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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=450
Netscape 7 PR1 released, browser war on again?
By ron carlson, Insanely Great Mac
May 22nd 2002
With the release of Netscape''s seventh-generation browser and AOL''s apparent desire
to dump Internet Explorer, it looks increasingly as the game is afoot
The timing of this otherwise innocuous announcement -- the availability of Netscape
PR1 (a beta by any other name...) -- points deliciously toward to the possibility that
the browser war is definitely on again.
According to Netscape, this whole-number update includes an improved browser, mail and
instant messaging (IM) application. Specific improvements include tabbed browsing and
enhanced mail performance.
The worm turns
After several years, development of Netscape-branded browsers has definitely picked up
pace. It has only been a few weeks since Netscape 6.2 was loosed on the world and
it''s likely that a golden master version of the 7.0 browser will be available within
weeks.
Add this to the fact that AOL has dumped IE as the default browser in the v2.0 beta of
AOL for Mac OS X, as well as the two companies'' collaboration on Apple''s iChat, and
a pattern begins to emerge -- the browser war is again on.
It remains to be seen whether AOL will also include Netscape''s Gecko-powered browser
in the next iteration of their software for the PC, but it seems like a fairly safe
bet.
It''s possible that Mac users are being used as guinnea pigs to test the
re-invigorated browser. We''re a small, yet significant segment of the market and
perhaps the ideal trojan horse for AOL to begin moving its millions of users away from
M$.
If indeed the browser war is on again, it''s definitely good news for everyone -- PC
and Mac users alike -- as it signals a return of real competition to a part of the
market that has languished for a couple years. Yes, OmniWeb, iCab, etc. are all fine
browsers and bring unique functionality to the table, but the broader market knows
little of these products. Netscape brings instantaneous cachet that these vendors
don''t. Also, with AOL''s backing, Netscape-branded products stand a chance of
unseating M$.
Post your comments at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=450
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Copyright (c) 2001 Insanely Great Mac. All rights reserved. This article
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