Firefox-Based Netscape 8 Beta Goes Live

pigmelon writes "According to BetaNews, 'America Online's Netscape team has opened its doors to the public, releasing the first beta of the revived Netscape Web browser. (screenshot) Based upon Firefox, Netscape version 8 focuses on security and user privacy, and supports rendering with both Mozilla's Gecko and Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser engines.' Before downloading the beta, remember that it uses Firefox 1.0, which contains some vulnerabilities."

Merged Menu Bar

[fembots]

One thing caught my eyes is the merged top menu bars, so the page title and file menu options are on the same line now.

Is there such plug-in for FireFox?

why?

[mohrt]

What is the advantage of a separate browser? Why not make an AOL theme for firefox, drape it with AOL extentions/plugins and just use firefox?

Re:Does it fix the shyte rendering of slasdot?

[commodoresloat]

If it is truly standards compliant, probably not.

Who cares?

[tevenson]

Someone please explain to me why, if you knew of the existance of Firefox 1.0 (or 1.0.1 now), you would still choose to download a bastardized version of it from Netscape?

Let's be honest. You're going to get the same rendering engine (at least for the most part, probably with more problems though) but with a bloated skin, no theme support, no extension support, and the Netscape icon.

I think it's totally worth it, ha.

Best Review So Far

[autosentry]

"All Mozilla Products are great for me but when Netscape touches it, it turns to crap. This kept opening IE over and over. I had 30 windows open for IE. Firefox still rules!" Wonder how long they'll keep that on the front page?

Re:why?

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

What is the advantage of a separate browser? Why not make an AOL theme for firefox, drape it with AOL extentions/plugins and just use firefox?

Supposedly the netscape version has built in the IE rendering engine for compatibility, while still maintaining the security of Firefox. We shall see. This may mean a browser that is vulnerable to every exploit. If done properly, however, it could be a very nice feature.

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[account_deleted]

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Meanwhile at Beijing

[cyfer2000]

Mitchell Baker [mozillazine.org] is opening Mozilla China Center [mozilla.org.cn]. FYI, English translation is here. [google.com]

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[account_deleted]

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Re:Does it fix the shyte rendering of slasdot?

[erikdalen]

the problem is a bug in firefox. it not caused by slashdots fucked up html code. you can get the same display bug on a fully valid html document. they have examples in the bugzilla. and it's already fixed in cvs.

License

[sploo22]

Now, I'm no expert on the Mozilla Public License [mozilla.org], but it seems to state pretty unequivocally that if you make modifications you have to release them under the same license (just as with the GPL) including source code. Whereas the Netscape browser license says:

3. RESTRICTIONS. Except as otherwise expressly permitted in this Agreement, you may not: (i) modify or create any derivative works of the Beta Browser or documentation, including customization, translation or localization; (ii) decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of the Beta Browser, or in any way ascertain, decipher, or obtain the communications protocols for accessing the AIM Service, or the underlying ideas or algorithms of the Beta Browser (e.g. in an effort to develop other applications or services that provide similar or substitute or complimentary functionality to the Beta Browser);

and so on. There is no mention of the Mozilla license and no source code. How is this legal? Did they buy special rights from the Mozilla Foundation or something?

What were they thinking?

[Anonymous Coward]

So they took Firefox, moved the menubar to the right side, changed the color scheme, made the URL bar so short it only has space for "http://www.betane", and added more cryptic icons?

I think I can safely ignore this, and tell everybody who asks me to do the same. Firefox isn't perfect, but this doesn't seem to fix any of its deficiencies.

It seems to harken back to the Netscape 6 days, when they didn't know a decent user interface from a hole in the ground, but they knew that it must be blue-green. I guess some things never change.

Re:My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

[archos]

I can't even count the number of times that I've opened IE or Explorer on clients computers only to find that the address bar has been removed. After seeing this and 'fixing' it on one occasion, the user of the particular computer asked me what I did to his web.. confused, I asked him what he meant. He apparently didn't want that on. I asked him how he got to different web sites. His reply, he just typed where he wanted to go in yahoo.

After that I realized, the address bar, is mainly a power user feature, that many web users don't understand, and don't care to use. I say don't complain, they are making a browser for a certain demographic, the AOL user, the CEO. They aren't hoping to get us to convert.

Re:Who cares?

[Ilgaz]

I got Netscape 7.2 installed here. I care.

That "Netscape Icon" paid salaries of 80% of coders as much as it paid $2m for further development.

This sort of attitude will get you +5 on Slashdot ONLY.

Licensed Omniweb user. Looking forward for mac version update which is professionally coded/designed.