Tech: OBIT: Netscape

Subject: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 06:43 PM

NEW YORK (AP) - 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.

RIP. You were far superior to IE.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 06:54 PM

I was one of those who abandoned Netscape for Firefox

it's all my fault!

sanandra

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 06:58 PM

Yeah, well, me too.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 07:12 PM

good to know it is not entirely my fault, I'll be able to face the world more comfortably now.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 07:21 PM

I still use Netscape 4 where possible, though lazy programming by website developers frequently causes crashes nowadays. I find it useful as a baseline standard; any web page I produce must work in it equally well as in the most 'up to date' browser iterations. Easy to ensure if you can be bothered. Firefox isn't bad, but can be a pain in the arse when plugins are needed. It never seems to be able to find them. Old versions of Netscape always could.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: treewind
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 07:42 PM

lazy programming by website developers frequently causes crashes nowadays
That's a bit harsh. Netscape 4.7 has bugs which cause it to crash on valid CSS. I don't think you can blame web developers for that if their code is standards compliant.

I'm quite conservative about web design and supporting older technology, but I'm less sympathetic when that means supporting old bugs in little used software. If it validates at validator.w3.org and looks right on IE, Firefox, Opera and Konqueror it's good enough for me. I'd test on Safari too if I had a Mac.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 08:04 PM

It only crashes -or, rather, returns a 'not found' message; CSS has never caused a crash for me in 4.7, though background scripting frequently does nowadays- on valid CSS if the link is improperly written. There are two ways of putting in the link. One leads older browsers to believe that they ought to be loading an html page (this of course fails) while the other works perfectly well. Both are 'standards compliant'. I use the one that works in older as well as newer browsers, and see no reason why other people can't make the elementary effort of doing likewise.

Web developers ought never to forget that W3C has changed 'standards' numerous times in recent years, and older browsers are not 'faulty' because they don't recognise standards that were implemented after they were written. Reasonable backwards compatibility is a virtue, and really not very difficult to implement for those who have the will. It merely requires developers to have a little background knowledge, and the willingness to test their sites properly.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 08:16 PM

"and older browsers are not 'faulty' because they don't recognise standards that were implemented after they were written"

That's not the complaint against Netscape though. Rather than ignore it (as I think any standard would suggest), it believes it can support things it doesn't properly.

Personally, I do have "@import url(extra.css)" to try to avoid the stuff I know Netscape gets wrong and try to at least have things useable with no css but I'm pretty much with treewind these days.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: open mike
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 09:24 PM

I used to have netscape, as i tried to avoid being tied to microsoft IE.
firefox is my current browser, but i had some info on my mozilla e-mail
program, thunderbird, disappear, and have had a hard time finding any service or tech help.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 12:32 AM

I've used Mozilla and Thunderbird for several years. Never used Netscape except for a couple of picky sites which do not support Firefox. Sad to see any competition go, but I love Mozilla and Tbird.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 30 Dec 07 - 02:18 AM

There's an old story that Bill Gates said "MS DOS 5.0 will not be released until Lotus 123 doesn't work". Natural Evolution is OK, but tech sniping is extremely aggravating.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 30 Dec 07 - 05:54 PM

I dislike Firefox as it is now because it requires an external email processor, Thunderbird.

I'll stick with SeaMonkey as long as it serves me, because the web browser and email processor are built together. Occasionally I'll have to get out and go to (you should pardon he expression) IE, but only if an absolutely essential website won't run on SeaMonkey.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Jim Lad
Date: 31 Dec 07 - 12:05 AM

Bugger!
I switched to Netscape because I can't get Adobe to work on Internet Explorer.
Ah well.

Subject: RE: Tech: OBIT: Netscape
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 07 - 12:32 AM

I actually bought a copy of the early Netscape software, on my husband's recommendation. He'd liked it at work and thought I should try it. But I never really got the hang of that early version, though I used later (free, of course) iterations of it.

I liked the old Netscape email program, but had to switch to Mozilla's Thunderbird when they stopped supporting it. I use Thunderbird and a couple of others, and I like it okay, but the old program was my favorite for quite a while.

It all has blended a bit around the edges with the various acquisitions and spinoffs. I thought Netscape was supported in the same was Firefox is, as open source software for the most part. Maybe someone else will take up the Netscape challenge now?

SRS