Netscape 7.1 Released 468
Phil writes "Netscape has just released the eagerly-awaited Netscape 7.1 (previously known by its codename, 'Buffy') for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. The new version is based on Mozilla 1.4, which is due out later today. Netscape 7.1 features many improvements over 7.02 including even better CSS support, spam filters, find-as-you-type, automatic image resizing, more customization via about:config, Web development tools, Palm synchronization and more. Plus, for the first time, ChatZilla (Mozilla's IRC client) is included in the full install. More information can be found at Netscape Browser Central and in this MozillaZine article. The release is available from Netscape's download page, via FTP or on CD."
Re:Netscape? (Score:5, Insightful)
That being said, however, what advantages does the Netscape version of Mozilla have?
Re:Netscape? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Netscape? (Score:5, Insightful)
If AOL should decide that Netscape isn't worth developing anymore, and decides to pull the plug on the few full-time Netscape/Mozilla developers remaining, as well as the resources dedicated to Netscape/Mozilla (such as the web servers), Mozilla would be in some serious doo-doo.
To show my support and to show AOL that indeed at least someone is interested in Netscape, I have already pre-ordered a Netscape 7.1 CD with Guide book. I may not ever use it, but at least AOL and Netscape knows that someone out there appreciates their efforts and may continue developing the core for one of the finest browsers out there, Firebird.
Good - competition (!) (Score:5, Insightful)
Back in my Windows days IE never really got my attention -- it was always Netscape (up to 4.79 was decent).
The releases of Netscape that followed (Windows or OS.X) were pretty much not installed/forgotten. On the Windows end it was Mozilla/Opera and on OS.X 99% Safari.
This Netscape will get installed and hit the distribution cycle. It is very fast on OS.X and worth taking a look at (!)
Great. (Score:4, Insightful)
Just what I needed! Develop my website which doesn't exist or sync a palmtop which I don't have! Could someone hand me a dictionary and point out what the word "bloat [reference.com]" means?
Re:Netscape? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Netscape? (Score:3, Insightful)
Not me anyway - happy Opera-user
Re:I'll continue to use Mozilla (Score:4, Insightful)
Click here to DE-SELECT Netscape.com as your homepage.
Do you want AIM icons on your desktop and start menu (check here for no (each)).
Yet the fucking installer STILL puts AIM icons (AOL for Broadband) on my Desktop and an AIM icon in the quick launch tray...
Maybe if they stop this horseshit for AOL I will think about it. Until then I will stick with IE on my Windows machine.
Can't a browser just be a browser (Score:2, Insightful)
because (Score:5, Insightful)
It sucks that the shift-reload trick is undocumented, but you could easily fix that [mozilla.org].
This is my 700th post. Hooray for me!
Re:Great. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How does mozilla handle old caches? (Score:1, Insightful)
This is true of any system that has dynamic content.
Re:Why are version numbers so uneven (Score:5, Insightful)
This numbers game is also why you now have Redhat and Mandrake 9 -- SuSE will surely follow suit, or jump to from 8.2 to 9 or 10 (even though SuSE 8.2 has more newer stuff than RedHat 9), knowing that customers are stupid enough to buy the highest number, even if the products are different.
There's also the jump from SunOS 2.6 to Solaris 7 -- presumably to catch up with IRIX 6.2 and NT 4 and NT 5 (which Microsoft promptly relabeled 2000 to be ahead in the numbers game).
Did I mention the jump from Java 1.1 to Java 2 (which is Java 1.2)? Or the weird BIND 4 to BIND 8 version jump?
Now I'm saving to buy myself Windows 2003. Proof by numbers, it's *got* to be 0.15% better than Windows 2000!
Regards,
--
*Art
Re:CSS (Score:2, Insightful)
Stupidity, Reality (Score:4, Insightful)
In the case of IRIX, SGI is just facing reality: they've never made a dent in the desktop market, and it's not worth spending money to make their workstations do things people can do more cheaply with Wintel systems. When I worked there, they didn't even have up-to-date Quicktime codecs!
Re:Netscape? (Score:2, Insightful)
...and that's the reason. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Netscape? (Score:2, Insightful)
You assume that everybody has a window manager that is efficient at doing so. Tabbed browsing seems a bit redundant/overkill on Mac OS X, for example, since one can switch between windows within one application by using cmd-` rather than cmd-tab. Windows can't do that, so tabbed browsing allows much easier access to browser windows.
Re:Netscape? (Score:1, Insightful)
Firebird and its brothers Thunderbird, Waterbird, and Monkeybird (OK, I made up those last two) will eventually be the components that make up the Mozilla suite (check the Mozilla roadmap [mozilla.org]) and thus, unless AOL decides to pull the plug, will be the next version of Netscape as well. So yes, eventually this will happen.
Firebird is great, but it still has quite a few crashers and trivial bugs that need to be ironed out before it's thrown out to the non-geek masses. It is only at version 0.6, after all.
Re:It just may make me switch back from IE (Score:1, Insightful)
Not so bloaty as before (Score:5, Insightful)
If you get the browser, then you still get Composer with it at minimum. If you want a browser only, then feel free to contribute to the development of Mozilla Firebird [mozilla.org], which is even more streamlined than the browser-only install.
Chill out, the Moz developers know that bloat is a common complaint, and they're doing what they can about it. But one thing at a time, since every feature you don't want is one some other user can't live without.
