,RS puram areas there are lot and lots of "internet browsing centres"(not intnt cafe!) that may be a reason.also remember's in 1999? approx there is this ISDN thing launched too!and every centre is advertising the speeds like 64kbps speed etc
and am very shameful to remember,at that time,in Kochi(cochin)-there were only few net parlours and dont know their rate at that time.

ahh!thanks for refreshing my memory(ctrl+shift+r)

I learnt using a computer back in 99 when I was in calss 9.I used to go to a cybercafe cycling almost for 30 mins and the rates were around rs 60-70/hour. I didnt use netscape then,it was all IE

Then in 2001 I bought my first p3 rig..Got netscape with the modem cd..installed it..and loved it..specially the mail client...performance was better than IE4or 5 (I dont remember) but still used IE mainly

In 2003 I bougth my second AMD Athlon rig..it was much faster and powerful..and netscape was almost gone as Mozilla suite was taking over.Started using it but forund it a bit heavy..s continued with IE till I discovered the beautiful opera...

in 2004 or 2005 I started using Firefox full time.

So it was never netscape for me..But arguably Netscape was one of the greatest softwere of all time...Its sad to watch its silent demise

Netscape...R.I.P

[Drizzling Blur]

The first time i logged into the Internet it was using Netscape Navigator.

Well, one thing's for sure, it'll be always remembered for letting MS give IE for free

[ax3]

i loved Netscape browser when i 1st used it ....... its sad 2 hear this ........

[jvijay86]

i bought my first comp in 1999 ...i used dishnet diap up service in chennai, the rate was lik the first hour was free, rs 10 per hour from the second hour + telephone charges...

[cooldudie3]

oh that's so sad... I've used netscape for such a time! Sniff sniff
during that time, netscape was the best, but i switched to firefox for some time last year...

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

sad to hear that
Netscape was the browser for geeks till firefox

i remember myself using Netscape in 2000 and i used to enjoy it !!

[VexByte]

Originally Posted by NucleusKore

I started using the internet in 1999. Those were the days of dial-up connection cyber cafes where a 56 kpbs (supposedly ) line would be shared by ten PCs. It would take an hour for me to open http://www.eudoramail.com, check my mail, reply and logout. An hour cost Rs. 70/- those days. If you used internet explorer and the connection dropped or was too slow, you would be left with a silly refresh page and no way of getting back what you sat and typed for 5 or 10 minutes. That was the time I used Netscape, initially Netscape communicator, and later Netscape 4.75 which was a suite consisting of browser, composer and an email client. The beauty of netscape was that it never threw a silly refresh page at you if the connection dropped, just a pop up windows saying failed to connect to server with an ok button. you could continue from where you stopped once the internet connection was re-established. This is something Microsoft hasn't learned to incorporate in their browser, you still get that silly refresh page in the current versions of internet explorer, I guess they have patented it

What's the problem with error pages(in lieu of dialog box) ?

[din]

Remebering the old days ..

Netscape, I will miss you !!

Back in 1999 I think, it was not possible for us (students in IBM) to download netscape, and only browser was IE. Digit CD contained (Digit was CHIP then) it, but we were not supposed to use CDs there !!

Finally got a split software, and cut Netscape to 10 or 12 pieces. Copied into floppy. Took about a week to get it there. Finally joined it, copied to all PCs out there and we were so happy !!!

Rohan, Netscape is not an imitation of FF. Netscape was there long back, I think even before IE ?

I remember in 1999, almost all netcafes here in Cochin had netscape, and in some cafes, that was the default browser !

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ Split.. ah Din... you've revived old memories!! I've used and struggled and waited a lot to transfer software from one location to another!

Netscape is an old hat. In fact Netscape was going strong and was a paid browser, until IE 3.0 entered the scene. Win95 came bundled with IE. So netscape eventually had to make it a free download.

It was going strong till ver.4.7. After it started using the Gecko engine (which firefox also uses), it seemed heavy. Longtime users, including me, slowly started looking elsewhere; their obvious choice was opera again which was not free;

It was sold to AOL. Some of the guys came outta it and started working on Phoenix, a fork of Netscape with gecko engine which is now known as Firefox. Netscape is not an imitation of FF. Netscape and FF almost come from the same family.