What is Netscape Browser 8.1?

[Iresh]

Hi,
I have installed Netscape Brwoser 8.1, I can display web pages like Firefox or Internet Explorer...., my question is why we need this browser if we have Firefox and Internet Explorer?

Iresh

[DanA]

If you don't use the mail of the suite, you have an old version of Firefox (+RSS, selected bookmarks, ...)
The extension IE Tab allows you to use IE engine (most of the time) within a Firefox tab.

[encyclo]

Netscape 8.1 is based on the Windows version of Firefox, with a few Netscape-specific features such as being able to choose between opening a page using the Firefox rendering engine or the IE one.

Unless you prefer the Netsape interface, there is no underlying difference between Netscape 8.1 and Firefox - it is the same technology with a different skin.

[Iresh]

Hi encyclo,
thanks for your informaion, is Firefox & Netcape develop by same company?

Iresh

[tedster]

Although the relationships details between the various entities involved are becoming a bit convoluted, in essence you can understand the situation something like that. Check out the Mozilla & Netscape Public Licenses [mozilla.org] page at mozilla.org to get more confused.

[encyclo]

Yes, the relationship is certainly convoluted. :) In short, Netscape decided that they would open-source the code to their "Netscape 5" product and allow the community to help develop their replacement for the Netscape 4.x Communicator suite. Mozilla was created as an entity and was financed and run by Netscape for many years. Due to a complete rewrite and long delays, Netscape 5 was never released. Mozilla eventually started releasing test versions of their new product which Netscape took and repackaged as Netscape 6. As the product was unfinished and very buggy, Netscape 6 was extremely unpopular.

Eventually Mozilla released their Mozilla 1.0, which was repackaged as Netscape 7.0. However the momentum was behind the Mozilla version, Netscape faded away, control over development was handed to the Mozilla Foundation which in turn abandoned the "suite" product to concentrate on Firefox.

Netscape is now owned by AOL and is little more than a shell. Netscape 8 is a repackaged Firefox with a different interface and a few extras. Browser share for Netscape is now virtually non-existent.