Re:Netscape? (Score:2, Insightful)
I think you have this backwards - Netscape was derived from Mozilla [gerbilbox.org] not the other way around.
As an ex-Netscape hater... (Score:5, Insightful)
Mozilla Handles it Cacheing just fine (Score:2, Insightful)
- Checks each downloaded file (image, html, etc) fors its modified timestamp.
- If the cache is the same as the one on the server, there is no time spent downloading since these files are still the same. (unless the web developers don't know their trade and are placing modified dates in.)
*** The 'soft reload' is an important ability and should stay. I do not want to reload all the images of slashdot every time I want to see new stories, and slashdot does not want the extra load of all of us non-subscribers hitting reload waiting for a story to appear. The 'soft reload' not working is a Web Developer and Administrator problem, not a Netscape problem. If you have this problem a lot, go to more professional web sites.
Re:Netscape? (Score:3, Insightful)
Understandably, the mozilla team wishes to focus on making a browser technology, not supporting newbies. They're leaving that to others who wish to build a browser based upon Mozilla and then provide end-user resources. Amongst these, Netscape is the biggest with wide name-recognition and lots of resources (relatively). So yes, the Netscape browser DOES matter.
Even Firebird isn't meant for end-users, although it's far more easily digestible by your typical end-user than the current Mozilla browser.
Re:I don't think it should catch on yet (Score:3, Insightful)
Nobody that's who (Score:3, Insightful)
Netscape died a long time ago but luckily was reborn with Mozilla. Netscape may not give a crap about spending dollar one on PR for Netscape, but conversly it just shows how good Mozilla is that it continues to get good press.
I really wish Netscape would just stop offering Netscape browser for download. Its an insult to the Mozilla browser that they continue to do zero PR effort on the Netscape browser while spending hundreds of millions on AOL advertising.
Re:I'll continue to use Mozilla (Score:3, Insightful)
It is possible however with Mozilla basically horked until Firebird / Thunderbird are developed into workable alternatives to the suite, that we'll see occasional point releases from 1.4 for Mozilla too.
Netscape is good (Score:5, Insightful)
I tell you why:
Netscape has more features and is easier for people without good computer knowledge.
I prefer Mozilla Firebird, but the plain MF is not for normal users.
They have to ''unzip'' it, they have to copy Flash and other plugins into the plugins directory, they have to install Java manually and so on.
OTOH Netscape:
It comes with good, licensed spell checking (sorry, but OSS spell checkers suck - at least non-english ones), there's AIM and ICQ support, all important plugins are bundled, and Netscape adds important settings to the Windows registry (the location where it's installed for 3rd party plugins - a small, but important setting).
Currently I create installer builds of Mozilla Firebird (bundled with Flash and Java) for my friends, but that's only an acceptable solution for a handful of people.
It's easier to point to a simple URL than giving a CD with my custom MF to everyone.
Yes I know, there are also installer builds of Mozilla Firebird available on the net, but that's sometimes even too complicated for a few of my friends.
When I say ''Get Netscape. It's on Netscape dot com.'' It's easy.
When I say ''Get Mozilla Firebird. It's on geocities dot com slash blablabla slash
AOL is behind Netscape. I can be sure that Netscape will last a while. Netscape is easy to find, easy to install, and easy to use. That's why Netscape is good.
Re:I'll continue to use Mozilla (Score:1, Insightful)
Netscape is precisely for the people who don't want to grab nightlies or build their own. Problem is, as you've pointed out, most of these people don't know what a browser is: they don't open their browser, they "go to the internet."
Keeping other browsers going involves being proactive. I do tech support for OS and Internet issues as one of my dozen or so hats. The other day I sent out a message telling people we were no longer supporting Netscape 4.x: it was a pos when it came out, and it's an old pos today. I then encouraged people to upgrade to Netscape 7.02 (didn't realize 7.1 would be out today). Half of them didn't know there was a new version of Netscape, and the other half had heard that Netscape 6 was terrible and decided never to upgrade again. I now have a dozen Netscape 4 users and a half-dozen Netscape 7 users, and the latter seem much happier than the former.
What this also did was to let the IE users know that there was a quality version of Netscape available. So maybe a few will try other browsers. It doesn't matter to me whether they use NS7 or IE6, or Opera, etc., as long as the browser they're using supports the standards we use for our intranet (and both do).
The junk that Netscape 7 installs is just that, junk. The real value of Netscape 7.1 is that it is a standard version, so you don't have to go checking the build numbers (like you do with Mozilla) if you're trying to work out a bug. You pretty much know that everyone using Netscape is using one of a handful of versions.
Re:Netscape 4.78 and nothing else after that (Score:3, Insightful)
Though if your bank is bitching about needing a specific version of netscape, why not call them up, and ask them what's up, or file an evangelism bug on mozilla's bugzilla site? Lack of support for Mozilla-derived browsers is just plain stupid, as more and more people are dumping NS 4.x as the later versions of NS get better and better, or they discover other browsers, such as Mozilla.
Re:I'll continue to use Mozilla (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I would install it, but... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:One solution! (Score:3, Insightful)
http://slashdot.org/topics.shtml?fuglybot=12
Doesn't lend itself to default documents well.
Re:Netscape? (Score:2, Insightful)